I Heart Patricia

Today would be the big day where I would find out what effect, if any, the passing of Hurricane Patricia would have on my ride. While there were still reports of rain and flooding in Dallas and Houston, the skies in Del Rio were completely clear. I’d have to wait until I was back on the road to really get a feel for what the wind was doing.

The first task of the day was breakfast. Specifically the continental breakfast offered at the motel. Motel breakfasts can be a bit hit and miss but, as I discovered yesterday, the breakfast offerings at La Quinta Inn were pretty good. No, there weren’t any Frosted Flakes nor Mini-Wheats – then again, I’ve probably been eating too many Mini-Wheats lately anyway (if that’s actually possible). The lack of cereal options were made up for with a waffle-maker. No, they may not be gourmet waffles but I’ve always been a fan of the do-it-yourself waffle-makers. That said, I may have used a little too much batter which resulted in a somewhat chaotic looking waffle. Or, perhaps it was artistic. Either way, it was pretty good – a good dousing of syrup certainly didn’t hurt.

Unrelated to anything, one of the benefits of repeatedly getting up before sunrise over the past week is that it has allowed me to get repeated viewings of the planetary conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and Mars. I first noticed it when I was in Marfa. I didn’t know exactly what I was seeing initially but based on the size and brightness I assumed they were planets. Upon further investigation I learned about the conjunction. An occurrence that won’t happen again until 2021. Anyway, when I went outside this morning to check on the temperature, I was greeted with another great sighting of the event. I took a photo but it was essentially unsuccessful.

With my celestial viewing complete, I turned my focus to today’s ride. My goal for the day was Uvalde, TX. 116 km from Del Rio. While certainly a more than reasonable goal, it would mark the first time in six days that I would pedal more than 100 km. Not that I’ve been trying to do shorter days, it’s just the way the geography has worked out lately. I’ll admit that I do find it a bit of a letdown when I don’t reach 100 km in a day. Although, with the winds I’ve been facing of late, the shorter days have been a lot more work than many of my longer days.

Despite rising early, I didn’t get on the road until about 9:00. Part of the delay was because I was sending out a few Warm Showers requests for the next few days. It’s hard to believe I haven’t had a Warm Showers host in ten days. Just to be clear, there have been actual warm showers in that time.

Today’s ride started off well. Very well. Very surprisingly well. My hope that the passing presence of Hurricane Patricia would bring a favourable wind had turned into a reality. I wouldn’t say it was a full tailwind but certainly enough of a tailwind that it had a definite effect on my pace. I didn’t know how long that wind would last so I made sure to enjoy every gust. And it was wonderful.

The conditions were so wonderful that I was reluctant to stop. Fortunately, I didn’t have to. I had grabbed an apple and a couple of chocolate muffins from the continental breakfast and had them stashed in my handlebar bag. Rather than stopping I snacked on my breakfast-to-go as I pedalled. That strategy allowed me to pedal essential uninterrupted for 50 km.

While the apple and muffins were good, after 50 km I was certainly ready for something with a bit more substance. Fortunately, there was a Subway in town (the town was Brackettville). Side note: Am I the only one that finds it mildly amusing that I put “Bracketville” in parenthesis? Yeah, probably.

From Brackettville, there was only 65 km to Uvalde. Considering it was only 11:00, I was thrilled with the progress I was making. Such a drastic difference compared to the rides of the past week.

The favourable conditions continued as I made my way to Uvalde. And there was even some nice scenery along the way – including a significant number of windmills on the top of one of the distant hills. With all the wind in the area, it certainly made sense but Texas stereotypes made me think that such energy sources wouldn’t be found here. I’m glad to see otherwise.

After a very leisurely yet quick-paced ride, I arrived in Uvalde at 2:30. Again, a drastic change compared to recent rides. As I pedalled through town there was a lot to like. It looked like a very nice town and it had a lot of services – including a few parks that appeared to offer quality wild camping options. Plus, there was a Subway AND a Wendy’s. Having already stopped at one Subway today, I opted for a Frosty at Wendy’s. Hardly surprising.

During my visit at Wendy’s I had an extended chat with a couple of the employees about my ride. They were both very curious about my trip and it was nice chatting with them. Why I didn’t get their names is beyond me – perhaps I was still a bit ecstatic over having a tailwind all day.

By 3:00 I had finished my Frosty and was deciding what to do next. It had been a while since I’d arrived at my destination so early (and not exhausted) that I was a bit unsure of what my plan should be. As nice as it is to arrive early, it isn’t exactly conducive to wild camping. I don’t like to set up my tent TOO early – especially when I’m doing so in an area where it may not be entirely allowed – or legal. That’s when a new plan started to formulate.

Despite having already pedalled close to 120 km on the day, I started to look at the map to see what towns were coming up next. There were a few options but after some deliberation I decided that Sabinal was a more than manageable destination.

Sabinal was another 32 km away and, as such, it was VERY reachable if the tailwinds continued. On the flip side, even if the winds changed I could still handle 32 km. Either way, it just seemed to make more sense to put another couple of hours in on the road rather than sitting around waiting for it to get dark.

The conditions weren’t quite as favourable for my riding addendum. There was more of a crosswind in the afternoon but after the headwinds of the past week it was nothing I couldn’t handle. Quite frankly, it was borderline pleasant. Not as pleasant as this morning’s ride but still much better than what I’ve been facing lately.

I arrived in Sabinal without incident and it was immediately clear that Sabinal was significantly smaller than Uvalde. This didn’t come as a big surprise as I had done a bit of research before I hit the road.

While there wasn’t much in the way of services, there was enough to suit my needs. Of course, by that I mean there was a Subway. There was also a Family Dollar and a Dairy Queen. In the grand scheme of things it was luxury.

Since I hadn’t really eaten since Brackettville (other than a small Frosty in Uvalde), I was certainly starting to feel a bit hungry again. I still had no idea where I was going to sleep tonight but I figured I’d eat first and worry about shelter later. Of course, if this were a survival situation I would’ve focused my attention on shelter (I’ve watched enough Survivorman to know that!)

Dinner at Subway was very enjoyable and I had a very nice chat with the woman at Subway. She was unable to offer any suggestions for wild camping but did point me in the direction of the police station. I figured if anyone could tell me where I would be allowed to camp for free it would be them.

I left Subway and went in search of the police station. And that’s when I met Michael Wally … Officer Michael Wally, that is (at least, I hope I got his name right). Anyway, he was very friendly and very helpful. And, after a bit of chat, he confirmed that I could camp at the City Park a few blocks up the road. I officially had a home for the night.

The City Park was great and even exceeded any of my expectations. It had washroom facilities, soft ground for my tent stakes, picnic tables, and even power outlets. Dare I say it was better than a lot of campgrounds that charge $20 (or more). I never doubted my decision to pedal beyond Uvalde but it’s a great feeling when things work out like that.

All in all today was a great day. From a distance perspective, it was my longest day since October 12th. From a speed perspective, it was my fastest day since October 14th. Plus, I topped the 50 km/h threshold for the first time in three weeks. I’ve also now pedalled over 11,000 km and, with this being day number 73 in the U.S., I’ve now been pedalling in the United States for as many days as I pedalled in Canada.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 157.72 km
Ride time: 6:34:33
Average speed: 23.98 km/h
Maximum speed: 50.29 km/h