Over 3,600 miles and still smiling!

A quarter mile from the Mexican border, in a land where towns are 60 miles apart, and with three cell carriers aboard the Freedom Pedaler train, we still had no service for about a week. That disconnect turned out to be a pleasant surprise to allow us to be fully present in the moment. There are storybooks, and there are picture books. In west Texas, the landscape is breathtaking and photos don’t do it justice. Still, allow us to show you a glimpse into the journey since we lost connectivity, yet found it in a different way. A picture book blog post…

 

We have recently put in bigger mile days, combined with some uphill.  Out of all of that, we have a new official “most difficult” day.  We covered over 60 miles with 3,000’+ of climbing.  That ride took us almost 11 hours.  We were four tired puppies when we finished!

Once in the mountains, the temps dropped.  A few days ago, it snowed at night and our morning started with a windy 40 degrees.  That means wearing almost every single piece of bike clothing we own!  By the end of the ride however, it had dropped to 37 and we were in shorts and t-shirts.  Climbing those mountains warms you up!

We sure have met some nice people!  Here is a small sample.

Fred and Janice are Warmshowers (a bicycle-related hosting program) members.  They are not only fantastic hosts, but wonderful people.  We enjoyed the meal they prepared and our stay with them and their two dogs very much, and were sad to leave.  They helped us with route planning to avoid some big hills! Thanks Fred and Janice!

 

He said, “Do you drink beer?”  Why, yes.  And later, his wife brought cookies to our tent.  Yes, we eat cookies too!  Thanks to you both!

 

 

 

At a recent stop, the manager of the hotel showered us with hospitality.  Danny is a kind soul and a new friend of ours.  He not only brought snacks, but an entire meal.  Twice!  Thank you Danny.

 

Pablo chased us down on the road during one of the coldest riding days yet.  He brought snacks and warm tea from Danny.  We talked for probably an hour on the side of the highway, and left fueled in mind and body.  Thank you!

 

 

We needed to do a little shopping, so were excited to see a Target out in the middle of nuttin’.  Turns out, they must have had a sale as the shelves were empty.  Yes, there are some strange things out here in west Texas.

 

Strange, like that Texas coats their lizards in tar.  For protection, we assume.

 

“A Mexican blanket and a bottle of tequila had a baby!”  – Shelly.   We think this might be the perfect vehicle for our next adventure.  It would make a horrible get-away vehicle for bank robberies.

And now, please take a quiet moment to enjoy some of the scenery…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, we have to toss in a few dog pictures!

JB:  “This is not funny guys.”

 

 

JB: I like to stick my back feet out of the blanket, for venting purposes, just like people do! I have been working on my cuteness.  How am I doing?

 

 

We hope you enjoyed our picture post!

 

Mark, Georgia, Junebug and Biscuit