December 6, 2018 to December 19, 2018
Day 1
We spent the night in the Soluna Hotel in El Paso ready to ride out from it to Fort Hancock. The day is overcast but still not to cold, temperature is 8 C. We are taking part of Ride with Rick for Parkinson's. Jill Oakes and Rick Riewe are the main characters, Rick was diagnosed with Parkinson's and they decided to see the impact that cycling does on the disease, and it has had wonderful results for Rick.
To accompany Jill and Rick are Kristine Askholm who did the ride in the summer with them, Paul Benson an EMT with the fire department, Leigh Anne Parry and Anders Swanson, John Wider who is also an Adventurers cycling Affiliate and our logistics person, myself who is cycling the whole way, and Chris who is backing up the group as a SAG with the little Mac Truck.
Jill, Rick and Anders
Our first stop along the route is breakfast at the Mexican restaurant Taco's where we fueled up our bodies for the morning part of the ride of approximately 25 miles to Fabens where we stop to have lunch at another Mexican restaurant. Chris met us about 9 miles before Faben and provided a rest stop for the group.
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| Fresh Pecans |
Leigh Anne, Rick, John and me
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| Paul devised a sling for Rick's shoulder to rest in |
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| Rick's new sling for his arm with Paul, John and Kristine |
After lunch, we continued on to our destination for the night Fort Hancock, another 25 mile cycle, where the community invited us to stay the night in their decorated Fort Hancock Community Church. The community was very hospital and provided a cake for evening desert.
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| Fort Hancock Community Church |
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| Paul cutting the cake |
We witnessed a beautiful sunset in Fort Hancock before I dropped into bed totally exhausted.
The next days ran into each other as we left Fort Hancock on our way to Sierra Blanca for lunch where I found I pulled my calf muscle, probably from taking the rolling hills to fast. I decided to ride in the Mack for the rest of the way to Van Horne. We spent the night at the Flying J in Van Horne and the rest of the cyclist got a hotel. The next leg of our cycle was from Van Horne to Kent for lunch, which I got up and cycled then gave my leg as rest as the rest of the group was determined to go all the way to Fort Davis, cycling up past the McDonald Observatory, I didn't think it was a good idea for my calf and decided to give it another rest. The group didn't make it to the McDonald observatory as night falls fast in the winter. They locked up the bikes together behind some trees and jumped into the Mack for a ride to Fort Davis and a hotel. In the Morning we took them back up to the bikes and waited up at the McDonald Observatory. I elected not to ride with them but to actually go up to the observatory on a tour with Leigh-Anne and Anders, I did ride my bike back down a little way until Chris picked me up and took me back down.
From Fort Davis to Alpine I joined the cycle halfway, then it was onto Sanderson. A couple stopped along the ride and said if we were stopping in Sanderson for the night we could stay at the church. We also met three other cyclists and Jill had stayed at her place in September as a warm shower. Funny who you meet while on the road, It was getting late in the day so we took Rick into the Truck and I called the number when cell service was available to stay at the church hall. All I can say is what Texas hospitality, the woman made us pulled pork, and we had the run of everything in the hall. In the morning they made a hearty breakfast for the cyclist and we were once again on our way to Langtry Texas home of Judge Roy Bean.
It was late again getting into Langtry but they were able to secure some rooms in the only run down motel on the highway, Chris and I parked up at the community hall away from the rode traffic and slept in due to my phone not changing time zones. Everyone was up and waiting past the sunrise which was the accustomed time to start cycling. From that day forward it turned into the norm.
Langtry to Rio was uneventfully but there was a detour to we had to take Uvaldi due to a road closure. As we rode out of Uvaldi the sun was shinning as we made our way up to Leakey which was the next stop for the night.
We seen Chris stopped at Stonehenge II and stopped to take some pictures and then continue on but they decided to stop for breakfast first. The group decided to take a less traveled highway and it was not as bumpy as the highway although Chris did not know we took it as cell service is not the best at times. We did finally come out where Chris had stopped for lunch stop with the Mack, I got in and we went and explored Garner State Park where I got to have a hot shower, then went on to meet the others at Leakey. We were in Texas Hill country now.
The next day the target was Hunt, Texas and Jill wanted to go up the road Chris and I had took from Los Maples State Park, no one else wanted to go as this was up with winding blind curves and no shoulder, but it was Jill's trip and everyone went. I chose to go up with Chris and cycle out after they had stopped at Los Maples Park for lunch. Chris had gone on ahead scouting out the places to stay the night and the group opted for a night in a condo on the water at a resort.
The next day we rode out and Jill changed the plan once again and we were heading to Harper and a ranch not to far from it. Of course there was no cell service and Chris didn't know they had changed the plan. That day I rode 56.5 miles, I did finally get Chris on the phone and give him the address to the place, He stopped and picked up Rick and Christine and couldn't stop to pick me up the rest of the steep hills up.
The group were taking a morning off going horseback riding and I went with Chris in the truck as yesterday was a long day. We decided that the extra day would cut into the time for us to get up to Casa Grande to spend some time with my sister for Christmas so when we stopped in Fredericksburg at another warm shower we said we would drop the bags off at their next warm shower just past Johnson City. From there they just had to care all their stuff to Austin.
The morning ride up to Johnson City and the out of the way place for the warm shower done I finished up my Texas Cycle and we headed west to Arizona,
Langtry to Rio was uneventfully but there was a detour to we had to take Uvaldi due to a road closure. As we rode out of Uvaldi the sun was shinning as we made our way up to Leakey which was the next stop for the night.
We seen Chris stopped at Stonehenge II and stopped to take some pictures and then continue on but they decided to stop for breakfast first. The group decided to take a less traveled highway and it was not as bumpy as the highway although Chris did not know we took it as cell service is not the best at times. We did finally come out where Chris had stopped for lunch stop with the Mack, I got in and we went and explored Garner State Park where I got to have a hot shower, then went on to meet the others at Leakey. We were in Texas Hill country now.
The next day the target was Hunt, Texas and Jill wanted to go up the road Chris and I had took from Los Maples State Park, no one else wanted to go as this was up with winding blind curves and no shoulder, but it was Jill's trip and everyone went. I chose to go up with Chris and cycle out after they had stopped at Los Maples Park for lunch. Chris had gone on ahead scouting out the places to stay the night and the group opted for a night in a condo on the water at a resort.
The next day we rode out and Jill changed the plan once again and we were heading to Harper and a ranch not to far from it. Of course there was no cell service and Chris didn't know they had changed the plan. That day I rode 56.5 miles, I did finally get Chris on the phone and give him the address to the place, He stopped and picked up Rick and Christine and couldn't stop to pick me up the rest of the steep hills up.
The group were taking a morning off going horseback riding and I went with Chris in the truck as yesterday was a long day. We decided that the extra day would cut into the time for us to get up to Casa Grande to spend some time with my sister for Christmas so when we stopped in Fredericksburg at another warm shower we said we would drop the bags off at their next warm shower just past Johnson City. From there they just had to care all their stuff to Austin.
The morning ride up to Johnson City and the out of the way place for the warm shower done I finished up my Texas Cycle and we headed west to Arizona,
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