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One of those Moments
By Russ | March 7, 2010
Trying something different. I recorded this audio while we were sitting around a campfire in Marathon, TX. I decided to mix it with some riding video and some of the portraits I’ve taken of the people we’ve met. Here’s to our fellow travelers and the road angels we meet!
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One last West Texas post … Marathon
By Laura | March 6, 2010
After a couple of delightful days in Big Bend National Park, we began the long ride north to Marathon. Normally, the winds would have been at our backs. But, a storm decided to blow in, and we crazily decided to just push through. (Note to self: The next time you wake up to howling winds, just go back to sleep!) After spending a night at Stilwell Ranch, we slogged 45 very long miles at an average of 6mph over the course of an entire day, just to get to Marathon. By the time we rolled in, we knew we would need to stay for a few days to rest, which is exactly what we did. Our three days in Marathon so completely delighted and surprised us that I felt it needed its very own post.
With a population of only 600, we really didn’t expect much from Marathon. We knew about the historic Gage Hotel, but we assumed the town would be pretty barren otherwise. Surprise, surprise! This little community has incredible food, a bookstore, galleries, and really lovely people. It felt like a wonderful little island in the middle of the desert, and you should stop here if you’re ever out in West Texas.
Our first night in town, we were so tired that we felt completely anti-social and pretty much non-functioning. So, we ponied up for a room at the Marathon Motel. This is a cute older property, where each room is part of a two-room cabin, complete with a little porch. After grabbing dinner at the Oasis Cafe (a short walk down the road), we spent the evening in the heated comfort of our room and watched really terrible cable tv.
In the morning, we discovered that another bike tourist had also spent the night at the motel! Nancy is a veteran tourist and is in the middle of crossing the southern tier (east to west). We chatted for awhile and then headed off, a bit surprised by the sudden meeting of so many cyclists (we had also met two cyclists and their sag-er when we first rolled into town the night before).
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Johnny B’s, poked around a photo gallery and the bookstore, picked up some snacks at the French Co Grocery (a great little market), and rode around the neighborhood a bit. Then we rolled over to the Gage Hotel, where we had arranged a night’s stay! We were excited in advance of checking in and even more enthusiastic when we got inside.
Our room at the Gage was in the historic building, which was built (and is currently maintained) with shared bathrooms and shower facilities. To make this more comfortable for guests, they provide robes (ooh la la!). Our room was simple (no TV, no phone), and beautifully furnished with western decor. WiFi reaches to the room, so we opened the window to let in some fresh air and spent the afternoon lounging on the wonderfully comfortable bed.
For dinner, we decided to check out the White Buffalo Bar, which is part of the Gage. The Gage operates a full-service restaurant, Cafe Cenizo, which has gotten tons of rave reviews (and which was also a bit out of our price range). The White Buffalo Bar, we had been tipped off, has a small menu made by the same kitchen at a lower price range. Russ got a buffalo burger and I got brisket sliders… delicious!
After a delightful night’s sleep at the Gage, we woke up to discover one of the best hotel breakfasts ever. And then we, reluctantly, packed everything up and rolled out. Even if you don’t have the chance to stay a night at the Gage Hotel, this should be on your list of places to see, because it is a truly beautiful property that has been lovingly restored.
Because we were still so tired from our crazed windy ride, we decided to stay in town a third night, this time opting for the free option, La Loma del Chivo hostel. This hostel is relatively new to town and is across the railroad tracks from the rest of the “strip.” If you’re on bicycle, you can stay for free. It’s a bit rugged feeling (we slept in our sleeping bags), but quite welcoming. I often feel that it’s the people that make an experience, and it was definitely true in this instance. After a fantastic dinner at another great restaurant (Famous Burro), our evening was spent swapping stories with other travelers at the hostel and enjoying music and a campfire under the stars.
