Day 22- Rest Day in Marfa

 I’ve been told it rained last night; I might’ve heard thunder around four but it didn’t jostle me and I slept hard till eight. My body is tired and grateful for a day off the bike.

Before breakfast I took a tour of the El Cosmico campground. It’s an eclectic mix of Glamping tents, teepees, and vintage campers to include airstreams. There are hammocks clustered all over with an abundance of picnic tables to go with them. It’s a delightfully funky place.

Ankur and Jack made us brunch. It included pancakes, sausage, and hashbrowns, which absolutely hit the spot. After that we loaded up the van and hauled our dirty laundry to the tumbleweed laundromat and coffee shop. Four days with no laundry left us a bit desperate. The locals got a kick out of us I’m sure as we tried to figure out how to use the machines. I was not smarter than the dryer.

Once the laundry was out of the way we took a self guided tour of Martha. There are about seven churches, one sporting this fun welcome sign. I would join this church if I lived here.

There’s a grand hotel called the El Paisano with lots of shops and items that cater to bikers. We stopped for lunch at the Marfa Spirits Company where we enjoyed afternoon cocktails and charcuterie. 

From there we had a place on the outskirts of town called the Water Hole. I love this type of place. It’s an open air establishment with different types of seating, to include school buses, teepees, and gravel game areas. Nothing fancy or expensive but very comfortable.

Now we’re back at El Cosmico waiting for rain. I’m trusting my tent. Others are moving to the pavilion. Terry is cooking cook oven which smells delicious for dinner.

(Later that night)

It’s OK to trust your tent when you understand the weather patterns, which I clearly do not. The rain came as predicted and dragged along hail, thunder, lightning and enough water to completely swamp our campsite. I do trust my tent but it was floating in 2 inches of water and there is only so much I can expect from it so I am up on the pavilion where at least the bottom of the tent will be dry. I have the fly staked as best I can; one side to a water jug and another to the folded up canopy. It’s flapping for all it’s worth and the thunder is booming all around me.

Tomorrow’s ride ought to be interesting and wet. We anticipate hitting flooded roads even with a late start. Stay tuned.

Things I learned tonight:

• You are never far from a barking dog in Texas.