Day 14: Ft Davis to Sanderson, TX

Distance: 109.1 mi (175.6 km)
Cumulative Distance: 1,204.2 (1,938.0 km)
Average Speed: 18.9 mph (30.4 kph)
Climb: 2,861 ft (872 m)
Cumulative Climb: 65,524 ft (19,972 m)
Flats: 0
Cumulative Flats: 10

We had a long, 109 mile, ride through barren, but beautiful West Texas today. The temperature increased throughout the day reaching 88 as we finished our ride.

We had our first “incident” as Lee, Dave and Keith got pulled over by a Texas Sherriff for riding on the road, instead of the shoulder. He volunteered we will get many more flats on the shoulder, but it is the law and he could take us to jail for riding bikes on the road. Thankfully, none of us pointed out that vehicles came by only once every 15 or 20 minutes. With a speed limit of 70 on the one lane each way road, which is generally ignored, we are probably better off on the shoulder.

We went through Alpine, Texas today. Our third Alpine in 4 states, which clearly shows we are taking a route with too many mountains. As we left Alpine we encountered a sign directed at motorists saying no services for 55 miles, make sure you have food and water.

Out in the barren desert, we stopped with 3 guys from Michigan. Two are biking the same route as us and the third is driving their support vehicle. They left San Diego 4 days before us and have had many of the same experiences.

We’re in our third hotel in the last few days managed by an Indian family. While it’s the best motel in Sanderson,TX (population 861), Gaby is begging for a Best Western.

Es muss mal gesagt werden, dass Dave am meisten Arbeit hat. Er halt unsere Rader in Ordnung und repariert unsere Platten. Er macht den Blog , laed die Bilder auf den Computer wo jeder abwechselnt den Text scheibt.

Nachdem die neue Strecke geplant ist, muss alles auf das GPS fur das Rad geladen warden usw usw. Bravo Dave, wir danen Dir.