Most of our time in West Texas has been surprising in one way or another. But, I have to say that the town of Marathon was the most surprising, because I would never have expected such an outpost of amazing food and great culture in this tiny little spot. Of course, in three days, we pretty much exhausted everything there was to do, see or eat in town, but we very much enjoyed ourselves (and the welcome break from peanut butter and sleeping on the ground).
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Our West Texas Adventure
By Laura | March 3, 2010
Way before we ever reached the border into Texas, we started hearing all sorts of comments about what we would find. The reputation that Texas has gained outside of its borders is really quite extraordinary, and we had no idea what to expect. A bunch of yahoos with shotguns? Pick-up trucks running cyclists off the road? Cranky ranchers eager to kick you off their land? Nope. Just gorgeous wide-open country, amazing vistas, wonderful roads with wide shoulders, and some of the nicest and most accommodating people! Turns out, our foray into West Texas has provided some of the best cycling so far, and fantastic connections with other folks. If you have a chance to come out this way, we highly recommend it. In fact, we think you should consider making it your next vacation destination!
We crossed into Texas on Highway 180-62, headed south from Carlsbad, New Mexico (and the Caverns). Just a few miles across the border is Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Tall mountains, fantastic hiking, beautiful views, friendly rangers… it’s an amazing spot. And probably one of the few national parks left that charges only $8 per night to camp. The tent area of the Pine Springs campground (near the visitor center) is one of the most beautifully landscaped campgrounds we’ve seen… each tent spot is set apart from the others, with lots of vegetation around you.
From the Guadalupe Mountains, we continued on Highway 180-62, then turned south onto Highway 54 (part of the Texas Mountain Trail). This road, from the park to Van Horn, is incredible. There is truly nothing out here except for a handful of ranches and some amazing mountains that give you something to look at while you ride. A wonderfully wide road, Highway 54 also has very few cars, which means that it’s quiet, and you can ride two-abreast (if the wind isn’t blowing too hard).
Highway 54 ends in Van Horn, literally right in front of the Hotel El Capitan. Van Horn is a small town and made for a wonderful spot to rest up for a bit. The Hotel El Capitan just recently re-opened after being refurbished to its former glory, and is a diamond in this rough area. Bicycles are welcome (and their riders!), and there’s a wonderful sitting room with a fireplace that you are entreated to enjoy. Wander just a few blocks to Papa’s Pantry for delicious home-cooking!
From Van Horn, we hopped on Highway 90 and headed east to Marfa. It’s 73 miles between the two towns, making it quite a long stretch. But, if you can do it, we suggest pushing through, because there’s not much in between. Just the small community of Valentine, which has not a single working store, but which is home to a brand-new library and the Marfa Prada art installation.
In Marfa, you’ll find art and ranching, in a delightfully-unexpected mix. Consider staying at El Cosmico, which offers beautifully-refurnished trailers, or The Paisano, a historic hotel built by the same architect as the El Capitan. Both represent different corners of the Marfa population. Chow down at Pizza Foundation, shop at the Get Go, pick up some new reading material at The Marfa Book Company, and wave to the good folks at Marfa Public Radio. And, if that’s not enough, there’s a whole lot of art, the Food Shark, and the Marfa Lights.
From Marfa, we continued on Highway 90 to Alpine, just a short jaunt down the road. Alpine is the big city in these parts and home to Sul Ross University. There is a wonderful little historic district with a fantastic book store. And Amtrak stops in Alpine (although, we hear that it’s not a luggage stop, so don’t plan on putting your bike on or getting it off here). The folks in Alpine, we were told, want to live here, which makes it a friendly and welcoming community.
Alpine is also a great jumping-off spot for a trip down to Big Bend. There are three main roads into the Big Bend area… Highway 67 out of Marfa, Highway 118 out of Alpine, and Highway 385 out of Marathon. We took Highway 118 south and Highway 385 north. Big Bend is 70-ish miles away from these three communities, and there are some hills in the way, and the potential for a lot of wind. So, if you plan a bike trip through here, consider finding a spot to stop for the night along the way. On Highway 118, approximately 54 miles south of Alpine, is Cowhead Ranch. Stop in and say hi to Chris and enjoy the wonderfully quirky mini Western town he has built.
