Trans America Cycling Day 21 - Sanderson, TX to Comstock, TX

The link to today's route and statistics is found here.

Today was probably the hardest day of riding of the tour so far.  Most of the 89 miles was into a headwind, peaking at about 15 mph.  There also were plenty of extra long dips to negotiate, some a mile or two in length.  To compound matters, because the wind slowed us down, we were riding in the late afternoon sun and heat.  

At the first SAG stop there were happy faces, before the riding conditions deteriorated

Climbing up the far side of a long dip, one of very many on our route today

Another difficulty was the rough surface of Texas chip and seal, which will often be referred to as chipseal in the blog.  Instead of rolling smoothly, the bicycle wheels go bumpety bump down the road and loose good road contact.   Some Texan cyclists have described it to us as chunkseal, which in the rough areas is a better description than chipseal.  All in all the chipseal that we rode on today was not too terribly rough.  In many places the chipseal was well worn, making it a smooth riding surface.

Shiny track is smooth and very good for cycling, just watch out for speeding trucks
with a mirror and dart to the shoulder if when necessary

When the roadway gets too smooth, the highway department spreads a new layer of chipseal to have a surface with better grip for trucks and cars.  The problem is that new, rough surface is unkind to cyclists.

Piles of chips beside the road for resurfacing with chip and seal

Today we planned to ride to the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center in Langtry  to learn about the law west of the Pecos.  Unfortunately the Visitor Center was closed on Easter Sunday, so the photo below was purloined from the 2017 bicycle tour.  The Judge was the Justice of the Peace of America’s last frontier in the 1880s and 1890s.  Railroads were being built west of the Pecos, and railroad workers were the prey of thieves, gamblers and "painted ladies.”  The railroad asked for help from the famed Texas Rangers, and a store proprietor, Roy Bean, was hence made the Judge.

  

Combination saloon and courtroom run by Judge Roy Bean in Langtry

The Judge administered the law the way he saw fit, selecting jurists from his saloon customers, and with his six-shooter next to his gavel.  Legend has it that he was the hanging Judge, but there is no evidence to that effect.  The sentence for a guilty horse thief was expulsion rather than the immediate noose.  It was harsh on the frontier to take all a man’s (or woman’s?) possessions, including money, horse and gun, and threaten with the noose should they reappear.

After the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center about law west of the Pecos River, we crossed to the civilized east side of the Pecos.

Pecos River's lawless west side is on the left

Bridge over the Pecos River (Very nice composition Ester)

There is a fitting, rustic sculpture for Easter Sunday in front of the Comstock Motel, where we are staying tonight.  At the same time cyclists are thankful for having overcome the difficulties of today's ride.

Reverent cowboy greets cyclists

Since today is Easter Sunday, the famous roadhouse in Comstock was closed.  Vicki prepared us a scrumptious dinner of pasta with multiple sauces, tossed salad and tasty cookies for desert.  Box wine and Dos Equis beer added to the spirit of the occasion.  All thanked Vicki for her initiative and creativity, and the consensus was it was awesome!  Vicki's skills from teaching Home Economics shined through.  A collection was taken to pay for the grub.

Vicki's masterpiece served with Cabernet Sauvignon