2524 Miles Down, 812 to Go!
FIRST THINGS FIRST: A HUGE “thank you!” to the Super 8 Motel in El Paso for donating a room for two nights while I take my day off here in “the Borderland!” We had a chance to meet the owner today, and on top of being a really cool guy, he gave me a tip to checkout “Chico’s Tacos,” which is a phenomenon that can only be found in El Paso. I’ll be sure to give you guys a full report on that soon.
A lot has happened since my last update after my speech to the high schoolers in Monahans, TX. The basic updates are below, but first: Here’s a news story that we landed in El Paso:
Basic update
After my day off in Monahans, I picked up where I left off and skated about 45 miles from Pyote to Toyah, TX. We ended up staying the night in Pecos, TX. After some quick research, I realized that continuing to follow my path from I-20 to I-10 would be a disaster. I was looking at about 40 miles of skating on the expressway where the speed limit is 80 MPH… Not good! I made the executive decision to take the motor home down to Marfa, TX and skate 74 miles northwest on US 90 to Van Horn. It’s the first time I’ve had to do a “jump” on the skate, and I didn’t really want to do it, but I had no other option.
Taking the US 90 route actually added about 5 miles on some of the roughest roads I’ve had yet, so I’m feeling more than justified in that decision. Sometimes, you have to be “the boss” and make a difficult decision. Ironically, I still ended up having to do a 10 mile skate on the side of I-10 one day and 21 miles the next day. Thankfully, those portions between Van Horn, TX and McNary, TX included large smooth shoulders.
I took one day off in Van Horn and skated 120 miles into El Paso over the next 3 days. I’ve officially decided to adjust to a 3 days on and 1 day off schedule for the time being, as it only adds about 2-3 days to the total length of the tour. I need to do everything I can to prevent stress fractures.
I arrived in downtown El Paso yesterday and was able to land the NBC 9 news story above. I’m taking a day of rest here in El Paso and working on some details for Motor City Challenge back home. Just 812 miles to go!
The 411:
Distance Since last Update: 238 miles
Total Distance for Tour: approx. 2524 miles
SKATE LOCATION: El Paso, TX
STATUS: Catching some much needed R&R at the Super 8 Motel in El Paso, TX
Glad is it going well. Kids in Monahans still talking about your presentation. Sent copy of the newpaper to Michiagan, so you will have another tactile memory on hand. Stay in touch and let me know how the motor city challenge works out.
Don
Austin! — you have almost made it! Please come back our way sometime to speak to students. You are in my prayers. Stay safe. Pam in Chapel Hill, NC