US 90, travelling west, somewhere between Del Rio and Alpine, Texas.
I thought Hondo, Texas' welcome sign was worth a photo.
This is a view from the cockpit of my motorcycle as I am travelling down US 90 today.
The GPS in the center helps me track my travels and find where I am going,
assuming I am not navigating some other way. My XM radio is to the left, and
ice and water are in the thermos on the right.
.
This is a photo of Doug in traffic as we started the day in San Antonio.
Near the end of the day before we stopped the temperature reached above
100 degrees. This is a view of the thermometer on my
motorcycle.
We stopped in Dryden for a short break and some shade. The few buildings
that were located in the town were closed. We parked in the
only shaded place we could find.
Day Five. All is well. Overnight in Alpine, Texas.
Today was too hot, and too long (366 miles). We exceeded my mileage goal per day (300), and the temperature for much of the day was at or above triple digits.
The day started fine, with the temperature at 79 degrees and a cloud cover. We rod in comfort for a couple of hours, and then the clouds began to dissipate, and it got HOT. Scrub Texas Live Oaks in San Antonio gave way to smaller oaks, and other scrub trees to increasingly more desert vegetation as we progressed west.
Just west of Del Rio, Texas we stopped at the last gas stop for the next 150 miles. It was near Amistad National Recreation Area, of which a 65 mile-long lake was the cornerstone. As we got gas and drank our fill of water (me) or Gatorade (Doug) we chatted with a gentleman from San Antonio as he was filling the tanks of his boat with gas. He described our road west on US 90 as a "desolate highway". Prophecy. Or truth. It is/was. There was very little traffic and barely a sign of human habitation from that stop until we arrived in Alpine.
We got gas once more in Sanderson (pop. 1,000), where we visited with the very friendly store owners. They said May was cooler than usual, but summer has arrived and 100+ temperatures and no rain would continue until September. I have found when asked about people's feelings as to where they live, their responses are generally the same, "I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.". And so it was at our gas stop in Sanderson.
From Sanderson to Alpine (pop. 5,565) is about 75 miles. This was the hottest stretch of the trip, and I got a slight sunburn, even with my multiple, liberal applications of sunscreen. This was a first for me, in all the years that I have been doing this. I will make adjustments tomorrow.
We checked in a nondescript mom and pop motel upon arrival. The motel was old, but clean, and we could park at the door, which made the afternoon unloading and tomorrow's loading easier. Although we were both hot, we were dry, no sweating. You know. Dry heat. It is still hot. But, in the shade it does not feel that hot.
When we went to eat, in downtown (smile) Alpine, we were offered the opportunity to sit in the bar, the main restaurant, or outside. Outside? It was 103 degrees. We elected to get a table inside and not at the bar. The restaurant was called The Reata. It is somehow connected to The Reata in Fort Worth, which is a phenomenal restaurant. Reata, Spanish for Rope, and the name of the ranch in the movie "Giant". Giant movie posters adorned the entrance way walls. Good food.
After eating we returned to our room, and found that the air conditioner was not doing as well as we hoped. 104 degrees. What can I say? It is hot.
Another good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment