Day 33: To Fort Davis

March 29, 2012

Just before leaving my motel I saw a touring cyclist heading west through Van Horn.

I left the motel in Van Horn at 9:15, headed south on US 90. I had a gentle headwind at first, but when the road turned southeast it became a gentle tailwind. The road was almost perfectly flat, so the miles passed quickly. The sky was mostly overcast so it wasn't hot.

A few miles south of Van Horn I stopped and talked to Brent, a touring cyclist heading from Daytona Beach to San Diego.

AMTRAK passenger train along US 90 between Van Horn and Valentine.

This art project is in the middle of nowhere, closer to Valentine than to Marfa.

I took a long stop on the covered patio at the church in Valentine. It was sunny when I got there, so the shade and shelter from wind were nice. Storm clouds were building by the time I left.

Valentine is a very depressed town. It has no businesses now, but it once had two cafes and two gas stations. Half the houses are abandoned.

I stopped in front of this library in 1997 while a Jeff Davis county sheriff wrote a speeding ticket for me.

More than half of the houses near Valentine are abandoned.

I had a brisk headwind going south from Valentine and the sky turned much darker. I could see rain ahead, but it mostly evaporated before it hit the ground.

Flat straight US 90 south of Valentine. A storm passed through. High wind, but no rain.

I still had a brisk headwind after turning east onto Ranch Road 505, so it was a slow climb into the Davis mountains. The weather forecast called for a 20 mph west wind. I was not happy that the predicted strong tailwind turned out to be a strong headwind. The views were pretty good despite the clouds. The summit is 5800 feet elevation on the southeast edge of the Davis mountains. Near the summit is a strange village of tin shacks.

FM 505 looking towards the Davis mountains.

Looking north at the Davis mountains from FM 505.

The long gradual descent to Fort Davis is very nice. I arrived in Fort Davis at 6:45 and camped in town at Overland Trail campground. $13. It has decent facilities but the tent camping area is less than 50 feet from a state highway. Traffic was annoying in the evening and early in the morning. I could easily have pedaled another 5 miles to the state park, but wanted to be near the stores and restaurants. I had dinner at a Mexican restaurant.

Jeff Davis county courthouse in Fort Davis.

Fort Davis is an attractive little town at the foot of the Davis mountains. Part ranching town, part tourist town.

Downtown Fort Davis has a fancy new hotel.

Fort Davis is the highest town in Texas at 5050 feet elevation. I was surprised that it was too warm to get in my sleeping bag until well after midnight. And today was NOT a hot day, with a high of only 75F.

Today was a long and boring day. I was expecting a tailwind to make it somewhat easier, but that never happened. The scenery was kind of bland except in the Davis mountains.

Distance: 85.2 mi. (136 km)

Climbing: 2174 ft. (659 m)

Average Speed: 11.5 mph (18.4 km/h)

Today's ride: 85 miles (137 km)
Total: 1,803 miles (2,902 km)

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