To donate to Ryves Youth Center (all money goes to them, none to me:) https://secure.qgiv.com/for/ridacrame/
For more information on Ryves Youth Center: https://ccthin.org/ryves-youth-center
I camped on Friday night about 8 miles west of Sierra Blanca on a beautiful piece of desert land with a view of some mountains, about a mile from a busy highway called Interstate 10. I could see the cars and semi trucks going by and I could hear them a little but they weren’t super loud. I like the tent I have on this trip. It has a zipper on the door so that I can keep bugs and other animals out. It also has a screen so air can get through to help keep me cool. I use little tent pegs and some little ropes to hold it down to the ground so it can’t blow away if it gets windy. Do you see the little ropes in any of the pictures? You’ll have to look close! Here are some pictures of my tent and campsite, along with the sunset:
It was a long ride for the day, around 117 miles or so. I had to carry and drink a lot of water on the way because it got very hot (again)! About 34 miles before I got to Marfa, there was an interesting little town called Valentine. There are only around 73 people that live there, which is not a lot, but I stopped at the Valentine Bar to get a cold soda to drink. I met a lot of nice people, including the owners and a young man named Slava who talked with me for awhile before I left. It was nice to have some people to talk to, as it can get lonely being on the road by yourself sometimes. Thanks a lot for chatting with me, Slava. Here are some pictures of the bar and of Slava:
I got caught in a little windstorm, here is a short video that shows it coming in. Notice that it kicked up a lot of dust. I had good goggles on so the sand wouldn’t hurt my eyes. The wind made it hard to ride for awhile but I was finally able to go ride easier once the wind stopped. I also ran over a small piece of wire again which punctured my tube so I had to fix it by putting in a new tube and pumping it with air from my bike pump. That’s my fourth flat on the ride across America so far! Here is a video of the beginning of the wind storm as it was blowing around a lot of sand and making it hard to see:
The city of Marfa has a lot of artists here—people who like to paint, or draw, or make sculptures out of clay and things, etc. I took a few pictures of the downtown area of the city, including some signs and the courthouse. What letters do you see on the first picture? What do you think it says What number do you see on the highway sign below (2nd picture)? I’ll give you a clue…it’s a 1 and a 7 next to each other. Do you know what number that makes? The 3rd picture sis the water tower (where people store water so that it can go down to the houses when people need it to take baths or run water in the sink) and the courthouse is the 4th picture.
This week I’ll be heading east and hoping to be in New Braunfels by Thursday to visit my friends the Gulleys and in Ingleside (near Corpus Christi) on Saturday to visit my friends the Powells. I have to ride a lot more miles to visit the people I want to, than if I just rode in a straight line from Los Angeles (where I started) to Florida (where I’m finishing). But I think it’s the people you see on the way that make it worth it. Think about it: Would you like to go to your house or your school or your church if you were the only person there, and there was no one to talk to or play with? I sure wouldn’t! It’s the people we love in life that make our lives so good. God gives us friends and family so that they can take care of us and we can take care of them in love. Who are the people you love in your life? What do you want to do today to help make them happy? It’s worth thinking about. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the rest of these pictures! Tomorrow (Monday) I’ll be headed east on US Highway 90 towards the town of Sanderson. I want to thank Manu who has graciously let me stay in his house this weekend. Manu is a member of Warm Showers—Warm Showers is a group of people who let traveling bicyclists stay in their homes for free while they are traveling. It’s been wonderful being able to shower and get cleaned up after a lot of days on the road. I hope you enjoy these pictures. I am still in the desert but it looks a bit different from what it did last week in Arizona. Have a great day, everyone, and Happy Father’s Day!
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