OMG! The morning came way too early for me. Last night I stayed up too late and drank too much. What was I thinking. Well, if alcohol kills brain cells I should be smarter today as I'm sure I killed off a few weak ones.
As fast as I could, I tried to get packed up and ready to leave. I was working on the premise of a 7:45 departure but the gang had moved things up to 7:30. It was obvious that I was hurting so they waited for me to get my act together. With Dick giving me a jump start again this morning, and with me hustling as fast as I could we managed to leave a little after 7:30 and rode down to Marfa for breakfast.
The cool area helped me feel better but I was still really exhausted. We filled up in Marfa and then went over to Alice's Cafe where Doug and Fred had eaten on their "Out West" trip back in October. Wanting to get back on my diet I had a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water.
After breakfast we headed east on Hwy 90 with the sun in our eyes. Just before we got to Marathon Fred asked if anyone wanted to stop and stretch their legs. Me me me!!! They stopped at the wall and I headed on up to the Shell station to use the restroom and get some fluids in me to help with my exhaustion. I drank some vitamin water and opened the peppermints I had purchased. Then it was back on the bike and back on the road.
I ended up following behind Dick and the farther we went the more exhausted I got. I knew it was going to be a rough day and I needed sleep. When we pulled into the gas station in Sanderson I asked Fred where the motel was in Rocksprings and then headed off on the fastest and more direct route I could find. The Zumo routed me along Hwy 90 to 277 just west of Del Rio and then onto 377 for the last 45 miles.
Leaving the group gave me a burst of energy as I was able to raise the pace a little and I wasn't staring at the back end of another bike. I had things like searching for deer, keeping my speed steady and such to keep my mind busy. After a while though, even that wasn't enough so I popped another peppermint. The temperature dropped into the 40s just east of Sanderson so stopping to take a quick power nap was out of the question.
When I got to Del Rio I was starting to feel the exhaustion, but with only an hour to go I knew I could make it. When I turned onto 377 though I realized the last 45 miles was going to be toughest. I was worn out and this was a 2 lane road prime for a deer vs motorcycle encounter. I slowed the pace a little to help with reaction time. Along the way I pulled over to eat a cliff bar and drink some water. As I stopped I saw deer across the fence looking at me. That was as close of an encounter as I wanted.
I finally made it into Rocksprings without any incidents and found the motel as Fred had described. The proprietor was an elderly fellow who was very helpful and checked me into my room. I was 2pm when I got into my room so I figured I had 2 hours to get some much needed rest. And just like clock work, at 4pm the guys came riding in and my nap was over. But that was the rest I needed.
The day's mileage was 322 miles in 6 and a half hours. The pace was definitely one of the faster days of the trip. I wish I had been able to stay with the group but I knew if I did I wouldn't have been able to make it to the motel. Maybe next time I'll get to explore the road north out of Comstock.
Oh, and next time I'm not staying up until the wee hours of the morning visiting and drinking. 10pm will be my cut off time from now on. Period!
As fast as I could, I tried to get packed up and ready to leave. I was working on the premise of a 7:45 departure but the gang had moved things up to 7:30. It was obvious that I was hurting so they waited for me to get my act together. With Dick giving me a jump start again this morning, and with me hustling as fast as I could we managed to leave a little after 7:30 and rode down to Marfa for breakfast.
The cool area helped me feel better but I was still really exhausted. We filled up in Marfa and then went over to Alice's Cafe where Doug and Fred had eaten on their "Out West" trip back in October. Wanting to get back on my diet I had a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water.
After breakfast we headed east on Hwy 90 with the sun in our eyes. Just before we got to Marathon Fred asked if anyone wanted to stop and stretch their legs. Me me me!!! They stopped at the wall and I headed on up to the Shell station to use the restroom and get some fluids in me to help with my exhaustion. I drank some vitamin water and opened the peppermints I had purchased. Then it was back on the bike and back on the road.
I ended up following behind Dick and the farther we went the more exhausted I got. I knew it was going to be a rough day and I needed sleep. When we pulled into the gas station in Sanderson I asked Fred where the motel was in Rocksprings and then headed off on the fastest and more direct route I could find. The Zumo routed me along Hwy 90 to 277 just west of Del Rio and then onto 377 for the last 45 miles.
Leaving the group gave me a burst of energy as I was able to raise the pace a little and I wasn't staring at the back end of another bike. I had things like searching for deer, keeping my speed steady and such to keep my mind busy. After a while though, even that wasn't enough so I popped another peppermint. The temperature dropped into the 40s just east of Sanderson so stopping to take a quick power nap was out of the question.
When I got to Del Rio I was starting to feel the exhaustion, but with only an hour to go I knew I could make it. When I turned onto 377 though I realized the last 45 miles was going to be toughest. I was worn out and this was a 2 lane road prime for a deer vs motorcycle encounter. I slowed the pace a little to help with reaction time. Along the way I pulled over to eat a cliff bar and drink some water. As I stopped I saw deer across the fence looking at me. That was as close of an encounter as I wanted.
I finally made it into Rocksprings without any incidents and found the motel as Fred had described. The proprietor was an elderly fellow who was very helpful and checked me into my room. I was 2pm when I got into my room so I figured I had 2 hours to get some much needed rest. And just like clock work, at 4pm the guys came riding in and my nap was over. But that was the rest I needed.
The day's mileage was 322 miles in 6 and a half hours. The pace was definitely one of the faster days of the trip. I wish I had been able to stay with the group but I knew if I did I wouldn't have been able to make it to the motel. Maybe next time I'll get to explore the road north out of Comstock.
Oh, and next time I'm not staying up until the wee hours of the morning visiting and drinking. 10pm will be my cut off time from now on. Period!
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