George: Wednesday, 20SEP’17 – Marfa,TX to Marathon, TX

Last evening we ate at Stelina’s on the main drag in Marfa. It was just half block from the Paisano Hotel. Dirk was a gray-bearded stout fellow, casually dressed and vintage 1960. His server mannerisms were well honed from introduction to final cleanup and his query about our dessert choice. During our dinner and on one of his obligatory stops to our table I asked him if he knew a local, Anthony D. We had a nice conversation, Dirk smiling all the while. I texted Anthony about our dinner restaurant choice and that Dirk was our server. His response was “Wild Dirk!” Maybe there was something I should have asked Dirk.

After dinner, later that evening we drove 9 miles east of town to a very attractive observation station in order to see the Marfa Lights. If you are curious about the details Google should be a good source. I mention this because we didn’t get to bed until after 10:00pm, some two hours later than usual. Our late departure this morning made it all possible.

A leisurely late breakfast at the Paisano Hotel and we were out the door, in the saddle and making a left hand turn into the morning sun. Our itinerary, a scheduled resting day, had us riding just under 60 miles, all on US 90 East. The road was good and the wind was off-and-on favorable. We encountered two incidents of roadwork with which we have deftly learned to deal. Saint Susan was to meet us at Alpine, some 30 miles into the ride and then at Altuda, an additional 15 miles from Alpine. We were to finish the last 15 into Marathon and the place we had chosen to spend the night.

Our ride out of Marfa retraced the drive we made last evening to the Marfa Lights observation station. From that point, the road turned up and to the left into the trailing foothills of the Davis Mountains. The elevation gain was very reasonable, and as we passed through the mountains, the alignment was mostly down. The well-paved, wide shouldered road gave us lots of opportunity to view beautiful scenery.  One hour and thirty minutes later, we were in Alpine looking for the Black Oasis. Susan was not expecting us for another half hour. A 15 mph tailwind can make all the difference in the world. Fresh legs didn’t hurt either.

We left Alpine on the fly, but two changes slowed us up dramatically. The wind was now facing us, and the smooth road of the morning turned into the jackhammer road of yesterday. So be it. It took us a significantly longer time to make it to Altuda and our rest stop.  As it turned out, none of us ever found Altuda. Susan missed it. She drove all the way to Marathon and then doubled back 14 miles. Sara and I missed the town as well. In fact we were surprised to find Susan by the roadside. We stopped to ask her why she didn’t stop in Altuda. We accepted her explanation while moving on from there to our final destination, Marathon. If anyone has seen Altuda, let us know.

We are staying at a marvelous place called “Eve’s Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast.” The cost is classified. Hearing the price of a night’s stay, I divided it by two and figured that was pretty reasonable. My skepticism about this place was assuaged when I arrived. Susan described it best as the Santorini of southwest Texas. Kate arrived here in the 90s. What brought her here was not discussed. The place appears to be in perpetual construction what with scaffolding and trowels and such all over the place. Eve’s is not your typical 15X30 hotel room. Ours has two rooms, a bed in each, and then a separate accessible bathroom. The three rooms are positioned much like three cells of a honeycomb. There is more class in our room than all the ones combined in which we have stayed. In addition, we have access to a coffee room across the courtyard where patrons can have a cup, or for those more inclined for a sudsy quaff, there is a beer tap. While Sara and I are feverishly typing our blogs, Susan is nowhere in sight?

We sat for a while this afternoon in the Rose Garden while Sara and I made minor repairs and Susan watched a movie on the iPad. All the while, the northern sky quietly filled up with puffy cumulus clouds. Gradually the wind chimes began their jig, the temperature dropped noticeably and the cotton colored clouds turned dishwater gray. Something was astir. Back home this was a sure sign of rain. In Marathon, it was the weather crying wolf.

We will rest up this evening in preparation for another rest day on the bike. We are scheduled to ride 54 miles to the Texas town of Sanderson. Stay tuned.    

Scenic ride from Marfa to Alpine

Could this be Altuda?

From the ride into Marathon