I felt miserable in the morning. No energy or motivation. I slept until 10 (which seems like 9) and promptly paid to stay another night in the motel.

There were several things to do. Fix the slow leak in the front wheel. Clean the chain, etc. I called the only pharmacy in town but they can't refill my prescriptions because they don't have access to the national database.

The weather was decent. High of only 83F with occasional periods of high winds. Mostly cloudy for a few hours in late afternoon.

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I rode back and forth through town to look around. Most every business in town is along a 2.5 mile main street sandwiched between I-10 and the Southern Pacific Railroad. Many motels, restaurants, and gas stations. Functional but not very charming. The most interesting landmark is the El Capitan hotel.

I spent considerable time debating which route to take through the Davis mountains. The original plan was to go east 37 miles along I-10, then do huge climbs that would require a night of free camping. On the second day I would visit McDonald Observatory, then descend to Fort Davis.

An alternative is to go southeast on US 90 past Valentine, then east across the southern part of the Davis mountains. It has much less climbing, so I could get to Fort Davis in one long day and not have to free camp with no available water. The alternate route bypasses McDonald Observatory, but I would have the option to pedal up to the observatory if I take a day off in Fort Davis.

I felt much better in the evening after resting all day.

Distance: 8.3 mi. (13.3 km)

Climbing: 183 ft. (55 m)

Average Speed: 9.9 mph (16 km/h)