Marfa, TX to El Paso, TX (8 miles)

Thursday June 5, 2008

OK, it is not 8 miles from Marfa to El Paso! Here is the story...
I knew from the forecast that ridiculous winds were forecasted for the area. I was seeing 30mph winds coming from the NW projected. I was heading NW, as luck would have it.

But luck be a lady...
Maybe not a lady. The guy's name was Ramon Hinojos from Alpine, TX.
I was up at 4am. After a hearty oatmeal breakfast with Mike O'Connor, my accomodating host in Marfa, I left for Van Horn with his suggestion "go like hell until the town of Valentine". The wind was pretty light this early in the morning. The sky was completely black except for starlight. Equipped with my flashing strobe headlamp and flashing red tailight, I was cruising up the slight inclines of Hwy 90 toward Valentine. Already seeing mule deer and antelope, only 3 cars had passed me each likely puzzled by the flashing lights atop my head and bike until they were right up next to me. Ramon was so puzzled that he passed me heading west, then slowed down to take another look. He put it in reverse and I pulled up next to the truck.

"You having trouble", he asked?
"Nope, just biking" I said.
"Oh, you're pedaling. I wasn't sure. Those flashing lights got my attention, but I wasn't sure what you were." Ramon stated.
"Just pedaling man. I hear the winds are supposed to be crazy so I need to get as far as I can before they pick up. I better go." I said.
"Well, you want to just put the bike in the back?" he asked.
I hesitated. I had planned this route carefully. And I was up predawn, pretwilight, to get a jump on Mariah. But given the following I decided it was too good an offer to pass up...
1. It was 74 miles to the next "service" (place to get a drink, food, rest, help).
2. My front deraileur was making noises yesterday and I thought I had fixed it, but in the dark I wasn't testing it too much waiting for dawn instead. What if my fix didn't take?
3. During routine tire pressure testing this morning, the tip of the valve on the rear tube broke off when I was done pumping it up a bit. That meant that I could not close the valve, nor add air should I need to. Riding with that much weight on the bike without closing the valve seemed like it might cause air to escape. The next time I needed to adjust air pressure in the rear tire, the tube would need replacing. Not something I wanted to do in the dark.
4. Winds were projected at 30 mph from the NW. That would be brutal!
5. I didn't ask for a ride. He offered it.

I loaded the bike in the back and got in the truck. I told him I was going to Van Horn. He said he was going to El Paso which went right through Van Horn. As Van Horn approached, I was preparing to get out, but conversation with Ramon was good and I could tell he liked the company. He told me tales of growing up in Terlingua in Big Bend area, home of the first chili cookoff he said, and being one of 9 kids in his family. He continued on with stories from his younger days when he gauged distances to nearby towns based on consumed beers : "How far to Fort Davis?" "Oh, a 6 pack or so, but to get to Carlsbad, NM takes a case at least."

Turns out he is a 58-year old disabled vet having served in the Army in 1969 and 1970. With plans to be sent to Vietnam following his being stationed in Germany, he got in a car wreck. He now walks with a cane, and takes trips to Veterans Hospitals at great distances for other ailments. He goes to El Paso 4 or 5 times amonth for tests related to cirrhosis of the liver, which he tells me is terminal in his case. He offered to follow the bike route I intended to pedal, and with winds becoming obvious, I was not sure how I could refuse given the fact these winds could continue for days as far as I knew.

As this self-proclaimed "instigator" drove with his little 6-month old poodle hiding beneath a cooler of drinks and sandwiches in the back seat of his 2005 quad cab Chevy truck, we saw the fires in the Davis Mountains, a peculiar DEA blimp anchored to it's docking station on the south side of the highway, and we stopped at a Prada Marfa store that is nothing more than art, with a front door that does not open and will never be open for business. Following that, it was simply pecan tree orchards, some cotton farms, and a lot of what I was glad not to have passed on bike given the reward vs effort ratio today.

It would have taken me three days to get as far as he had taken me in a matter of a few hours. Appreciative, I arranged to buy him lunch after his doctor appointment. I had checked into a hostel for $20/night and would look over my intended route for the next few days since my schedule had just jumped ahead.

Following lunch with Ramon, I turned down his offer to take me further betting the winds would let up, and knowing I was in a cheap place should I need to wait it out a bit. I was glad to meet ramon and have promised to send him copies of the pictures I took on the road today.

I just checked the winds in Van Horn to see if I made the right choice today. 52 mph from the NW. I may have died today had I biked it. Thanks Ramon!

This afternoon, I took my bike to Crazy Cat cyclery and had the front deraileur adjusted and got as new tube installed, so the bike is raring to go again tomorrow. As raring as 110 pounds can be, that is.

start time: 5:30am
end time: 6:00am
total time on bike: 30 mins
mileage: 8 miles
avg speed: 13.12 mph
max speed:
calories: 870 cals
conditions: dark, cold (45F in desert low areas), relatively flat, wind not blowing yet