Today started with breakfast served in the parish hall by a group of bleary eyed teens who had just finished celebrating their senior prom. Despite a few shirts on backwards or inside out, as well as a few who appeared to have been “over-served”, it was somewhat difficult to tell these kids had only a few hours ago been “dancing the night away”. The eggs and sausage were delicious, as were the gluten free pancakes, which I believe were intended for those of us who prefer not to eat glue. After the hearty breakfast, we left around 7:30am, and followed state route 90 toward the bustling town of Comstock, or more accurately, Seminole Canyon State Park, which is our current place of residence for the evening.
The ride was long and challenging, with a fair number of rolling hills and some steep inclines. Overall, however, we descended more than ascended, and emptied out into a basin that is pretty rocky, and fairly hot, about 84 degrees. That being said, nightfall is soon approaching, so if the performance of past nights repeats, soon we will be cocooned in wool long John’s and shrink-wrapped in our sleeping bags. I’m ready for the night-time and early morning barometer to rise to a level that might not be appropriate to keep meat fresh.
Today’s ride featured two points of interest. The first was the town of Langtry, the home of Judge Roy Bean. Some of you may know the story, or remember the 1972 movie “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, starring Paul Newman and Jacqueline Bisset. Judge Roy, (hereafter referred to by me as “JR”), was quite a character, acting as justice of the peace and essentially judge and jury back in the late 1800’s. J.R.’s law library consisted of only one volume of the revised statutes of Texas, though reportedly JR rarely referred to the book, but instead called upon his own sense of justice to apply to the situation, which most often suited himself just as well, if not better, than the people he was supposed to serve. He named “his” town Langtry after an actress named Lillie Langtry, one he had fancied, though reportedly had never met. Since Langtry had no jail, all offenses were deemed fine-able, with JR pocketing the fine for his own personal use. He reached the peak of his notoriety when he staged a heavyweight fight between Fitzsimmons and Maher in 1896. The site he selected for the fight was on a sandbar on the Rio Grande River, staged in Mexican territory so the Texas Rangers could not stop the fight. Of course, JR pocketed the majority of the proceeds from the fight. Quite a business man!
A few quick examples of how JR operated: Once, a corpse of a Southern Pacific railroad worker was discovered after he fell from a high bridge over the Pecos River. The man had been carrying a pistol and $40 in cash. JR rendered a verdict of “accidental death”, and then imposed a posthumous $40 fine on the deceased man for carrying a concealed weapon. Additionally, when a train passenger tossed a $20 gold piece for a beer at his saloon, JR refused to give any change. When the stranger protested, Bean fined him $19.95 for contempt of court, and threatened to double the fine if the stranger said another word. My kind of guy!
In my opinion, you haven’t really experienced life until you get on a bicycle, travel down a mile-long, 10% grade descent with 20 MPH cross-winds, while semi-trucks loaded with livestock pass you going 85 MPH. Then, picture me in that scenario, hanging on for dear life to my little red two-wheeler, screaming at the top of my lungs like a 12 year old girl in the front row of a Justin Bieber concert. Naturally, being a Sunday, I prayed HARD, and survived the state route 90 rollercoaster ride they had me ride on today. The next time you want to go to Six Flags, save the entrance fee and travel to Comstock, where you can get your fill of thrill rides for free. How we all survived the ordeal, I still am not quite clear. I did, however, get a few breathtaking views of the Pecos River (my second point of interest), as I crossed what appeared to be a mile-high bridge. As soon as I get within 30 miles of WiFi service, I promise to upload these pictures to this blog, along with a lot of interesting shots of JR’s house and saloon.
Alas, we have little time to celebrate our 81 mile day today. Tomorrow, we push forward to Bracketville, approximately 74 miles away. Our route shifts from southeast to east only, with a crossing of Amistad Lake. The best news of all: The bridge over the lake is shoulder-less, so a vehicle escort will be required. I look forward to this parade, and promise to wave to all bystanders, and perhaps toss candy to the kids. We spend the night at the Fort Clark Springs RV park, once again in tents, though I believe the correct spelling is “INTENSE”. Hope you all had a great weekend!
The Walking Machine 