Thursday May 29, 2008
Awake at 5:45am and out riding by 7:11am. A simple wave to the guard at the front of Fort Clark Springs suggested I wasn't on a wanted list for the photo taking yesterday.
75 degrees F, slight tail winds to push me along, and flat roads made an easy ride to Del Rio.
Averaged 15-16 mph, which is moving nicely.
Speaking of moving nicely, it isn't easy to move nicely from Mexico to the US in this area.
San Diego has border patrol, but I have never seen anything like the number of agents near Bracketville/Del Rio. Look at a map and you will see Del Rio is right there next to Mexico with only the Rio Grande separating the two countries. As I pedalled on, there were often border patrol vehicles on dirt frontage roads scanning the scrub rangeland for signs of illegal immigrants. Some would have a guy staring at the dirt road itself looking for footprints at which point they would stop and investigate. I have seen sets of big tires chained together on these roads. The Border Patrol drags these tires behind their vehicles to wipe the slate clean, increasing the odds of seeing a fresh footprint during their next round. To my Mexican Brother-In-Law: knowing you might be interested in a long-haul bike trip...I suggest you find another route to bike. I can only imagine you would make very few miles each day being stopped and interrogated frequently.
No interrogations for me though. I arrived to Del Rio super early. Too early to stop for the day. Well, not too early for Dairy Queen I thought. I pulled in and found Jesus, a local exterminator doing his regular work outside. The restaurant was not open yet. He and a delivery driver were trying to get the attention of the kid inside, but because the kid had headphones on, it was impossible. Jesus and I had a nice talk about Del Rio (a "calm place" he called it) and the ride I was on, among other topics, while I was waiting for DQ to open it's doors. Oddly enough, Jesus lived and worked in Berlin, Wisconsin. Being from Wisconsin, our conversation went on. Seeing me give up on DQ, Jesus directed me to a nearby IHOP.
Misty had never met anyone biking across country before. And I had never met a pancake platter I didn't like, so I got along just fine with the waitress at IHOP. After I left and was unlocking my bike, Micheal, a hitchhiker carrying a Whattaburger soda cup, walked up to me. Definitely in the mood to talk, he told me about how his fiance' in Del Rio had cheated on him and despite their plans to get married this weekend, he was leaving to go back to El Paso. On the lawn of IHOP, we shared some "girls are evil" stories with eachother having plenty of them in our own mental luggage. I just wanted Micheal to know I knew where he was at. I challenged him to get to El Paso before I do and gave him the projected date of June 8th. "If I see you, I'm buying lunch" he said as we parted.
Continuing on Hwy 90 past Del Rio, I came to Amistad National Recreation Center. Well get this! At one time MExico and the US worked together real nicely. In fact, in 1969, the two nations built a dam of the Rio Grande to ensure that in dry seasons, there would be ample water to provide for people in the nearby areas of both countries. At the Visitor Center, the Park Ranger (?) helped me with my planning, showing me a topographic map of the area. He liked what I was doing but said he would need to do it with a group to get some time with people. I told him that this visit into the Visitor Center was my "time with people", though it seems I meet them hitchiking as well.
Looking ahead, I decided I wasn't ready to go too much further today based on accomodation availability and mileage, so I stopped at the Amistad Lake Resort. The lady behind the desk (Judy?) offered me a 15% discount because my ride is for charity. The motel is definitely not new, but included a basic room with a restaurant and gas station nearby. These are ideal for a cyclist. Dinner and supplies for tomorrow are footsteps away. After doing a bit of sink laundry and drying it almost instantly in the wind and heat out by the daytime-abandoned but remarkably clean swimming pool, I went to get some dinner. Lisa, the bartender helped me out, and after finding out I live in San Diego, told me that Byron, the owner, is "from out there somewhere". After Byron was done hanging with two drinking buddies telling fish stories (literally), he came to the bar. Byron is from Huntington Beach and a professional fisherman. He found this place locked up when he was at Amistad Lake and decided he was tired of pulling his boat trailer through Southern California traffic, instead to make a go of it with a highschool buddy turned business partner out here near Del Rio.
I had noticed on the margherita list that there was one called "Byron the Bachelor" Margeherita. It was pricey, so I skipped it, but it was good to meet the guy who has a drink named after him. (Days later, I found out that Byron was indeed The Bachelor from the reality TV show, The Bachelor. I was also told that he is still with the girl he picked fromt he show and they are very happy. The assault charge she was booked with tells a slightly different story, but, base don my experience, I chalk it up to latina fire. The mystery is that some non-latinas have the latina fire.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byron_Velvick
start time: 7:11am
end time: 11:30am
time on bike: 2:57:31
mileage: 42.55
avg speed: 14.38 mph
max speed: 26.62 mph
calories: 3,320
conditions: flat, 85F, tailwind, nice easy ride.
An easy ride today. Todays story will include border patrol agents, Jesus the exterminator, IHOP Misty, hitchhiker Mike from El Paso, and Huntington Beach-native Byron who owns the motel I stayed at.
start time: 7:11am
end time: 11:30am
time on bike: 2:57:31
mileage: 42.55 miles
avg speed: 14.38 mph
max speed: 26.62 mph
calories: 3,320
conditions: fast, flat, nice tailwind making the ride easy.
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