Van Horn to Marfa; Marfa to Marathon

As Steve put it, yesterday was "the suckiest day of the trip!" we had the "perfect storm" of riding conditions: a slight, but endless uphill; flat tires; a course road surface that magnified rolling resistance; and a strong, relentless headwind. Two high points: miles from anywhere, a single sealed building stands alone. It displays Prada products, not for sale. It's an art onstallation. I'll post aphoto when I have time. Also, Gary and Bethany dropped off water for us at the Prada space. We were grateful to see them. We straggled, utterly exhausted, into Marfa just as dark was falling. We gorged at the DQ, then camped at El Cosmico, an establishment with a distinctly hippie flavor. You can use a vintage trailer, a yurt, or put up your tent. There is an open-air bathroom affording minimal privacy. The state of Texas says Marfa is the oldest community in America, going back 10,000 years. Maybe.

This morning, Steve and I spent an hour finding and patching leaks in inner tubes. More headwind until we reached Paisano Pass, so named allegedly because centuries ago two Spaniards met in the pass and greeted each other, "Hey, paisano". I don't believe it.

Yet more headwind in the afternoon. If we had followed our original planned route, we would have been in Ft. Davis tonight. Instead, we are watching lightning flashes in the distant Davis Mountains from our motel in Marathon. We hear there may be golfball-size hail in Ft. Davis!

More headwinds forecast for the rest of the week. Bummer!