The Devil Wind Meets Great People

Nothing makes riding a bicycle more difficult than 20+ mph winds blowing straight at you. Factor in temps in the 90s with challenging road inclines, and you have a map for a tough ride. That's what I've been facing since Sunday. Otherwise, the last several days have been awesome with the cosmic, artistic delights of Marfa, TX leading the way. But I gotta say too, this part of western Texas is little more than lonesome roads, dusty prairie, and tumbleweed towns. The people that remain in such outposts as Valentine, Marathon, Alpine, and Sanderson are salt-of-the-earth types, friendly and clinging hard to a forgotten part of this country. Dave and I continue to be impressed by the people we meet; everyone from Red, the 80 year-old cattle land baron who schooled us on how the "hippies" were taking over Marfa, to Nancy, the independent tourist from Vancouver, BC, who drove hundreds of miles to imbibe the Marfa vibe. We're within six days of the half way mark, camped tonight in the bushes with the snakes in Sanderson, TX. Time flies when you're having a great time.