Highway 118 will eventually dump you into the small town of Study Butte. Turn right where the road forks (Highway 170) and head into Terlingua and Terlingua Ghost Town. If you come anywhere near this part of Texas, you absolutely must make a detour down to Terlingua Ghost Town! Dozens of small, deteriorating brick homes, left over from the days of mining, dot the landscape. Pitch your tent at Las Ruinas, grab dinner at the Starlight, watch the sunset from The Porch with a cold beer, and marvel at how far away you are from just about anything.
There is so much to explore in these parts that you could easily stay for weeks, so we suggest having a lot of time to putter around, or having some sort of rough plan. From Terlingua Ghost Town, we decided to head east into Big Bend National Park. There is a $10 entry fee for cyclists (or buy an annual pass for only $80!), and there are numerous camping spots throughout the park. We opted to head up to Chisos Basin, an utterly breath-taking location in the belly of a ring of mountains. You will hurt if you climb this road on a bicycle, but it will be absolutely worth it when you get to the top and have the chance to experience this amazing spot. Camping is $14 per night, and there is drinking water and a sky full of stars. (Head up the hill to the lodge to dine in the restaurant, explore the visitor center, pick up some supplies at the small store, or just snag a room in the hotel.)
Leaving Chisos Basin is a thoroughly crazy experience, as you can easily speed out of control. As you work your way out of the mountains, amazing vistas open up before you and you will be stunned beyond words that you actually climbed up this road! We hopped back on the main road and headed east to Panther Junction, another visitor center. From here, we turned north on Highway 385 and began our exit from the park. You will actually ride for almost 28 miles before leaving the park boundary, so your eyes will have plenty of amazingly vast and open land to feast upon. Just outside the edge of the park, we turned right on Highway 2627. Just six miles down (and up and over lots of rolling hills), you reach Stillwell Ranch and RV park. Camping here is just $5 per person and includes a hot shower! And make sure to visit the Hattie Stillwell Museum, on the property.
Leaving Stillwell, double back along Highway 2627 to get back to Highway 385, and continue north to Marathon. This road is extremely quiet, with many fewer cars than Highway 118, and you will pass nothing but a few ranches and a Border Patrol stop. Due to the wind we encountered, we felt we were hardly able to enjoy the scenery, but the few glances we did take revealed amazing hills and mountains and sweeping grassland vistas.
We decided to take a few days to relax in Marathon and enjoy this small town. And, apparently, tour the lodging and dining options. Our first night, we opted to stay at the Marathon Motel, a small-yet-friendly property at the edge of town, that also offers an RV park and tent camping. We discovered the French Co Grocery, a small market with homemade sandwiches and gourmet offerings, and the Oasis Cafe, a small Tex-Mex restaurant.
Our second night, we stayed at the historic (and beautifully refurbished) Gage Hotel. The Gage is a wonderful bit of luxury, friendly to cyclists, and is an absolute must-see! The restaurant at the Gage (Cafe Cenizo) draws visitors from far and wide. We opted for the lesser-expensive option of the White Buffalo Bar (also part of the Gage), which has its own delectable menu.
Our last night in town (tonight), we’re planning to hop across the tracks to La Loma del Chivo hostel, which supposedly offers free lodging to cross-country cyclists!
As we prepare to head out of West Texas toward Hill Country, we’ve been thinking back about how beautiful and wonderful this area has been. It’s a harsh terrain, where water is scarce and you have to plan extremely well because of lack of services. We have battled a lot of wind that whips its way across these open plains. Mostly, we have been stunned by the vistas we have seen and people we have met. Cycling through West Texas feels epic, as if we’ve stumbled upon a part of the US that few people experience (and even fewer know exists!). We have loved out stay in West Texas and hope that other folks will be inspired to head out here for their own adventure (just be sure to carry a lot of water!).
