| Cross-Country Ramble 20: A
Hilltop Experience Sent: 96-05-20 23:07:22 EDT
Last night, we stayed in the most wonderful motel I've ever
experienced. Whoever said that the most important three things in
real estate are "Location, location and location," got it right. The
fact that it cost us $20 plus tax had nothing to do with its value.
We started yesterday in Fort Hancock, TX, where that motel owner
had warned us that the hill up and out of the Rio Grande Valley
would be "straight up." We got on the road by 7:30--earlier than
usual to get a jump on the heat of the day. The first 35 miles
continued to take us along the Rio Grande on a smooth paved farm
road. There was no breeze except for that caused by our motion, but
the air was cool. The pedaling wasn't coming easily to me this
morning, a fact that I attributed to my preoccupation with the hill
we had yet to see. It was quickly becoming the "hill from hell" in
my mind. The abandoned farm houses and towns we passed added to my
sour mood. Many of the buildings had been made of adobe and were in
the process of melting back into the earth.
We left our quiet country road and turned onto Interstate 10's
broad shoulder at about 11:00. Finally, we faced "THE HILL."
"Doesn't look half as steep as hills we've already survived," I
thought. And I was right. We'd have no need to walk on this hill. We
shifted to our lowest gear and started spinning (which, for me is
80-85 rpm) up the grade. But something was wrong. I could tell that
I wasn't working very hard, but the pedaling was getting harder and
harder. I stopped a couple of times and panted for a bit, then
started up again. I saw some black dots swimming in my field of
view, but a shake of the head made them go away. I noticed that
Carol, who usually lags me a bit, was getting ahead of me. I knew
that I had let "the hill" get to me. I willed new energy into my
legs and went on automatic--thinking as much as possible about
nothing at all.
Finally, about an hour into the hill, I could see the crest of
the hill ahead of us. I also saw "Motel Clean Rooms Senior Discount
$25." The decision was instant: "Let's stay here!" I yelled forward
to Carol. "Good idea," she said, looking a little worried.
The Hilltop Motel was the best $20 (we got the senior discount)
motel I've ever seen. We napped a couple of hours and then started
thinking. The previous day, we'd biked 50 miles in high heat and
wind. I had drunk perhaps four quarts of liquid yesterday, but, come
to think about it, had not needed to pass water since early that
day. Nor last evening or last night or today. I had already drunk
perhaps three quarts today and still nothing had passed through. I
started drinking water with a passion. I drank about four quarts
during the course of the afternoon. Another couple that evening.
Finally, during the night, my plumbing started working again.
Today was a good day. We got up and got out in the cool. We drank
lots of water before we started. We drank while we were biking. When
we stopped, we drank some more. We finished the hill, did a couple
smaller ones and were rewarded with a seven-mile coast into Van
Horn. We checked into a motel, retrieved and answered our email, and
had enough energy left over to write this Ramble.
Guess there really is something to that stuff you read about
hydration and dehydration.
Ken
PS: We're heading toward Del Rio. Here's a quiz:
What, if anything, do you think of when someone mentions Del Rio,
Texas?
Itinerary.
- Day 37: El Paso, TX
- (took a week off in Washington, DC)
- Day 38: Fort Hancock, TX
- Day 39: Hilltop Motel, on I-10 about 3/4 of the way between
Fort Hancock and Sierra Blanca.
- Day 40: Van Horn, TX
next ramble... |