March 21, 2023: Ft. Hancock to Van Horn, TX. 75 miles and 1,920 feet of elevation

A relatively long day miles-wise, however we enjoyed a tailwind and some cross winds on our trip from Ft. Hancock to Van Horn. I started the day solo, but at the first SAG stopped joined a group and stayed with them for the duration of the day. We traveled through the Rio Grande river valley on quiet roads in the morning, and then joined up with some interstate roads and eventually Interstate 10. I enjoyed the livestock and some of the ranches and farms along the way, and stopped to take a few pictures of horses, goats, sheep, and cattle. We had one long climb on the shoulder of I-10, but the tailwind made the overall experience tolerable. Toward the end of the day, we passed a Talc Mine and had one last long climb before sailing down the other side of the mountain. Right before we stopped, we passed into the Central Time zone, another signal that some progress has been made. We are now just a little shy of 1,000 miles in total since we left San Diego, and by the end of tomorrow, we will have exceeded 1,000 for the trip thus far. Only 2,000 miles to go! 🙂

Van Horn appears to be one great big truck stop, with many service stations and motels in what otherwise appears to be a relatively small and sleepy town. The biggest attraction to Van Horn is that it is the town closest to Jeff Bezo’s (Amazon founder) Blue Origin suborbital launch facility, known as Launch Site One. The site itself is about 25 miles north of Van Horn. We are camping in tents at Good Sam’s RV Park just outside of town, and the wind is absolutely whipping our tents all different ways. The ground here is absolutely covered with Goat Head Stickers, which wreaks havoc on bare feet and more notably, bicycle tires. The stickers come from a plant, which, after blooming, forms a devil’s thorn or a spiny fruits that have several spiny points that resemble a goat’s head. It’s a funny sight to see everyone carrying their bikes over grassy and sandy areas, in an attempt to avoid punctured tires. We’ve also been advised to stop and check our tires periodically, and try to remove the stickers before they create a problem.

All in all, today was very successful. Tomorrow, we have another 75 mile day, with a straight shot south-east to Marfa, on Texas Route 90. I’m told that we will cycle through Valentine, (population 150), where the seniors from the school, (all 7 of them) will be serving burritos as a fundraiser for a trip them have planned for later in the year. Should be a heartwarming experience, as well as a challenging day on the road. For now, I will sign off just before nightfall, and hope that my tent does not collapse on me during the night. Good night to all!