Here is an annotated Google map of our route and recommendations of places to stay!
View Untitled in a larger map
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Blown Away in Texas
By Russ | February 28, 2010
If it isn’t snow, hail or rain..it’s WIND! Updating from Stillwell Ranch in Texas. Sitting in a wooden rocking chair in front of the general store and watching the wind blow like crazy!
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The Palm of God - Chisos Basin
By Russ | February 27, 2010
Terlingua is a desert outpost town that reminds us of Slab City (so many things remind us of Slab City in these parts). It seems to be made up of people who want to get away, who want to live their own private lives away from judging or prying eyes. We meet up momentarily with Ara and his dog Spirit. Three years ago, Ara set off for the road and explores the country with his motorcycle with a sidecar that Spirit sits in with his shaded goggles.
For dinner we eat at the Starlight Theater and drink beers on what is referred to as “the porch” which is essentially a long bench alongside the Starlight. Every evening locals and travelers alike sit on the porch with their beer to watch the fading rays of light hitting the mountains in the distance. Last night, someone tells us, someone played the fiddle. There is no music this night, just the chatter of travelers and the occasional ooohs and ahhs as the sky runs the gamut from pink to blue.
We stay at Las Ruinas, a hostel at the Terlingua ghost town. They have tent cabins you can rent or you can pitch your own tent for $12/night. There are showers, potable water and a gutted school bus that has been transformed into an internet lounge. We also run into Rob from Colorado who is one a bike tour exploring the Rio Grande. We meet another guy (didn’t get his name) also traveling by motorcycle who use to live in San Diego. Next week it will be his one year anniversary since he has been on the road. We are on our seventh month. We talk about how strange it is sometimes to step back and realize what you’re doing. “Life is a series of experiences,” we are told this many times by Michael in Alamogordo, by Chris and his hand built western town and now in front of the gutted school bus. You get to choose what kind of experiences you want before that light at the end of tunnel blinks out for good. Better make ‘em count.
We leave Terlingua and head off to Big Bend. It is a few miles to the park entrance, then 18 miles to the turn off to the Chisos Mountains, THEN the 6 mile climb into the mountains. We pass through desert landscape up and over hills, the whole while we see this cluster of blue mountains in the distance. They look alien and improbable, more like a giant jagged ocean waves frozen interminably. As we get closer, we wonder where this ribbon of road will go. We are suppose to be camping in the Chisos Basin, somewhere in the middle of the mountains but it looks impenetrable, a fortress of rock and stone. “How the hell are we suppose to get in there?” we wonder aloud. The road to the mountains is a work of art in of itself. It seems to be designed to tease you, to break your heart to make you wonder how exactly it is you’re gong to get over those rock teeth in the distance.
The road meanders and we are climbing steadily and moving around the great cluster of mountains. Slowly a path is revealed straight into the heart of the Chisos. By the time we reach the turn off to The Climb we are already tired. It has taken longer than we expected. We pull off the side of the road and stuff our faces with a strange menagerie of foods praying our stomachs will forgive us (jerky, sardines in mustard with crackers, granola bars, cheese, etc.,).
When we begin the climb I wonder if my tires are flat or if my legs are just that tired because I seem to be moving abominably slow. Not even a hundred feet into The Climb I’m in my lowest gear and I’m moving at a brisk 4mph. I start counting, I try to displace and leave my body but it takes great concentration to keep the bike straight at such a slow speed. I look down and I’m moving at 3mph. In my head I do the math, at this speed it will take us 2 hours to reach the campsite. I try to not think about it. I try not to look up at the road that relentlessly climbs deeper and deeper into the mountain. To do so is folly. To do so is madness. I think of my favorite image for climbing, eating an elephant one forkful at a time but I wonder if maybe this time the elephant will have me for dinner. We pass a mile marker, it says “1″ and I know it is going to be a long afternoon.
