Nancy's Travel Journal

It was a bit warmer when we left Ft. Collins Springs, no need for jackets and arm warmers.  The night before our guide had told us that there had been heavy rains, causing some roads to be closed because of water across the roads  (a common occurance here).  In some of the "dips"  there is a gauge to show how deep the water is over the road. The road we were to travel was to open around 10:00 AM.  We did see a "Road Closed-Local Traffic only" barricade and sign, but we felt confident that we could make it.  Before getting to the high water, we passed some incredible wildflowers.  This is one example of God's beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we came to the river.  A sheriff's car was parked on the side.  I assume he was there to make sure we could make it.  We had been advised not to try riding through it.  So, we had two choices, walk through with or without shoes.  Here we are.  Actually, there were a couple of the women who rode through it without falling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At mile 45, only a few miles from Camp Wood, we came to this wonderful swimming hole.  Shades of BRAG!  So, we just had to jump in.  What a site! All but one of us over 55!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw this on a truck at the river.  Enough said for the day.

 

After the long ride into Del Rio, at breakfast I wondered if I would be able to ride today.  I still seemed exhausted.  After some eggs and pancakes (pancakes always cure what ails you) I decided to try it.  I needed to get back on that horse! And, after all, we were going to make a run to Walmart on the way.  I needed some necessities like sunscreen.  This might be my last chance for a while! While going through Del Rio we ran into Irv and his riding partner.  Irv was the fellow from GA Tech who was Robert Hulsey's roommate some years ago at Tech. 

The ride to Brackettville (Ft. Collins Springs was our lodging place) was uneventful.  Cool weather, overcast skies and flat roads made for an easy ride.  When we arrived, the ladies of the Chamber of Commerce had lunch waiting for us at the old officer's club, now a place for social gatherings. Ft Collins is an old cavalry base from the 1850's that was abandonded in 1944, when the army decided that the cavalry was obsolete. Its buildings have been mostly converted into private residences.  The picture below is the Ft. Collins United Methodist Church minister, a retired Kindergarten teacher who went to seminary after retirement.  This is her first church.  Sound familiar Jimmy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The barracks were converted into nice hotel rooms.  General Patton was here at one time.  We found out that the movie Arrowhead was made here. For more history see  http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/forts/clark/saddle.html 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During World War II, German POWs were kept here for a while.  We saw a picture painted by one of the POWs in the "brig".  They built a water tower for the enlisted troups that still works today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, perhaps the most impressive site was the swimming pool.  It is spring-fed, 68 degrees all the time and larger than an olympic-size pool  Polly, you would love it.  Not sure if any chemicals ever came near this pool, just plain old spring fed water.  Remember the Lakeside pool in Metter?  The water was just as cold.!  While, I didn't actually swim, I did put my feet in the water.  Ramsay from Nashville was my roomie for the evening.  We enjoyed talking "southern" stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I made it!  All 111 miles.  Actually my odometer registered 112.  I'll take all the miles I can get.   We got an early start, as soon as the sun came up, from Sanderson.  I was in the first group to leave, and felt really great for the first 20-30 miles.  There were several interesting sites.  Elon, I saw the Terrell County airport.  It looked like a little airstrip from the road.  Maybe there was more to it than I could see.  We passed an overturned semi on the other side of the road.  Another trucker was calling for help and didn't seem too excited.  We were all concerned about what would have happened if he had been on our side! We may never find out the end of that story.  Even the train engineers are friendly to us as they blew their horns in greeting as we passed. Deer are not only a problem in Georgia. Two jumped out in front of our group and nearly hit the first cyclists.  

The good feeling of the morning was soon replaced with some cramping in my back…first time for that pain.  After some Advil and a back massage from the SAG driver, I was on my way.  The van was at mile 60 with lunch waiting near an abandoned gas station.  There was an old couple there who had tales to tell and music for our dining.  When was the last time you heard "tra la la twiddle de de de it gives me a thrill, to wake up in the morning to the mockingbird's trill"?  A couple of our group had on jerseys that said it all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a side trip to Langtry Visitor's Center, http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/Texas_ghost_towns/Langtry_Texas/Langtry_Texas.htm that I elected not to do because of extra mileage.  (Anybody heard of Judge Roy Bean?) In hind site, I should have eaten more at lunch.

Our next SAG was at the mouth of Pecos River, which flows from the Rio Grand at this point (mile 78).   Again, I neglected to take advantage of more than one snack.  Big mistake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At mile 91, I was really struggling.  At the first convenience store of the day, I had Gator Ade, V-8, bananas and cookies.  The SAG driver was very supportive and encouraged me to sit for a while until I felt better.  I must have had a serious drop in blood sugar.  It's called "Bonking".  Because of this delay, I was the last one to leave the store.  But, I did catch Outrun (our 70 year-old amazing woman) after a while.   Even at this point, there was a bit of humor. Just after passing the Border Patrol checkpoint the SAG driver came back looking for us.  Not thinking about how it would look, she made a "u" turn just in front of the checkpoint.  Needless to say, the border guard came after her with lights flashing.  When she got out of the car, she told him she was from Hawaii and they didn't have border patrol there!  After a bit of explaining he let her go.  For the last 6-8 miles, I would get ahead of Outrun, then stop and wait for her.  Our final challenge was the Reservoir Bridge over Lake Amistad (http://www.nps.gov/amis/), a reservoir shared by the U.S. and Mexico.  The bridge was narrow with no shoulder and very rough pavement.  Fortunately, it was late in the day and little traffic.  I waited for Outrun at the end of the bridge so we could ride the last 1 1/2 miles together into the motel.  The group had already started eating their pizza, but gave us a standing ovation!  We made it! 

That night, all I wanted to do was take a shower and fall into bed.  My right hand felt a bit numb from holding the handlebars so long.  So I didn't even write in my journal until the next day.  And, I fell asleep with a smile on my face, knowing I had conquered the longest mileage day of our trip.

 

 

 

 

Bobbie Dunham and I shared a  room in Marathon, so decided to try a local place for breakfast.  The Cottonwood Station, a transformed gas station, was a local favorite.  I even saw the dear lady from yesterday’s library visit.

We had agreed not to leave early, so Robin was just sitting around waiting to 9:30.

One of the great things about this trip is the never-ending surprises you see on the road.  This cow seems poised for travel.

As I rode out of town, my thoughts turned to Savannah and the memorial service for Poppa-Lew Towers. Bill and I talked after I arrived in Sanderson.  He went to the service and said it was very meaningful.  And, he gave Grandma a “Go Nancy Go” shirt.  I am carrying the Olympic Cycling medal from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics that he gave me before he died and asked that I take it on this trip.

Not being in a hurry and with no services AT ALL along US 90, several of us stopped by the road to eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  What a view!  And there I saw my first Indian paintbrush of the trip.  You just can’t see these sites from a car.  Linda Lamb, the Indian Paintbrush is in honor of a couple of trips we took together.  Fond memories!

Our home for the evening is the Outback Oasis Motel.  Not exactly the Ritz, but the owners are so gracious.   As I am writing this, Kay is teaching Outrun (age 70) to ride with clipless pedals.  It is so wonderful to see such support among these women.  We are all anxious about the 111-mile trip to Del Rio tomorrow.