Sara: Day 21

During dinner last night at Pho Rio, which was shockingly delightful, there was a lot of discussion about taking a rest day today. It’s amazing how much fighting the wind the last two days has zapped us (Mike has taken to calling me “Jeb” as a reflection of my low energy level) and the forecast was for another 13mph headwind out of town today.

Ultimately, we decided to split the 80 miles from Del Rio to Camp Wood in half and benefit from two shorter days. I will also benefit from not giving my hands and rear-end a 24 hour break from that torturous hunk of steel and suffering another setback in the (seemingly never-ending) conditioning process.  

When we reviewed the weather forecast for the week last night, today was the only day not forecasting rain, so, naturally, we were greeted by a steady drizzle this morning. I guess it was as good a way as any to ease us into the conditions we’ll likely face all week. I am now adept at avoiding “metal and anything painted white” when the roads are wet.

Heading out of town, we acknowledged how much our luck has changed with flats since we stopped using the interstates last week. Not 2 miles later, we were pulled over fixing a flat. I lost track, but I think that’s maybe 18? Still, the day was a vast improvement over the last two. Even with the headwind, our bikes were actually moving at a socially acceptable velocity today.

At our first rest stop, when we noticed feathers floating off the top of the van, my mom came clean that she’d hit and killed a bird on her way to meet us. Evidently, as it was ricocheting off her windshield over the top of the car, it hit the bike wheels strapped to the roof and left them covered in feathers. Shortly thereafter, it came out this was not her first casualty on the trip. Apparently Mike also contributed to the body count on US 90 on his way into Del Rio Friday night. I've been appalled every day by the amount of roadkill in Texas, and I come to find both of my loved ones behind the wheel are culprits!

Tonight I put on a clean shirt, my “ripped pants”, and a necklace and dragged Mike and my mom to a movie with me. It was the first time in 21 days I’ve done something other than ride a bike, ingest calories, and sleep - let alone in jewelry. “It” was meh, but it was nice to feel like a functioning member of society again. 

Soggy send off this AM from Mike and Sue-bo