Fort Davis to Marathon, TX 60 miles March 26, 2010

After icing my knee all yesterday, and getting some expert adjustment of my bike seat from Linda Baldwin and Carol Wilder, our leaders, I set out this morning from Fort Davis.  Fortunately the route was downhill getting out of the State Park which provided a nice warm up.  The sixty miles were easy, too.  There were a few hills, but if felt as if we were gradually going downhill.  There was a drop of about 1,000 feet from Fort Davis to Marathon.

Shelley Hatcher was our SAG Captain today, and Alayne, Mike and I were surprised to see her at the usual 20 mile mark.  As we had our snacks, Suzanne rolled up with her fun biking socks!  Such a fashion plate!


Our ride was good except for the side wind.  Our bikes were tipped slightly as we leaned to balance against the wind.

The mid-ride was a stop in Alpine, TX.  As we rode into Alpine, there were several paper-cup "Relay for Life" signs, advertising the American Cancer Society's fund raiser that was going on in Alpine.



We had ridden those first 30 miles so quickly that we ended up at a wonderful place called the "Bread and Breakfast" where many of us ordered a second breakfast.  I hear the carmel nut rolls were wonderful and the coffee was great.  I, however, followed Sue Hersman's lead and had a pig-in-a-blanket.  The hotdog had jalepinos in it and it was a nice surprise!
We turned left out of Alpine, and were expecting that the side wind would now be our hoped for tailwind.  It was for a while, but as we rode the wind seemed to be swirling around us!

We arrived at Marathon at 1:45.  The Gage Hotel is a very nice hotel.  The lodgings at Fort Davis were beautiful, but the Gage Hotel is an historic hotel, built in 1927.  In the 1970's it was bought by a Houston couple who restored it.

We are staying in a wing called Los Portales, and our rooms face a courtyard filled with flowering plants and a fountain. 
The rooms are filled with unique tiles, including the updated bathrooms.  My sink is made of glass with lights underneath the sink!  Talk about a night light!  (Dave, can we get one of those??)

The Gage had a pool where we swam.
Our leaders were staying in a small house on the property, so Linda was able to cook in an actual kitchen!  She made a seafood soup that was amazing!  And since she had a freezer, we had ice cream for desert!

Tomorrow is a 54 mile ride to Sanderson, TX.  It could be an easy ride if the wind gods will smile upon us...25 mph winds are predicted.  Hopefully they will be going east!