Day 15: April 14, 2009

Day 15 - Van Horn, TX to Fort Davis, TX: Hills

Tuesday April 14, 2009, 91 miles (146 km) - Total so far: 1,108 miles (1,783 km)

Weather: Temperatures 51-77, winds southwest at 10-12 mph, partly cloudy to clear skies. Today's ride was long and fairly difficult, but the scenery was outstanding. The time changed to Central Daylight Time just before Van Horn, so everyone got up this morning on the "new" time and it was dark outside. We all finally left Van Horn a little after 8 am. The first 20 miles were along a frontage road along I-10. Then next 17 miles were on the shoulder of I-10. The shoulder was MUCH smoother an easier to ride on, so we destroyed that 17 miles in short order. Then the "fun" began. We exited I-10, and for the next 50 miles we road through some very scenic West Texas brush country into the Davis Mountains. The road was rough, there was a headwind, and it was all up hill. The scenery made it worth the effort, though. There was a long and fairly steep climb up to the University of Texas McDonald Observatory. Most of the riders went into the visitor's center there. Larry actually rode all the way up to the dome. Some of the riders had the climbing do them in and climbed in to the van. Fort Davis is a neat little town. It was the site of a US Cavalry fort in the late 1800's. The area around here is open range cow country and is very rocky and hilly. The town itself seems to be a tourist spot. There are several dude ranches around and the Big Bend country is not far.

until later....
Barry, Flat Stanley, and Share Bear