Arachnophobia

As the days and weeks pass and we move further and further into the fall season, the days really become visibly shorter. In Van Horn, TX it really doesn’t start to get light out until about 8:00 am. That makes it a bit challenging to get an early start. I won’t lie, I really miss cycling in June. In the grand scheme of things though, I don’t think an early departure would’ve made much difference. I don’t think the wind ever stops blowing in Texas.

Today’s destination was Marfa. About 120 km from Van Horn. And, at the risk of repeating myself, it would be another day of cycling into a brutal headwind. Texas is turning out to be what I thought the Canadian prairies would be. To say that cycling the prairies was more enjoyable than my first week cycling in Texas would be a bit of an understatement. And I expect to be in Texas for at least two more weeks. Ugh.

Even though daylight had arrived by 8:00, it was closer to 9:00 before I actually got on the road. Perhaps it was a bit of planned procrastination considering the expected conditions of the day. As mentioned above, those conditions included another headwind. And I mean a full on headwind. Not slightly to the side. Not intermittent. But a non-stop, pounding headwind that, as far as I could tell, was following what few curves there were on the road. Given that Marfa is essentially a straight ride from Van Horn, I would get to enjoy a headwind for the full 120 km. Lucky me.

On the upside, I would say today was a much more scenic ride than yesterday’s. That came in handy as it gave me an excuse to stop and take some photos whenever the wind started to get to me. Which was rather frequently. One photo in particular was taken with a purpose. Proof undeniable of what I saw.

During my ride to Deming, NM a week ago, I passed by (technically I passed over) a spider. A large spider. I don’t know what type of spider it was but it was big enough that I could see it as I pedalled along at 27 km/h. It clearly had hairy legs and I suspect it had fangs. Probably poison spitting fangs. Well, today I saw an even bigger spider. And this time I turned around to get a photo. From a safe distance, of course. I mean, seriously – I wasn’t about to take the chance that it was some sort of poisonous spider that could leap great distance to take down its prey. And I was the potential prey. Seriously, it was a big spider. The kind I expect to see in movies, not along the side of the road. I managed to get two (somewhat blurry) photos before it started to move towards me. I’m not kidding. It clearly saw me and was plotting something. I didn’t stick around to find out.

Having survived my spider encounter, it was back to the wind for me. Actually, it was face to the wind for me. The wind did not change during my brief spider encounter.

Not long after said spider encounter I found myself stopping again. I’ve mentioned the wind and I’ve mentioned the straight desert roads. It’s a pretty harsh combination as there really is nothing to offer a reprieve from the wind. At least, nothing natural. So, when I came across a large construction sign I wasn’t about to pass it by. As windbreakers go, the sign was fantastic. It allowed me to prop up my bike and have lunch while escaping the elements. It was like a little oasis, well … without the water.

Refuelled for the next leg of my ride, I left the shelter of the construction sign and started pedalling again. My next stop would be another unexpected one.

For reasons I haven’t determined (or looked into), there is a Prada display along the highway between Van Horn and Marfa. It’s not a small display. It’s an actual building and it looks like a mini-store. I don’t know why it’s there but it’s definitely there and if its sole purpose is a tourist attraction then it appears to be working. Update: I did some research, apparently it was created as an art sculpture and not in fact commissioned by Prada.

To say that I have no interest in Prada would be a huge understatement. Quite frankly, it’s almost a bit surprising that I’ve even heard of Prada – I can be a bit oblivious to such things. Anyway, I stopped to take a photo because it seemed like a good idea. Apparently several other people had the same idea.

During my stop I met a couple of people who were on their way back from Marfa. They haven’t done any cycle touring but have done hiking and were very curious about my trip. Cycling across the Northern Tier is something they’d like to do. We chatted for a bit before we both had to get back on the road. For the record, it seemed a little unfair that the people travelling by car also had a tailwind. Anyway, it was nice meeting them – although, apparently the thought of getting their names completely escaped me. Before they left I gave them a card for my blog so maybe they’ll check it out and introduce themselves in a comment or in the Guestbook.

The Prada photo stop was about halfway to Marfa. I’m pleased to say that the second half of the ride was a bit more pleasant than the first half. Yes, there was still the wind but it seemed to be more of a crosswind at times. Plus, much of the remainder of the ride was on a gentle descent. It wasn’t much but it certainly helped. And before I knew it (relatively speaking) I had arrived in Marfa.

Marfa seems to be a somewhat odd little town. Unlike Van Horn which was a small town with a lot of very reasonably priced motels, Marfa apparently has some sort of strange “hip” thing going on and the motel prices are reflected in this “hip” scene. Not wanting to spend $150 for a motel room, I opted to stay at the Tumble In RV Park. (And no, that’s not a typo … there’s just one “n”)

The RV Park is on the edge of town and in some ways reminded me of some of the campgrounds in New Zealand. Not as nice as the ones in New Zealand because, well … they’re in New Zealand. But in terms of facilities there were similarities. Namely, there was a common kitchen area, an outdoor lounge area, and even laundry facilities. Kind of makes me wonder why I didn’t take photos of such areas.

The actual area for tent camping wasn’t the greatest but it appears that it’s a new RV Park and some things are still a work in progress. On the upside, the ground was soft enough that I could stake my tent down – that can’t be said for every RV Park I’ve called home.

While the rest of my night should’ve been spent updating my blog, I found myself more than a little interested in following the federal election results north of the border. I won’t lie, I was more than a little happy with the result. Not necessarily for who won. But more so for who didn’t win. Maybe I’ll return to Canada someday after all.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 122.66 km
Ride time: 6:53:25
Average speed: 17.80 km/h
Maximum speed: 31.19 km/h