An Abundance Of Nothing

Sadness is starting the day knowing it will not end with ice cream. Today was destined to be a sad day.

Despite the looming lack of ice cream issue, today started off reasonably well. My night at the Budget Inn was very relaxing – even factoring in the urgent freelance project. Relaxing AND productive. Not a bad night.

It was well after midnight before I finally called it a night but I was still up before the dawn. 6:00 AM to be exact. No, I don’t know why. Actually, that’s not entirely true.

When I went to bed last night I considered getting an early (i.e. pre-sunrise) start to the day in attempt to avoid the wind. It’s a strategy I’ve employed before but never with any success. Today was no different. With the sun still well-hidden by the horizon I took a peek outside to see what the flags were doing. It would seem what the flags were essentially doing was telling me to go back to bed. Even though it was only 6:00 AM, the flags were fully horizontal and being blown around more than a little aggressively. At least I knew what was in store for me today. The usual.

With my plan to start early severely thwarted, I leisurely resumed my usual morning routine. That routine had me packed and ready to go by 8:30. The last thing to do was to get a photo of my bike in front of the motel sign. That final act ended up delaying my departure a bit. But in a good way.

While I was snapping a few photos I met two other cyclists who had spent the night in the room next to mine. They were from Montreal and clearly much smarter than me as they were heading west. Needless to say, they’ve been enjoying the Texas wind significantly more than me. We chatted for a bit and in doing so discovered that they too had met Larry and Bridgette earlier in their trip. They were glad to hear they were still on the road. Other than that, we offered each other some insights as to what we could expect from our respective rides today. They confirmed the lack of services ahead of me and so, other than the wind, I knew I was in for a lonely ride.

To say that there is nothing between Sanderson and Langtry would be a lie. But a very small lie. The town of Dryden is 30 km east of Sanderson and there is a small store there with a VERY limited selection of supplies. I decided (perhaps a little late) that I may not be entirely prepared for a remote ride today. As such, I bought a bottle of Gatorade and a Snickers bar. Side note: From a nutrition standpoint, this was not my finest day.

There’s not a whole lot more to say about today’s ride. I won’t try to rank today’s headwinds with those I faced earlier in the week. Let’s just say they were all brutal. As such, much of today’s ride was spent with my head down, staring at the road. I hope I didn’t miss too much scenery!

One thing I didn’t miss was a roadside picnic area. It was about halfway into my ride and seemed like a good place to stop for lunch. As picnic areas go, this one wasn’t particularly great. The area was clean and offered adequate shade but it didn’t really offer any relief from the wind. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was with the picnic table. A picnic table which was perhaps the least comfortable picnic table ever. Seriously. I have no idea who could’ve possibly thought the steel grids that made up the benches and table top were ever a good idea.

If the intent behind the uncomfortable benches is to keep people from staying too long, well … it works. A bicycle seat may not be the most comfortable thing in the world but I’ll take it over that picnic table any day. Besides, sitting at a picnic table wasn’t going to get me any closer to Langtry.

The remainder of the ride had its ups and downs, both literally and figuratively. Yes, there was the wind and a lot more climbing than I anticipated, but those climbs also translated into a more scenic ride than some of the long flat stretches I cycled through earlier in the day. That said, I was pretty happy when I saw the sign for Langtry indicating “1 mile” to go.

As for Langtry, it’s kind of an interesting place in the sense that they have a very nice Information Center and Museum (complete with free WiFi). Seriously, it’s really nice. Oddly, that’s where the services end. Other than the Information Center and Museum, there’s nothing else available. In particular, there is nowhere in town to get food. To make matters worse, there’s a sign for a grocery store but the store is actually closed. Clearly that sign should be removed.

On the upside, the town of Comstock is only 50 km away. On the downside, there was no way I was going to go to Comstock today. Today’s ride had left me both tired and hungry – neither of which are conducive to starting a 50 km ride. Factoring in the wind, I would’ve been facing at least a three hour ride – not to mention the sun would’ve set before I got there. Fortunately, the woman in the Information Center was very helpful and pointed me in the direction of the local Community Center where people frequently camp for free.

It took all of about 90 seconds to pedal over to the Community Center where I was able to set up my tent without issue. From there I turned my focus to food. Did I mention that today was not my best day from a nutrition standpoint?

Dinner consisted of Animal Crackers and water. I so wish I was kidding. The fact that I would admit to such an embarrassing fact gives it all the credence it needs. A couple of hours later I had “desert” which consisted of a bagel with peanut butter and honey. Again, I so wish I was kidding. However, the way I saw it was I could either go to bed hungry tonight and leave the last of my food for breakfast tomorrow OR I could go to bed tonight with a full stomach and have to ride 50 km on an empty stomach tomorrow. Neither option was ideal but I hear breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As such, my choice was made.

On the upside, in reviewing my food cache I discovered I had a bit more food than I thought – namely, CLIF Bars I had forgotten about. Thrilled with my new found riches, I ate one bar before retiring for the night. Yes, I was still hungry but at least slightly less so. The remaining CLIF Bars and bagels will have to be enough to get me to Comstock tomorrow. It could be a very long 50 km to Comstock.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 98.44 km
Ride time: 6:12:38
Average speed: 15.85 km/h
Maximum speed: 46.54 km/h