Day 38: Sabbath Day 5

March 24, 2025

Dinner on Sunday: a pop-up crunch wrap at Larry's. We definitely were more than double the average age.

The launge at El Cosmico features continuous '60s music.

I didn't think I should leave Texas without trying a Lone Star. It wasn't worth it. The Top Chico was better.

I had been looking forward to this day off since Austin. We had a nine day stretch of rides with several long ones, lots of headwinds, and our first real climbs. At times, I was ready to quit the whole trip. However, I figured out that I need to go one day at a time, and even one rest stop at a time. I also am working on keeping my power up to a sustainable level. Especially in winds I seem to work much lower than my potential, which results in longer saddle times.

Breakfast was at 8:00 this morning instead of 7:00, which was nice. I was serving, so got up at 7:15. BD and JW were already out starting setup. El Cosmico served starting at 7:30, so we didn't have to worry about that. It was super cold again (JE's thermostat said 33°F). My fingers cut super cold cutting up the strawberries for breakfast. I ate 3 packs of oatmeal with berries and walnuts and a clementine. People were a bit leisurely about eating breakfast, and most ate inside because it was so cold. So, we didn't get everything put away until pretty late. JG offered to take us on a laundry run at 10:00. Laundry was not onsite, and lots of people needed to do it, so it was nice to get a ride. It only took about an hour to do it. I asked to be dropped at the Post Office on the way home so I could pick up my package from Esther. Unfortunately, she had addressed it to El Cosmico's address, and they don't have mail delivery here. So, it would have needed a post box. It seemed they thus returned it to sender for an insufficient address. It is stuff (a couple buffs and some sun sleeves) that would have been nice, but I can make do.

After the mailbox I walked to the Dollar General and got some sunscreen and some hand lotion. My hands feel like sandpaper and I'm afraid they will start to crack and bleed. I am carrying it around with me and applying it every time I wash my hands.

On the way back to camp I stopped at Marfa Burrito. I had read that it was good, and I enjoyed it. The proprietors, judging by the pictures on the wall, seemed to be two women. I saw one making burritos in the back, and the woman that took my order did not speak English. I got one with ground beef, beans, potatoes, cheese and some other stuff. It was quite good and filling.

When I got back to camp I hung up things that needed to dry (which doesn't take long in this climate). Then I changed the valve core on my rear tire (I dipped the new one in vaseline to help prevent it from gunking up. Thankfully, it reseated the first time. I also changed my chain. The previous one was on 11 days (I put on the 2nd of my 3 spare waxed chains. The other one lasted 11 rides (about 640 miles). I think I rewaxed it 3 times with drip lube. On Sunday I don’t think it was particularly noisy, but changed it anyway. I think wax is really good for this dry hot climate.

We had burritos for dinner and a blueberry muffin for desert. It was good and I am full.

Tomorrow's ride is 74 miles to Van Horn, almost all on Route 90. I wonder if the 12 inch strip of smooth asphalt will still be there. Van Horn is the last town that will be on Central Time. There are no services along the way. JG will meet us in Valentine, which is about 35 miles. We gain about 500 feet in the first 9 miles, it is flat for about 7, and then we lose about 900 feet on the remainder. The winds will be to Southerly and we are going mostly Northwest, so it should be a quick ride, though it is long so that is relative.

A few days ago I started to develop a pustule on the right side of my rear end. I have been using prescription mupirocin ointment on it several times a day. It hurts a bit, but hasn't been getting worse. I am hopeful it will go away, though sitting on it for 5 hours doesn't really sound pleasant. BW's brother had to drop out of a cross=country ride when he developed a boil on his setter. I hope I can avoid that.

In previous Sabbath posts I have reported on gear that has worked well. In Austin I got a Topeak try-bag and it has been really great. It lets me carry more than my original bag including a sunscreen and lip balm plus a couple of Goos and a Cliff Bar. It also has a place for my wallet so I don't have to keep it on my phone and risk losing it when I put the phone in my pocket. In Austin I also bought a plastic stake mallet at REI. I am glad I did. The ground has been really hard since then. I could have used one of the mallets from the van, but that would have meant an extra trip to get it and another to return it. A second thing that has been important is my power meter. As I have mentioned, I have struggled keeping my power high enough in headwinds. I have started focusing on it and it helps me get there faster and reduce rear-end pain. I am also happy with Joe Blow Booster pump. It has worked like a charm to seat my tires. BW also reports that is the most accurate pump on the trip. It is a bit big and heavy, but it has come in handy. Finally, I have been happy to use tubeless tires. It has let me run at a lower pressure to cushion some of the chip seal and I haven't had any on-the-road failures. However, 2 times I have had trouble getting the tire to seat, and one time the front tire went flat over night. The two cases where it would seat turned out to be failure of the rim strip. The tire that went flat reseated easily. So, I have traded pain on the road for pain at camp. I think it is a good trade. I should mention that two other people running skinny tires and tubeless (SR and BW) have not had any flats or changed their tires. Everyone on the trip but two people, JF and DS, have had at least one flat and BD has had 6. JF and DS are both running pretty beefy tires. (None of the leaders has had a flat to my knowledge). Finally, I may have mentioned it, but the sleep system has worked well. I have been able to use the quilt part alone in warmer weather, but on nights when it gets into the 30s, I can use the mummy bag and stay quite warm.

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