Skip to main content

Day 19 Ft Hancock

 Texas, oh Texas, what do you have in store for us? The ride out of El Paso was a bit hair-raising, riding along with commuter traffic up and down hills for about 6 to 7 miles. There’s a big difference between Texas and New Mexico drivers — and not for the better.



Our route dumped us into downtown El Paso proper, past UTEP and into an older part of town. We stopped in a park to enjoy the alligator sculpture and the architecture. We will have our way through bridge streets and suddenly the neighborhood change to a decidedly Hispanic flavor — and smell! I don’t know what was cooking for breakfast but I sure wish I was invited.



We crossed into a block where the buildings all had incredible graffiti art. We had to stop to admire it properly. The talent it takes to do this kind of art is impressive.



It wasn’t long before we were riding along the border. The wall looks impenetrable. On the Mexican side we could see a huge red X sculpture. It was created by an artist known as Sebastian, and is officially called the monument to the Mexican people. Locally it’s known as le Equis. The X represents the merging of Spanish and indigenous cultures.

Things flattened out from there and the riding was fast and easy. We passed a lot of poverty. Many towns appear to be abandoned. One sign advertised SWGI baseball and offered an actual sandlot to play in.

Lunch was in front of a 7-Eleven type store in Faben, followed by more pecan groves and cotton fields. Both look a bit less robust here than their New Mexican counterparts. I’m ready for a new view anytime.

Our last 13 miles was on chip seal, not my favorite but nothing I can do about it. We rolled into Fort Hancock around 230 and I’m now set up behind the church. We are waiting for middle school football practice to finish up so we can use the locker rooms to shower. We don’t want to scare any kids for life.



Things I learned today:

  • Life on the road requires flexibility.
  • Sidewalks provide good escape routes.
  • Sunsets are pretty awesome no matter where you are 

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 14, 2022 at 6:13 AM

    Always the teacher.I all learning so many things. I have never heard of le Equis or chip seal. I've got to get out more. Thanks for all your great lessons. Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 14, 2022 at 6:59 PM

    Hugs to you Lydia. Impressed every day by you...💕 Pauline

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 33 Smithville Texas 53 miles

 If you had asked me at the beginning of the trip which state would have had the steepest climbs, I would not have guessed Texas; however, that seems to be the case. Today I felt right at home. We had our map meeting this morning at breakfast and all seemed doable. I did one last check with the front desk to see if my absentee ballot had caught up with me. It had not. Greg, your vote will not be canceled by me this year! We headed out through sidestreets to leave Austin, a city I can highly recommend. We traveled bike lanes and bike paths  out to some rural roads.  Of course we had to stop for second breakfast burritos! We were riding in a group of about six when we came up on a stretch of road that had house after house with loose dogs. All of them ran at us. We must’ve made a crazy sounding group. Some of us hollered. Some blasted air horns. Several of us have “dog dazers“ which is a little clicker device that is supposed to repel dogs. I’m not sure how well it really w...
6 comments
Read more

Day 57- Palatka FL

 We are at the Quality Inn in Palatka on the last night of our tour. Dinner was at the Azalea brewery and awards were given out to all participants — tongue-in-cheek, of course. They were as follows, and as memory serves: Most likely to deliver an impromptu dissertation: Carl Most likely to speak up and be right: Kelly Most likely to build a bike on the side of the road: Adam Most likely to cry at the ceremony: Jack  Most likely to bribe her way to being the favorite: in  Most likely to bribe her way to being the favorite: in Most likely to use shit in a sentence: Terry Most likely to ask or something is when it’s right in front of them: Sue Most likely to ask or some thing is when it’s right in front of them: Sue Most likely to burn the house down if coffee is not ready: met Most likely to stop a stranger and ask questions: me It was not the raucous affair I think we all had hoped for, mostly because we are all a bit introspective and conflicted as the tour comes to an e...
1 comment
Read more

Day 58- St.Augustine FL

 To our utter surprise we woke up to dry skies with the sun peeking through the clouds. No rain in the forecast — what a gift! We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and set off around 9 o’clock. Family and friends had been given an arrival time between 1130 and 12 so the pace was leisurely.  We rode mainly bike paths. No spectacular scenery, just quiet miles with lots of introspection. As we neared Saint Augustine I started to feel the excitement grow. I was ready for the ride to be done, to see Greg and Gemma and the rest that would be there to join me. It wasn’t quite time to stop paying attention, however, because our route took us right through downtown Saint Augustine’s narrow streets and traffic was both heavy and unforgiving. It wasn’t till I turned into the state park that I got a little emotional. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the realization that this adventure is truly over. I rode in and spotted Greg’s truck right away - and next saw Sarah and Walt and Gemma...
5 comments
Read more