so i left Marfa in gale force winds and of course i get my first puncture. simply rubbish but i was up for the challange of fixing it myself as there wasnt a bike shop within 30 miles. manged to get the tyre fixed in about half and hour to the detriment of my trousers which are now black. so there i was crouched behind a picnic table getting shelter from the wind in the middle of the desert changing my inner tube. it was certainly character building! with my instant oatmeal blotched hoodie and the greasy trousers i have managed to amplify my hobo states to new levels (and thats not mentioning my gritty beard!) So i fought the winds and i got miserable on the 74 miles to van horn but there was some relief. a prada shop in the middle of the desert. brilliant. an artist with ambition showing us lesser mortals what can be done with a bit of creativity and vision. yup it was quite a surreal sight but it added context to the whole marfa experience.
yesterday i bike over a 100 miles and was in high spirits as it was mostly downhill with little wind. made it almost to el paso and loved being on my bike! what more can i say, it was just the complete opposite of the day before!
am now in el paso where i have got an apartment to stay in. i met maritza and art in marfa for about 2 minutes and they said i could stay in their place while they were camping in arizona. amazing. cant believe how much everyone trusts me especially as i look ridiculous (with my socks tucked into my trousers or sporting some heinous cycling top). now gonna take it easy for a few days as i have plenty of time to make it to san diego.
Attempting to ride a bicycle from the coast of florida to the coast of california.