I won’t labor on the climb too much. Suffice it to say that it was long and it was hard. We did the math afterwards and found that we climbed 2100 feet in 5 miles with an AVERAGE of 8%, meaning that there were pitches quite a bit higher. When I saw the yellow sign with the truck descending straght to hell, I yelled to Laura, “I see the top!” and it was a glorious moment.
Now, I’m not a religious man, but once we crested the pass and began the fast descent into the basin I was nearly moved to tears. The afternoon light was raking into the basin exposing the ancient textures. It felt like we were in a crater of an ancient volcano. It was as if the great Palm of God itself had reached down from the heavens and laid itself flat on this earth in the center of the mountains. It was beautiful and grand and to see it on a bicycle zipping down the switch backs was enough to make your heart explode with the sense of the divine.
All I could think was, “Wow, we get to camp here!” Whatever weariness I had left my bones and I flew down the hill, the golden light hitting the walls of the basin, hitting the ribbon of road, hitting me and filling me with one of those “experiences” that I’ll remember until the very end when that light in the end of the tunnel blinks out for good.
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Cowhead Ranch… or, Welcome to Big Bend
By Laura | February 25, 2010
From Marfa, we headed down Hwy 90 to Alpine. We stopped into the visitor center and poked around the older part of town while trying to figure out the question of lodging for the night. The weather app on Russ’ iPhone was showing a storm with potential snow, so we were debating our various options when we stumbled into Front Street Books. Through a series of funky coincidences best know as serendipity, we ended up chatting with a fellow customer, Annie, who invited us to stay in her guest room, and even offered to cook us dinner!
We gratefully accepted her offer, and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and lots of stories with Annie and her friend Erin (who, four years ago, started the first cycling club in the Big Bend region!). And we woke up in the morning to 3 inches of snow on the ground! Even with all of the storms that we have been through this winter, we didn’t believe that it would actually snow. Weather.com said the temperature “felt like” 18 degrees that day, so we took the opportunity to just hunker down and hide out. Thanks Annie!!
The next morning, we packed up the bikes to head south toward Terlingua. We had arranged to meet up with a reader who lives between Alpine and Terlingua and stay with him that night. But the lows threatened to be in the mid-20s that night, so he suggested we might, instead, look into the Cowhead Ranch, just a few miles up the road. Russ called to see about availability and we set our sights on their location as our destination for the day.
After 55 miles into a strong headwind, we arrived at Cowhead Ranch. We had no idea what to expect, and we certainly would never have considered what we discovered.
About five years ago, Chris started building little structures on this piece of land that he had moved onto. It was all dirt and grass and cactus beforehand. He had no real plan or design in mind. He just started building, and he has ended up creating a mini Western town.
There’s a Social Club (where meals are served), a Saloon (with WiFi), shower, mock cemetery, free-range chickens and dogs. And several bunkhouses, where you can sleep for a mere $15, complete with electric lighting and propane heater.
You could call the buildings, made of plywood and metal sheeting, and decorated with mis-matched found furniture, “ramshackle.” And you’d be right. In fact, one of the men there told us of an Englishman who stayed with them and said “the Ritz-Carlton this is not.”
But look past the dust and the less-than-luxurious decor and you’ll find a warm, inviting, open, and creative home in the middle of the desert. And if you have the chance to roll through this part of the country, we highly recommend stopping here.
Russ and I were the first people ever to show up on bicycle. Yet, while we were an oddity, we were welcomed with open arms. We were invited to join in homemade beans and cornbread for dinner, homemade biscuits and coffee for breakfast the next morning. We wrote our names on the 2×4s holding up the roof, a tradition since the beginning. And we sat outside after dark, around a roaring campfire, chatting and listening to stories and cowboy poetry from Luke (who, we were told, is one of Texas’ great storytellers).
In 4500 miles, we have seen and experienced some interesting characters and odd locales in our quest to find people who are living a life less ordinary. Cowhead Ranch was a completely different model of being outside the status quo, and offered us our first opportunity to rub elbows with true Texas cowboys.
