Oct 16th Its mighty cold in the camp room so I dont get up till late , today is a short hop down to Alpine as I have business there with the only bike repair shop for the next 200 miles. If I had got up really early, I could feasibly have got the spoke fixed and pushed on to the next stop 31 miles on but I opt for the less stressful stop-over in Alpine as there are some long rides ahead in sparsely populated plains of west Texas. So not much to report today a pleasant cycle under scattered [View Full Entry]

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15th Oct What a difference a day makes ! Despite these huge trains passing a few yards from my tent , first the claxon of the level crossing , then the hoots of the train siren, the noise builds to a crescendo and the ground literaly shakes, I slept well, so damn tired! I didn't mention yesterday that arriving at Kent to the prospect of dry camping, a couple pulled up in a big truck and said hi there would you like a lift to Ft Davis ? It would have been fun meeting them and thats what the trip is [View Full Entry]

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Oct 14 So it not far to Kent , nothing much there , bit of climbing only 38 miles, so I decide to leave late, around mid-day. Gloomy skies , and the threat of rain are bad enough but as soon as I get underway I realise that I am facing a gale force freezing wind , no need for ice ha. The landscape is bleak mooreland and this Easterly is relentless, making progress very difficult, I must say I have not spent a more joyless day cycliing. The journey last s six and a half bitter hours, I stop for [View Full Entry]

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Oct 13 Well there is only one motel in in Ft Hancock and it is the worst I have ever been in, smelly room , rubish tv reception, just skanky. The owner is indian (not native american, indian) as are all the owners of motels in america that I've been in, and he's cheery enough, but there is no point in complaining as there is no where else to go! Funny that about owners of motels being indian , I checked in google to see if it was just a phenomenal coincidece but 60% of mid-sized american motels are owned by [View Full Entry]

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Oct 12 Today I got up late and did not get underway till 10.30 am. A check on the bike reveals a broken spoke which means the wheel is slightly off true which means it is rubbing against the back brake, I can't fix this so I op for disconnecting the back brake till I get to the next bike shop about 150 miles away . I think this happened riding the bumpy sidewalks of El Paso, I must check my equipment more often, I think I have been lucky so far. The wind is side on at first then behind [View Full Entry]

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11 oct So all day Saturday in El Paso , I'm on a 'strip' full of motels, typical strip malls, fast food joints and a few sleazy bars, near to the airport. There is nothing else for it but to 'get on my bike' and explore, kinda cycling in my spare time! Downtown El Paso is pretty boring, near the frontier its a bit more lively with a couple of clothes markets and shops. There is nothing to do but cross the border into Mexico and Ciudad Juarez which sits on the other side of the Rio Grande conjoined to El [View Full Entry]

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Oct 10th A great nights sleep at the Best Western and a hearty buffet breakfast sets us up for a great days cycling, all on the flat, the wind is light but against as usual. I have really enjoyed the company of Paul , Hughes and Susan, Paul's wife is flying down from Montana to meet him (later we find out her flight was canceled due to snow) but due to their different plans we split up on the route today. The scenery is interesting once again , the Rio Grande is nothing to look at, without all the dams and [View Full Entry]

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Oct 9th I get up late and am hanging about the RV store at 9.30 when I notice some other cyclists roll up, a tandem and a pannier laden bike. So I meet Hughes and Sue (on the tandem) and Paul, all beyond retirement age, one of them ten years ! They set off on the same day as me from San Diego and are on the same route, its amazing we have'nt met before. They overnighted in Hillsboro so have traveled some distance before arriving at the lake. We ride together to Las Cruces. A really pleasant journey through the [View Full Entry]

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Oct 8th It's a cold start from the 2,200 m campsite , thank god I can make a cup of tea, my hands are numb. I get away by 9 and start on the 1000ft , 300m climb to Emory pass, its a grind but you get the first hour cycling free as you are fresh, and I am there in less than an hour. On the way there is no traffic and I see four deers crossing the road, a bit startled by my appearence in this silent realm. The view from the pass is awsome and I spend about [View Full Entry]

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Oct 7th I get up at 7.15 , dawn, to find the bike troup clearing away breakfast and preparing to set off , they kindly offer me their left over doughnuts and orange juice before setting off to conquer the Emory pass on the road to Kingston (the same route I'll be taking) I bid them farewell and scoff the leftovers. I'm away by 9.15, curiously I pass a group of them heading back to Silver City as I leave town. Today is the toughest perhaps on the whole route, the dreaded Emory pass looms ahead 8328ft , 2,500m the highest [View Full Entry]

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