(Thurs, 3/13/25; 28 miles, 373 feet of climb)
I am currently “out in the west Texas town of El Paso.” Yes, I have FINISHED!!
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I woke up at 4:30 am again today. I was SO EXCITED about my last day of riding, and the thought of being checked into a cozy hotel near downtown El Paso before the sandstorm hits at 3 pm.
I made waffles again for the hotel breakfast in Anthony. I had forgotten that I have crossed another state boundary last night, but the Texas-shaped waffles reminded me that I am now in the Lone Star State.
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The weather was actually ideal for most of today. There were headwinds as expected, but they were pretty mild while I was riding, especially compared to the last few days.
I left the hotel in Anthony an hour after sunrise (8:20), and decided to head straight west, back into New Mexico, so I could link up again with the ACA route.
Good choice — the route meandered through farm fields with almost no traffic. Perfect for drone videos!
Later it followed a concrete bike path along the west side of the Rio Grand. More drone time!
I thought it would be too windy to fly by 11 am based on the forecast, but the arrival of the high winds kept getting delayed.
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When I finally found myself out in the west Texas town of El Paso, my first stop, of course, was Rosa’s Cantina! (I’ve been obsessed with that song ever since I heard it from Marcus Culbert on a Boy Scout canoe trip in 2007.) And I was able to take still MORE drone videos.
After checking into my hotel and wheeling my bike to my room, I walked a mile to a UPS store to buy packing tape and a box for my panniers. On the way back, I stopped at Crave for my victory dinner: fish tacos, salad, and asparagus. I have a vegetable deficit to make up.
Tomorrow I will walk my bike to Crazy Cat Cyclery to disassemble it and box it up. I’m glad it’s only 0.4 miles away, because they are now predicting 30 mph winds before dawn!
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The winds didn’t pick up today until around 5 pm. By sunset, most of the sky was blocked out by the dust storm. Visibility was only a quarter mile, and you could feel the grit with every breath. I’m really glad I’m not camping or biking tonight or tomorrow.
I slumped into a comfy chair in my hotel room and didn’t move for two hours. I think I will sleep nine hours tonight. It’s weird how relaxed I suddenly am, now that I no longer have to worry every hour about what I’m going to eat or drink or where I’m going to sleep. I am looking forward to going home.
But I will always have great memories of the epic and rugged southwest, and pedaling across deserts, up mountains, and through countless farm fields and tiny towns.
Thank you to all of you who supported and encouraged me along the way, especially to those who hosted me for a night, and to my lovely wife Beth for letting me chase my dreams.
It was a great adventure, but now it’s time to go back to the Shire.
(Stay tuned for YouTube videos!)
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “CANTBIRD” = CA-AZ-NM-TX Bike Ride, my own nickname for the 1000 miles on the western half of the Southern Tier Bicycle Route, from San Diego to El Paso, using maps from ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). (I did the 1500-mile eastern half in March 2024, which I called GUMBIRD [Gulf of Mexico Bike Ride].)
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LINKS:
Old-fashioned BLOG if you have friends who don’t use Facebook:
“Old Scouter” Facebook page if you want to follow big adventures with more pictures and video clips (but not unrelated personal posts):
“Old Scouter” YouTube page (when I get time to edit after the trip):