Windy, Windy Texas

Day 32 , 64 miles (1949). Rode away from Marathon after a cold night camping, a fellow camper noted that when we awoke an hour before sunrise the temperature was 28 degrees. The morning's ride was pleasant with light headwinds and a lunch stop in Alpine to meet Kent Chandler and his bride Elise. The afternoon's ride into Marfa was somewhat of a struggle, battling a rising headwind as the sun did it's work. Found a campsite at an eclectic place called El Cosmico....sort of a hipster bohemian enclave in the West Texas Plains. Evidently Marfa is known for an artsy crowd that hangs out here, escaping from the cities for quiet time in the desert. Their shower is totally outdoors, plenty of hot, solar heated water but one does feel a bit exposed using the unit, as the enclosure has gaps sufficient to let a horse amble through. I make plans for a protracted stay, the forecast calls for winds 25-35 mph from the very direction in which I must ride for the next two days.

Day 33, winds erupt from the NW during the night, with gusts driving the Texas dust all around the campsite, fine dust filters through my tent like smoke, clinging to everything, seeping into all of my bags, threatening to foul anything left open to the shifting grit. Luckily my tent bends in the wind but stays firm against the swirling gusts, I spend most of the days tasting dirt and lounging inside the campgrounds communal area, reading books from the library room.

Day 34, Sunday, March 16th. During the night the wind continues unabated, the North wind starts to do its work on the temperature and by 3 am, when the rain starts, it is down to 36 degrees. The good news is the the rain is sufficient to wet the earth and suppress the dust, at least for awhile. I get up early to catch the solar showers before the hot water is gone and enjoy the chance to clean away the grittiness of the past 36 hours of wind and dust. Then I retreat to the communal area's library room, where there is free coffee and heat, two items that work together to make the day bearable. I cannot imagine riding in these ferocious winds, pushing my heavy, wide load against these headwinds.