Sand, Sand and, of course, more Sand

Day 23

Sanderson to Comstock started out hard and got a whole lot worse. A 78 mile ride into increasing winds than started the day at a forecasted 20-30 mph and a revised forecast of 30-40 mph winds from the southeast.. guess which way we were riding? Yep, Southeast, directly into the hardest winds I have ever ridden into in my life.

I rode solo most of the day and while it is easier to have a paceline, I was just far more comfortable at my own pace.

We did have a stop in the famous town of Langtry, home of the infamous Judge Roy Bean. Spent some time in the museum dedicated to him and his saloon, The Jersey Lilly. The history told by the museum exhibits dispels a lot of the myth, rumors and legend of the judge (mostly made up by himself and writers of the day). Like the fact that while he was known as “The Hanging Judge” there is no record of him actually hanging anyone, ever. It was a very interesting place and I am very glad I took the hour or so to visit before climbing back on to try to finish in the brutal winds.

Crossed the Pecos River (with real WATER in it) so are, supposedly no longer in, officially, West Texas.

Did I mention that it was windy and a hard ride? Only 11 of us actually rode all the way, the rest rode the SAG wagon from various points. Those of us that actually rode into camp on bikes got applause when we got to the campsite. We decided that the only reason they applauded was to hide the fact that they had used up all the hot water! ;-)

TOday truly was the hardest ride of my life. And while I never felt like quitting it still felt really good to know I finished!

The winds were blowing so hard that the guys setting up the tents had to hold them down while driving the stakes into rocky ground with hammers so they wouldn't blow away...

My tent was FULL of ultra fine reddish sand. So fine that when I opened the zipper of my duffles that were in the tent, there was a reddish line of sand right from end to end on top of my stuff where the sand had gone thru the CLOSED zipper!

Don't even ask about my sleeping bag!

Judge Roy Bean's House, Court and Saloon... One stop shopping!

The Jersey Lilly Saloon

The Pecos River

Day 22
We rode 55 miles to Sanderson from Marathon. We had a stiff, increasing headwind but I rode with some strong riders and with a rotating paceline we got in just fine. The prevailing West winds still haven't shown up so we are fighting East and South East daily winds that are making life tough for everyone. Really tough for some of the uh, "less prepared" riders...
My "bedroom" for the night was the bottom of a stairwell in the Sanderson School. Interesting place. Wonderful people. The typical small town from my youth. No one locks their doors or their cars. There are 49 students in the high school and 11 seniors, a bunch of whom prepared our dinner and breakfast as a fundraiser for their Prom Night. The dinner included some of the finest smoked Brisket I have ever had. And the smoker was built by one of the Seniors!

Day 21 was a day off. Most of the riders took a driving visit to Big Bend National Park. Since I had camped there both backpacking and on horseback when young, I felt resting up in the little "Oasis" rest areas would be a better use of my time.