THANK YOU Angelo and Diane!!!!
What are the chances, that we wake up outside of Marathon, Texas, a town so secluded it’s a class one stargazing site, and we meet two other touring cyclists headed East who tip us off about Angelo, a bike guru living in Marathon, then that we find him by asking around, arrive arrive at his house, and he helps us find the EXACT right size spoke Ryan needed from an old wheel hanging on his wall.
Incredible! What a weight lifted to have a working and complete wheel now without the hassle of finding a bike shop or trying to order a new spoke. We feel so thankful and lucky!
It was such a pleasure to meet these two cool tourists, Ivar and Hector, this morning outside of our make shift camp site. It’s fun to see why others are touring and check out their set ups. Ivar was on a conference call when we met them! Talk about working remotely! Hector was also riding a nice Trek and said he has done some touring with his wife and is now doing the big cross country trip. Best of luck to you both in your travels, and may the wind be ever at your back!
More on Angelo and Diane. Ryan described them perfectly as a wizard and his wife. They reminded us of desert mystics (without the craziness, they were very fun and sharp) and had SO many cool cacti and desert plants. Angelo gave me some wild growing Italian Arugula picked right off the plant and took me for a tour of their coolest cactus.
Diane showed me her beautiful and thought provoking artwork and we hit it off discussing art making, home owning, baking, and motivation.
We left Marathon with fully furnished bikes and so much gratitude.
McDonalds was on our mind too since we were headed through Alpine today, the biggest city in the area with a population of around 6,000. This huge population meant they had a McDonalds which meant we were stopping. It also means we are both very full and feeling a strong urge to drink tons of water after all of the salt and sugar.
A short refill on water and couple miles of biking later we are set up for the night beside the highway, hidden behind some small trees.
Goodnight Chihuahuan desert! We will see you again tomorrow 😊
Still 90!!
There and Back Again 