Chris is a quiet man, with a great smile, warm and perfectly happy to provide anything he can. He’s built himself a great little space in the middle of the Texas desert, and is more interested in meeting and providing space for other folks than getting rich as a resort-owner. In his words, all that matters is making enough to pay his bills and buy some gas and groceries. It’s a great illustration that you can build something for yourself and end up finding community and support.
Thanks Chris!
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Marfa
By Russ | February 23, 2010
Marfa is the unlikeliest town in Texas. It is as if you took the Williamsburg part of Brooklyn and threw it in a blender with Portland’s Hawthorne neighborhood and a big helping of country. Sitting in Pizza Foundation, the town’s only pizza place (you only need one when the pizza is that good!), we watch everyone from hipsters to ranchers and the art elite grab a slice of pie. There is a bit of cognitive dissonance that goes on when you’re eating pizza in a small town in the middle of nowhere and someone walks in with skinny jeans and a fashionably vintage shirt and gets in line behind someone with 501s, cowboy boots and a camo jacket.
We stayed at two wonderful places in Marfa that represent this odd marriage of cultures. The first place was El Cosmico, a “lodging concept” where you can rent a refurbished vintage trailer, yurt, teepee or pitch a tent. Since the nights threatened to be in the mid 20s, we opted to get a trailer. While on their site, you should read their manifesto that gives a great feel of the place.
Our trailer had a small den-like area, working sink and electric stove (which came complete with a percolator and a bag of coffee from the local roaster) and bedroom with a small closet like space with a toilet. It was not unlike being in a sailboat. The cabinets had spring catches that would lock them in place so things wouldn’t fly out if the trailer was moving. The toilet was a two step process that you worked with a foot pedal. First you half fill it with water by slightly depressing the pedal, you do your business and you send it into space by pushing the pedal all the way in.
The showers were in an open-air outdoor structure. While probably absolutely refreshing in the summer, it was a bit cold on a blustery winter day. It felt rustic and outdoorsy and hip all at once.
Sarah, the manager at El Cosmico was great to talk to and very friendly. As we were checking out, I brought up the idea of marketing their place as cyclist friendly by having a floor pump on hand and a variety of tubes (there is no bike shop in Marfa). Something as simple as that would go a long way to make it inviting to other touring cyclists as well as provide a good service in such a small town.
The second place we stayed in was the historic Hotel Paisano. Designed by the architect Henry Trost (who also designed the Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn), it was a luxurious space with a central fountain in the courtyard. Built originally as lodging for cattlemen to make business deals, it maintains a very rich historical feel. In the 50s, the film Giant was filmed around Marfa and many celebrities like James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor stayed at the Paisano.
The Paisano, like it’s sister property in Van Horn, felt like being in the lap of luxury. Our room had a great airy balcony that overlooked the fountain. The staff was friendly and didn’t bat an eye when we rolled in on bicycles.
Beth, with TexasMountainTrail, is making it her mission to encourage businesses and hotels in West Texas to be more cycling friendly. It is beautiful riding here with smooth paved roads and low traffic volumes. The toughest challenge for the bike tourist is services and accommodations in these parts. But, with more places open to cyclists, it could easily become a great cycling destination. The Pacific Coast route is beautiful with lots of camping and lodging, but in terms of pure relaxing riding without cars or semis growling behind you, this area of Texas has it beat.
Our first night in Marfa, we ordered a pizza and then rolled around the corner to the Get Go (the local gourmet market), in search of some beer. And, lo and behold, with mouths agape, we discovered microbrews! We picked up a 6-pack of a Portland-brewed IPA, and then also grabbed some Belgian chocolate cookies, kettle chips, organic orange juice… we felt like we had landed in a funny little oasis, and we were happy (indoor) campers!
One of the other places we had to check out while in Marfa was the laundromat. People on our Facebook page had been suggesting we check it out and we couldn’t quite figure out why the laundromat would be of any particular interest. We pulled into Tumblweed and found that it was more than just a place to leave your laundry, because it also had an adjacent coffee and ice cream shop. What a concept!
