Forecast : Cool and Windy
Texas rolling...
10.5.13 - 10.6.13
72 °F
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Pony Ride 2013
on brendagerber07's travel map.
Happy Saturday.
Over halfway done and the third week promises to be a challenge. High winds kept the mph down, but the cooler weather made it bearable. All riders sported their light jackets today. The day started in the 50's and warmed up nicely as they day went on. I personally was not sorry to say goodbye to the City Motel. Looking forward to the night ahead in the La Quinta. Plans are to get an oil change here, find the local bike shop and stock up on supplies for the trip into and through New Mexico.
We saw quite a few horse ranches early on
But my personal favorite today was the ranch with the jockey statue in front.
Then the terrain changed a bit to rocky and red. There were a few cattle grazing but not much else. Pam told me yesterday that Texas is in a three year drought. Many of the horses and cattle have been sold off. Many of the rivers have dried up and jobs have been lost. Some of the ranches are harvesting wind and cotton.
I still enjoy seeing the rodeo and signs leading to the different ranches.
There are a lot of historical markers just set along the way. Here's a couple I stopped for today.
The rest stops are kind of barren, with no bathrooms. We ate lunch at this one. It looked like a couple of flying saucers from up the road.
The group made it to Crosbytown for their afternoon break. The wind has settled down but we are still climbing. Hope to make it a bit further before ending today's tour. We will have to sag into Lubbock but should maintain our miles for today. Final stats will soon be coming...enjoy today's video while you wait...
The team rode into a little tiny town outside Lubbock with a Dollar General as our stopping point. That seems to be an easy place to find and start up again tomorrow. We made it to the LaQuinta Inn sagging in at 5:00pm, riding 85.7 miles, averaging 12.3 mph. Saddle time was 6 hours and 56 minutes. The team went from 1500 feet to 3000 feet above sea level today. Sounds pretty grueling to me. We hope to get close to the New Mexico border tomorrow and we will soon be saying goodbye to the Lone Star State.
Hope everyone has a happy Sunday and that someone will lift up their voice in praise to God for me at New Community.
Rolling along,
Brenda and the ponies
Posted by brendagerber07 17:07 Archived in Haiti
Who would have thought that it would be "cool" weather where you are? I did get a hint from my in-laws on Friday who were driving out to Arizona and called from Grants, New Mexico, to say it was windy and cold there (in the 50's) and I knew you had said you were bucking the winds. I didn't realize that the "cool" would extend a litter further south to Texas too. Well today in Cleveland (though I went to Pittsburgh to see my daughter in a rowing regatta) and Pittsburgh it was hot and muggy!
With the change in elevation, are you feeling any effects on you physically? Or it might be difficult to discern whether it's the wind or the elevation change.
by Wendy Miller