So Long Big Bend, I'll miss you...even if you're filled with scary tarantulas and mountain lions.
The ride today was shaping up to be pretty epic. 110 miles, most of which would be uphill, through a desert, with no services. Good thing we're bringing extra water...at least there's no wind in our way. The first 30 miles would be a breeze though - all downhill as we descended out of the park.
We said our goodbyes, strapped on all the warm clothes we could find, and headed out. Our two cyclist friends told us about the small town of Terlingua, which supposedly has a breakfast restaurant and delicious milkshakes. After two days in Big Bend eating spaghetti and peanut butter, that was a deal we couldn't refuse.
Figuring we could coast down to the town relatively easily, we left with empty stomachs. To Terlingua!
Not eating ended up being one of the best idea's we've ever had. Waiting for us in the town was an all you can eat breakfast buffet...is there any greater thing in the world? No. No there isn't.
Stuffing our faces with pancakes, sausage and gravy, yogurt, and a thousand other delicious treats:
Needless to say, I wasn't hungry again until 8:00 that night...
The ride to Big Bend? Thoroughly awesome. The ride away from Big Bend? Not as cool. Soon the mountains disappeared, and we found ourselves on a scorching hot road surrounded by nothing.
TJ struggling to go faster on the road to nowhere:
There was a whole lot of this today:
Finding every possible way to occupy myself:
Somewhere along the road, TJ had the brilliant idea to take our shirts off. Nothing wrong with two half naked dudes lathering themselves with sunscreen on the side of the highway...
As we crushed the miles towards Alpine, images of delicious food danced through our heads. Since there were actually people living there, the town would be the prefect cap to our trip down to Big Bend.
In typical fashion, as we crawled our way closer to town, the hills got bigger and bigger. Soon enough we were on the final approach though, and were rewarded with a 10 mile decent right into Alpine. Our first stop - (regretfully) McDonald's for unlimited $1 sodas. Turns out riding through the desert leaves you craving Dr. Pepper.
Catching up on news and emails within the fine establishment, a women named Regina came up to us asking if we needed a place to stay. Perfect!
Turns out she owns a huge plot of land right outside the city where her dog grooming shop is. It has a bathroom (with a shower, thank God), and a ton of space for us to pitch the tent. We strolled over, cleaned up, set up the tent, and set off back into town for dinner. We ended up at The Saddle Club for some local Big Bend Brewing Company beer and food.
Tired from our huge day of riding, we called it a night and headed back to the tent.
Miles Crushed: 110
Ounces of Sweat Lost: A million, at least
--
Day #10: Big Bend National Park ("Rest" Day):
A trip to Big Bend wouldn't be complete without an epic hike, so I planned out a 17.5 mile loop that would take us around the perimeter of the Chisos Mountains (ignore that awkward vertical trail towards the bottom, we didn't go that way):
Top 10 hike for sure - HUGE views in every direction:
And then the strangest thing happened...In the middle of the desert, at 7,200 feet, the air became crisp and cool. It was like stumbling upon a little piece of Connecticut in an arid land where life struggles to survive. The trees were changing color, humidity was in the air, and a stream was flowing around moss covered rocks. It was incredible:
And then in a matter of feet, it disappeared:
Decending back down to the campground:
And then OH MY GOD LOOK AT THAT
What an awesome day. We stopped at the campground lodge for some crispy cold beers before heading back to the tent. When we did arrive to the campsite, we found two other cyclists - Katie and Sophia - camping next to us. We cooked dinner with them and shared stories over some beers, generously donated by Dave.
TJ had the brilliant idea of borrowing a frying pan from someone so we could successfully make pancakes, so I cooked up an absolutely giagantic stack for the two of us to devour.
Full of pancakes, peanut butter, and syrup, that night we fell asleep under another awe-inspiring night sky. Big Bend, I love you.
Miles Biked: 0
Miles Hiked: 17.5
Tarantulas Ran From Like A Little Girl: 1
Beers Drank: Lots
--
Day #9: Marathon to Big Bend National Park:
The day has finally come...our trek down to Big Bend National Park. Located in one of the most remote sections of the country, TJ and I were pretty excited to get there.
There are two roads that lead to the park - Route 385 out of Marathon, and Route 118 into Alpine. Both roads are effectively deserted, which would make for some pretty awesome miles through absolutely gorgeous terrain.
Google Maps
We kicked off the day with a big burrito breakfast at Johnny B's in Marathon, and then headed south down Route 385.
Today was an awesome day of riding, and we definitely had luck on our side. Not only did we have a beastly 16 mph tailwind, but the first section of the ride is 50 miles of gradual downhill. This made for some pretty epically fast biking, accompanied by beautiful scenery:
TAILWIND:
And then we made it...well at least to the entrance sign. Only 40 more miles to go - let the fun begin!
The Chisos Mountains, looming in the distance:
Whoa, whoa whoa...there are BEARS down here?
Oh hey little guy...
After a bit of climbing up to the visitors center, we learned some pretty grave news. Some brief statistics:
Marathon, Mile 0: 4,000 feet
Lowest Elevation, Mile 48: 2,580
Big Bend Visitors Center, Mile 68: 3,730
Chisos Basin Campground, Mile 77: 5,730
Well, at least the ranger was nice enough to warn us about the 2,000 feet of climbing ahead of us...
3D map of the park - straight into the mountains!
After lunch, we geared up for a sweltering climb through the Chisos Mountains to The Basin, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Nestled in the mountain range, the campground is surrounded by beautiful towering peaks. It took a little work to get there, but it was totally worth it.
The start of the climb:
The Basin:
That night we met Dave and his family, who were nice enough to keep us company. They knew a ton about the park, and were awesome neighbors during our stay.
For dinner we cooked the standard - spaghetti with beans and sauce. Coupled with a ridiculously cheap pint of ice cream and some beer, we were having a blast in Big Bend. Once the sun went down we also got our first taste of one of the darkest night sky's in the country. Designated as an International Dark Sky Park, you can see enough stars to leave you speechless until the sun comes up.
Unfortunately the camera couldn't capture it, but you can see some pretty cool pictures here:
http://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?id=5E099FFC-155D-451F-6749D7C42B0484B7
Miles Crushed: 77
Tarantulas Seen: 1
Elevation Climbed: 3,150
No comments:
Post a Comment