Between Tumbleweed, Pizza Foundation, the Marfa Book Company (great little indie bookstore!) and the Austin Street Cafe (awesome Sunday brunch), we discovered Marfa’s very own moveable feast. There is a growing contingent of young, hip art-lovers in Marfa, and it could be quite easy to not feel like one of the “cool” kids. One girl that we met at Tumbleweed described Marfa as similar to a small liberal arts college. Laura went to just such a school and instantly saw the similarities. Lucky for us, most folks were also super nice and interested in chatting up a couple of crazy bike tourists, so we thoroughly enjoyed our Marfa experience.
On our way out of Marfa, we had the opportunity to stop into Marfa Public Radio, meet the crew of three who run the station, and sit down to an interview with Rachel. Our first radio interview! The station is beautiful, everyone is extremely friendly and we enjoyed our interview experience. We hear that it’s supposed to air on March 1, as part of their Talk at Ten program, so mark your calendars! In case you don’t happen to be in the area, you can listen online (and we hope to post info here as well).
Marfa is as enigmatic as it is eclectic. A strange young art town (perhaps what Bisbee was like in the early 70s?) where you can find hipsters rubbing elbows with ranchers. There is beautiful riding around Marfa and West Texas in general and has great potential to be a prime winter cycle touring destination (the southern Southern Tier).
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TrackMyTour
By Russ | February 21, 2010
Just a heads up to all our readers that I’m going to start contributing some tech reviews and tips on the Adventure Cyclist blog! If you can’t tell, I’m a bit of a gear geek and like to keep abreast of the new technology (which can be a bit challenging since we’re constantly moving). I think we’re at a real interesting time in adventure travel, where the experience of something happening and relating it is almost instantaneous. It makes for great vicarious experiences!
So, please check out the my review of TrackMyTour on the Adventure Cyclist blog and leave a comment if you find it helpful or interesting! You can follow our progress on our TMT map here.
Just a quick highlight:
TrackMyTour differs from many current GPS bicycle apps in that it isn’t a “real-time” tracker. It doesn’t turn your iPhone into a Garmin which tracks every single inch of your route. While this may not be ideal for those that are accustomed to more training based applications that records constantly while you are riding, IT IS ideal for the bicycle tourist that plans to go into remote areas or do extended tours. Because of this “bread crumb” method of plotting your route, you are able to conserve the iPhone’s battery life considerably. TrackMyTour also lets you save the waypoints you’ve created and submit them later when you have access to the Internet.
In the same vein, if you want to keep up on our travels really closely, join our Facebook Fan page. I update it pretty often with my iPhone and some of the content on the fan page is exclusive to the fan page and doesn’t always make it to the site. Isn’t technology exciting!
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Photos from Marfa
By Russ | February 20, 2010
Some snaps and captions from the last few days….
The strange Prada Marfa art installation just outside of Valentine, TX. Someone told us that when the installation first opened, someone broke in and stole everything that was inside. It isn’t a store (the door is sealed and cannot be opened) but an art installation containing pieces from the 2005 Prada collection. Laura noticed that as a counterpoint to the installation, there were many ragged shoes hanging around the fence behind Prada Marfa. Perhaps the locals own comment on the art?
Most of Valentine, TX is closed. Like this abandoned cafe.
One of the few non-private buildings in Valentine (there’s a dentist there now), is the library. One of the local ranch owners helped erect this beautiful small library with a computer lab. With a stroke of good timing, Mr Johnson (the husband of the late Kay Johnson for whom the library was named after) was there giving a tour for some friends. It was a labor of love and many of the books were donated by locals and friends in Austin. At the opening of this library in the middle of almost nowhere, Karl Rove was present and donated the software for the library to keep track of the books.
One of the trailers at El Cosmico where you can rent an old trailer, yurt, teepee or pitch a tent!
