Wednesday October 26, 2011, 90 miles (145 km) – Total so far: 1,739 miles (2,798 km)
We rode out of Comstock before sunrise. It was an absolutely beautiful morning as we were greeted by the sunrise and a train. It was just us and the road. We took several pictures and steadily climbed through the numerous canyons. I kept looking for a stagecoach or Indians on the horizon! We soon came upon the Pecos River and were totally awed at the old bridge and river. This river is a tributary into the Rio Grande so we had a clear view of the Mexican mountains. There were lots and lots of Border Patrol cruising around that always gave us a friendly wave. We stopped in the small town of Langtry for a delicious BBQ sandwich from the only food place in town. Our goal of Sanderson was still 60 miles away so we didn’t stay long.
The next services (if you want to call Dryden having services) were 40 miles so armed with our good lunch we rode and rode through many more canyons. Upon reaching Dryden we found a store which did not offer us a bathroom. I asked if there were any bathroom services in Dryden I received a curt reply of ‘No’. I considered this very rude. They do offer water and sodas. This so called town was just plain rude.
About 10 miles from Dryden my chain came off the chainwheel again and wedged itself. I got it out but it was bent for about 4 inches. So now my bike wouldn’t shift well and the chain kept jumping. It worked okay with the large gear in front and small one in the rear but with any shift it just kept jumping around. We continued through Dryden and on to Sanderson. I was just expecting the whole thing to fall apart as I shifted to get through the canyons but it held together for 30 miles. At any moment we were expecting to stick out our thumbs for a ride into town as sunset was approaching. It was very stressful. We barely pulled into Sanderson and found the Budget Motel. The manager, Danny, was so helpful and friendly. He saw that we were stressed out and brought us two bottles of cold water. So we checked in a walked to a local restaurant for dinner. We also discussed our options of getting to the next major town of Alpine about 92 miles west. According to the ACA route and the Lakeside Sports Bike Shop in Del Rio the next bike shop is in Alpine. Danny again came through and found us a guy with a pickup to take us there. Of course we will pay this person.
It was a long day of 10 hours to get 90 miles. Unfortunately we will miss the next 92 miles as we will be driven. I am not a purist on this trip so am okay with hitching a ride to the next bike shop. I hope it works out okay so we can get back on the road quickly.
Due to the poor internet connection here I will post today’s pictures hopefully tomorrow.