This morning we woke up in Funkytown, La Loma Del Chivo in
Marathon. We lost our loaf of bread to
the rats because we left it out on the table last night – oh well….We thought
about cooking breakfast ourselves, but decided to check out “Shirley’s Burnt
Biscuit” in town, and we were glad we did.
There actually isn’t a Shirley anymore; she sold out to Don, but the
biscuits are still good (not really burnt) AND GREAT FRIED PIES. (We got one each – apple and pecan – and ate
them on the road later. They were very
yummy. ) We had nice conversations with
Don, and Carol – the public librarian who was just helping out this
morning. Again it occurred to us that
this town, Marathon, is very unusual.
People are really friendly and happy, and love being there out in the
middle of nowhere. “Everyone helps
everyone out”, said Carol. Maybe there’s
something in the water here? We also
learned that the town was named because the original settler, a man from
Greece, thought it reminded him of Marathon in Greece. Hmmm… never been to Greece so I’m not sure
about that.
So we moved on after breakfast towards Sanderson. Between Marathon and Sanderson, there aren’t
any towns at all. There are a number of
historical markers and “picnic areas” (Texas version of rest stops sans
bathrooms; I really enjoyed them – shade and beer, which we brought). One of the historical markers we stopped at
talked about the geology of the area; the sedimentary layers of an ancient sea
had gotten shoved up vertically instead of remaining horizontal – very unusual. Aside from this, today Texas looked like what
I thought it would look like – miles and mile of nothing but Chihauhaun desert
(low growing shrubs, yucca, and beaver tail cactus). Limestone cliffs with holes in them that I
could just imagine outlaws hiding out in, waiting to rob the train on the track
that ran to the right of us most of the day.
Or maybe Mexican marauders coming over the border…
We arrived in Sanderson about 4:30 p.m. and initially
thought about camping, but the only places for tent camping in the RV park were
right next to the road (with lots of truck traffic) or next to the
railroad. So…we decided to check out the
Budget Inn which was recommended by the Adventure Cycling Association map. We’re glad we did. Danny the manager, was very accommodating,
gave us a good rate, and was very interested in our travels. It turns out that the Adventure Cycling
group, which is now a day behind us, will be arriving tomorrow and also staying
at the Budget Inn. We’ll be off to
Langtry, tomorrow (still traveling east on highway 90) and the “Law West of the
Pecos Trading Post”. There isn’t much
internet or cell service out in these parts, so postings may be a few days
behind. We hope to make Del Rio on
Saturday where there will be more civilization (and traffic, and people).
Total miles: 56.34
Time: 4:12
Avg: 13.41 mph
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