The interior of our trailer in El Cosmico. Nice wood paneling and warm!
The outdoor tub that came with our trailer.
The rustic open air shower/bathroom. Probably great in the summer but cold during the winter!
Tumbleweed, the coolest laundromat/cafe/ice cream parlor we’ve been to.
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“D” is for Displacement
By Russ | February 18, 2010
Our host Michael in Alamogordo trained the first woman who qualified for RAAM, Kitty Goursolle, in 1983. He told us of some of the grueling training rides and psychological tactics he used to transform her from an already renowned kayaker to a competitive and fierce cyclist. As an accomplished endurance athlete himself, he talked a lot about the mental side of endurance sports and how it was almost more important than the physical side of the training.
“Most of the pain signals your body sends are unnecessary,” he told us. Pain is the body telling you of potential damage. The trick is to discern which signals you should actually listen to and which you should ignore.
What is it that you think about when you’re hurting and you still have several miles to go? Was there some mental Jedi-jujitsu you could do to keep on going? One technique, Michael told us about was displacement - fleeing your body to some other place where you are not hurting on the saddle. He told us how on a recent strenuous hike he was lost in his inner world, a Dungeons and Dragons type fantasy exploring another unearthly world.
We’ve been doing a lot of displacement the last few weeks, slogging up climbs, riding long endless stretches, enduring freezing weather and eating jar after jar after jar of peanut butter. So where is that we go into our heads when we’re hurting turning the pedals over?
I asked Laura this yesterday as we were riding into Van Horn which was a long 65 mile day. Laura said she was in Portland, decorating our next home or she was with our happy hour friends in Long Beach or she was in Austin in a thrift store shopping for another set of clothes other than the ones we’ve been wearing for months. She focused on the details and could get lost in them, numbing her from the grind.
I count. Endlessly. One to ten, then over again, adding the tally up until I reach a thousand then start over again. If I’m not counting, I’m thinking of food. I’ve always joked that the alternate name of our website could be Cheeseburgers Across America. I seem to gravitate to bacon cheeseburgers wherever we go (I’m a man of simple pleasures). So in my head, I’m cataloging the different places we’ve eaten, what we ordered and what were our best meals (TIP: the absolutely best bacon cheeseburger I’ve had in the last 4000 miles was in Seattle’s Lunchbox Labratories!). This is usually good sport and helps me forget about the leg pain and butt pain but also makes me terribly hungry. I’ve also recently taken to imagining I’m riding one of those weird dragon things from Avatar since Michael took us out to go see the movie.
This brings up an interesting paradox - aren’t we living the dream? Why are we displacing at all? Shouldn’t we be absolutely and completely enthralled by every single living moment like some Kerouac-ian protagonist?
The short answer is - yes we are. I think we do wake up every morning feeling lucky and blessed to be on this journey and to share it with our readers, but there are moments that are hard and challenging and act as an occasional gut check. I’m reminded of a quote from Kahil Gibrain, “the cup of human misery is always full.” No matter what lot you have in life, there is always some nagging unhappiness. Even in our own travels we see the cycle happen. After a few days in the tent, we long for a warm bed and hot shower. After a few days in a city, we want to be in the woods again. Funny isn’t it?
The last cold week was a real challenge. It was hard to be cold every day and every night and not have enough food . It was one of those gut check moments. And yet, we made it through and now we’re in a lovely hotel that we appreciate so much more now. A reader commented on a recent post and it was really well phrased and provides a good frame for us to look at our tough times:
Is the worst days on a dream adventure better than the best days of a mundane life dreaming of the adventure?
I would have to say yes. I wonder if I would have been better off staying at home or getting an office job or any number of things but leave for this journey but I feel we still made the right decision. We’ve learned so much about ourselves and other people, we’ve experienced so much that everyday I feel like we are in the large classroom of Life sitting in the front desk. I’m glad that in the end that we chose to live the dream instead of just dreaming it.
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