Hello Strangers

Sleeping under the stars has a definite appeal to it. It’s probably something I should do more often – although, the climate has a pretty big influence on that. Technically I wasn’t directly under the stars last night as there was a definite shelter above me. However, it was a high ceiling and the lack of one surrounding wall left me exposed to the elements. Fortunately, the elements were in a good mood last night. They were even in a good mood this morning. Briefly.

My ride officially began around 8:30, after a quick stop at the French Co. Grocery store – the last source of food between Marathon and today’s destination of Sanderson. It’s somewhat well-documented that this segment of the Southern Tier is particularly light when it comes to services. I’m hopeful I’ll have enough supplies.

There was surprisingly little wind when I started out this morning but there was no shortage of cloud cover. The cloud cover lasted all day. The lack of wind did not. I was able to enjoy an hour of light headwinds before the strong winds kicked in again. It was a bit strange (and annoying). I was pedalling along, minding my own business and then, boom, as if someone flipped a switch, the wind took over the day. I can’t say that it surprised me.

What happened at about the midpoint of my ride DID surprise me. For the first time since leaving San Diego (and even longer ago than that) I ran into a couple of fully loaded cyclists. Okay, they weren’t FULLY loaded but they were semi-loaded. The cyclists were Larry and Bridgette. Larry appeared to be carrying all his own gear while Bridgette’s gear was with her husband who was riding a three-wheeled motorcycle with a trailer. We actually passed each other about an hour earlier.

Larry and Bridgette are doing the official Southern Tier route and as such started in St. Augustine, Florida. They’ve been on the road since September 17th and will likely arrive in San Diego by mid-late November. Needless to say, they’ve been enjoying the Texas wind much more than I have.

We chatted for a while and even took a picture of each other as proof that we’re not alone on our journeys. A photo of the three of us together probably would’ve been a good idea. Oh well. Next time.

Other than the wind, the rest of the morning ride went without incident. My next major stop was for lunch, 35 km from Sanderson. Despite having passed a picnic area much earlier in the day, there were no such conveniences around when I stopped for lunch. Instead, my lunch spot was a guardrail next the train tracks.

The wind continued to blow through lunch and into my afternoon ride. I’ve noticed that my tolerance of the wind certainly diminishes as the day wears on – especially when the wind gets stronger throughout the day. Today was no different. Well, today was a bit different but not from a wind perspective.

With about 15 km to go, I had my second surprise of the day. A car pulled up beside me and actually slowed down. I was aware of the car’s presence but didn’t look over right away because the car was still slightly behind me. However, moments later the woman in the passenger seat called out, “Hi Mark!”. I won’t lie, I was a bit puzzled.

I’m not always the best at remembering names and faces but these people definitely did NOT look familiar. That said, it turns out they had met Larry and Bridgette earlier in the day. Apparently I was one of the topics of their conversation.

I’ve met a lot of people on this trip but this was the first time I had an extended conversation with people in a moving car. Needless to say, there wasn’t any traffic at the time. The people were fellow Canadians Leo and Louie (is there a female spelling of “Louie”?) and they were driving from their home in British Columbia to San Antonio. We had a nice, albeit limited, conversation before they sped off into the wind and I resumed my sluggish pedalling.

My original plan for tonight was to stay at the RV Park as it was the most cost-effective option (aside from wild camping). However, that planned changed upon arriving in Sanderson. After another exhausting day of battling the wind plus the fact that thunderstorms were in the forecast, I opted to spend the night in a motel. It was a good choice.

The motel in question was the Budget Inn. Stan (at the hostel yesterday) had recommended the Budget Inn to me because the manager is bicycle-friendly. So, when I made the decision to seek real shelter tonight, the choice was obvious.

The manager was in fact very friendly and helpful. He even offered me a cold bottle of water upon my arrival. In addition to a reasonable rate, he also handed me a snack tray with a wide selection to choose from. Except I didn’t have to choose. The whole tray was for me. Plus, later in the evening when I was in search of a can of Sprite he provided me with that as well. Again, it’s the little things that you remember most.

My food supply is pretty low these days and with a dearth of services expected over the next couple of days I opted not to eat what little food I had left. Instead, I cycled back to the gas station where they had some hot food options available. Side note: Cycling back to the gas station meant cycling with a huge tailwind for the first time in a long time. With a tailwind like that, it’s no wonder Larry and Bridgette were in such good spirits!

Dinner was surprisingly enjoyable considering it was purchased at a gas station. I’m guessing being more than a little famished had something to do with that. Dinner consisted of chicken tenders, a side of macaroni and cheese, a side of potato wedges, and two corn dogs. Oh, and there may have been an additional side of of chicken tenders. Oh, and a large bag of Sun Chips. Healthy? No. Calorie laden? Very much so. Side note: Generally I’m not big on using microwave ovens but the chicken tenders definitely needed a little help and since there was a microwave oven in my room I decided to make an exception.

The rest of the evening was pretty quiet. When I checked my e-mail I discovered I had another last-minute and urgent freelance project to work on which made my decision to stay in a motel that much better. Working in my tent can be done but it’s much more practical to work when I can sit at a desk. Or even a picnic table. The latter isn’t nearly as pleasant with 20+ km/h winds hounding you.

When I finally shut things down for the night it was after midnight and the wind was still howling. I don’t like my chances of tomorrow being a favourable wind day. But I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 95.63 km
Ride time: 4:48:46
Average speed: 19.87 km/h
Maximum speed: 33.05 km/h