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 1- Ocean Beach to Alpine

 Day 1 is in the books! Great day that started at Dog  Beach and a back wheel dip in the Pacific. Tad, Kathy, and Charlotte met me down there. It was great to see them as we headed out. The ride was flat for the first 25 miles or so, but hot! Temps were in the 90s with blazing sun and clear blue skies. We separated out early into smaller groups. I found good peddling with Sue and Ann. We also crossed paths with Adam and Kelly, the tandem riders. Our route took us to through Mission Gorge regional park which was absolutely gorgeous. A nice pass that cut through the mountains and made it possible for us to miss an incredible climb. No worries; there are plenty more ahead of us. At 30 miles we made sure we were fully loaded with water and electrolytes. I’m not sure if I’ve ever consumed this much fluid in a single day. Then the climb began. On the map it looked evil, almost straight up. In reality it was less steep than it was long. It was 6 miles at about three or 4% grade. It d...
7 comments
Read more

Day 45- Poplarville MS- Rest Day

 Today was our first day of rest after 12 days of riding, so of course I woke up at 1:30 AM. I was absolutely sure it was 6:30 AM and I was ready for the day. I love all these perks of getting older. As luck would have it, there was a lunar eclipse starting right around this time.  I was, of course, wide awake for it. I peeked out of the tent, took a look at the moon,  read for a while, peeked at the moon again, and decided I was hungry. I snuck out to my bike to grab a bar, there being no milk and cookies readily available like there are when this happens at home. I finally called it a night again around three. 630 finally came around for real and I was ready. The Snowflake Donut and Taco store. Beckoned and a bunch of us that off for coffee. The tacos looked pretty good but I held out for brunch back at the campground. After brunch, most of us loaded into the van and headed into New Orleans. We parked in the French quarter and headed right to café Dumond, will became im...
3 comments
Read more

Day 46- Gautier MS

It was a perfect day for an 80 mile ride. We got up really early, planning to get on the road quickly since it was going to be dark by five and we had so far to go. This was no mean feet for me as sleep was hard to come by last night. My bladder woke me at one and four, at which time I was treated to Matt singing the song of his people. And I didn’t need my alarm because the water dripping from the condensation On my tent onto my face was hard to sleep through. Kelly and Adam were on the road by 615. We followed far behind, rolling out an hour later. The roads were awesome right from the beginning. Great pavement and low traffic throughout. Mississippi offered up some treats and some oddities. The first was as we headed into McHenry. On a one and a half mile stretch of road, I counted eight old fire hydrants. And hardly any houses. This roused my curiosity. I passed a man walking a dog and asked him about it. He looked exactly like I expected a rural Mississippian to look, except the d...
1 comment
Read more