GoGeezGo : Easy Rider II, Day 23, April 8, 2022

Friday, June 3, 2022

Easy Rider II, Day 23, April 8, 2022

Last day with the Minnesotans

Seems like I maybe sent my leg warmers and puffy jacket home too soon.

It was so cold when I arose before first light this morning that my cycling jersey, which I had rinsed and hung up to dry last night, was stiff as a board from ice.

It’s supposed to drop to 37 degrees tonight. But it looks like it will be warmer thereafter, so hopefully I will just have to tough it out one more night.

The first 35 miles of today’s ride was blessed with a decent tailwind and was very easy.

But the wind turned into a headwind in the afternoon, and fighting it was exhausting.

I’m not sure if any of the Minnesotans rode their bikes the entire way to Marfa, because I fell back and stopped trying to keep up with Mark and Brian after the wind picked up in the afternoon. They were the only members of the Minnesota crew still riding after a very nice group lunch in a shady area behind the Valentine TX library. The other members of their crew, I think, were riding in the SUV.

The last I saw of any of them was in the late afternoon, when Brian and Jane drove back up the highway to return my rear panniers to me.

They had already checked into the motel they were staying in outside the town, they said. They offered to give me a ride in the SUV to El Cosmico, the hip town RV campground I planned to stay in. But I just thanked them and said my good-byes instead.

I wanted to be able to say I rode the entire route, not that I rode most or parts of it.

I enjoy camping and sharing meals with groups of other cyclists.

But I prefer to ride solo and meet up up with the rest of the gang at the campground at the end of the day, not ride with the group. Group rides too often turn into competitions, which are no fun for me.

I also find that it’s easier to meet people when I’m on my own. In addition, I prefer to be able to set my own agenda, taking breaks or even changing plans whenever I want, without having to consult group members.

Marfa is an artsy hip town. It was originally put on the art world map in 1979, when minimalist sculptor Donald Judd moved here. Judd lived in Marfa until he died in 1994. Wish I would have checked out his Chinati Foundation museum ($25, advance reservations required, alas) while I was here. But this will give me something to do the next time I am in town.

DM: 74.6; TM: 1,203.6; 6:55 hrs riding; 10.4 mph avg spd; 1,025 ft climbing