Day 35, 76 miles (2025). I was heartened to awake early this morning to CALM conditions, the wind had stopped during the night. But is cold, maybe 25 degrees so packing up gear before sunrise is frosty on the hands. The last road sign as I leave the town of Marfa is "no services for the next 75 miles". So it is a long, straight, windswept road to Van Horn TX.
Now that I have some miles behind me, I can share my observations on the differences between travelling with a trailer or panniers. On the plus side for the panniers, since I have four sturdy, waterproof panniers, it is much easier to organize my gear and find individual items while on the road, the trailer is just one big dry bag and finding a single item during a ride was a chore. The bike tracks a little better in calm winds with panniers.
On the negative side, fully loaded panniers have much more wind resistance than the loaded trailer. This has become very apparent here in Texas, where I have had plenty of riding days with head winds and cross winds. The bike is noticeably more difficult to pedal into a headwind with the panniers compared to the trailer, and in crosswinds the panniers catch more of the wind than the trailer, so riding is more uncomfortable- the bike takes more effort to keep it on a straight path.
Day 36, 34 miles (2059). March 18th. I hit the road right at sunup hoping to get in some miles before the winds built up strength, the forecast called for direct headwinds 10-20 mph starting the day with gusts to 30 by afternoon. They were exactly right. By late morning I was barely making 7 mph pedaling into that wind, so I made the heartbreaking choice to stop before I was stranded out in the desert, unable to make the next town before dark because of the slow going. Ended the riding day in Sierra Blanca TX.
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