Day 36 August 9/14 Alpine, Texas 7280 kms

---

---

CITY SLICKERS

Bests of today:


• waking up to thunder and lightning storm in El Paso, riding out in the warm rain
• stopping at only one inspection sniffing station today where I was asked my citizenship then waved through
• pancakes at Sands Restaurant in Van Horn, home of the movie The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada starring Tommy Lee Jones, 2005
• deciding to ride route 20 out of El Paso, onto route 90 east through Valentine (nothing about this boarded up town purred romance), and the Cockney town of Marfa (?), into pretty Alpine, Texas
• great quiet fast ride, no traffic, same scenery as the last three days
• spotting a navy aircraft surveillance Zeppelin in the middle of a plain on route 90 - TARS Tethered Aerostat Radar System
• taking a nap in a nice room at the nice hotel in Alpine this afternoon
• hearing about the Working Cowboys Ranch Association Rodeo happening tonight in Alpine, our first rodeo
• walking a mile in the wrong direction to the Sul Ross State University campus, posted apparent location of the rodeo
• not finding the arena, hitching a ride with two college kids in the opposite direction out to the satellite campus livestock arena
• having the best stew, best mashed potatoes, best stewed green beans, best bread pudding, best peach cobbler and best unsweetened iced tea from the Chuckwagon food cart at the rodeo
• meeting the cook Jerry Baird, founder of All Purpose Spice Mixes and receiving a gift of a container of rub to bring home
• seeing real live working cowboys - no amateurs here!
• watching rodeo events, where surprisingly these working cowboys don't seem to hurt the cattle
• laughing at under 6 year olds sheep-riding, bareback for as long as they can (Freddie and Joe, new business venture??)
• watching toddlers strut around in their jeans, shiny belt buckles, cowboy boots and hats
• adapting to the intense bovine smell and swarms of flies all complimentary with rodeo territory
• perfect weather here, not too hot, blue skies, full moon tonight

---

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Mom and Pop Restaurant
These are the best places.