Day 381 – First sign of the boarder patrol

Today was a relatively easy ride. This section of US-90 has nice wide shoulders that are smooth as a baby’s butt. It matters because many of the ranch roads I’ve been on are chip and tar – essentially chunks of gravel glued down by tar. Traffic does compact it down a little, but it’s a rough ride and slows me down a mile or two an hour, which is a lot when I am averaging 8-10 mph.

On the way into Del Rio I passed by Laughlin Air Force Base. According to wiki it is the largest training base in the Air Force. I saw both jets and prop planes making touch and go landings while riding by. The jets seemed like they were about 30 feet off the road, which felt really close (see pics).

In Del Rio I stopped at a gas station to refill on ice and water and met John. He said he passed me a while back – I’m very noticeable. He was spending his day visiting Stripes Convenience Stores to make a bid for his employer SOS Liquid Waste Haulers.

All the oil, grease, grit and other bits of nastiness derived from keeping our cars clean and fueled as well as our greasy food habit satiated gets kept from the sewer system by traps. John’s company empties those out and a lot of the waste is redirected towards useful things like fertilizer, fuel, and compost. I’m a big fan of redirecting waste steams to productivity!

John also was telling me to be careful travelling at night since Mexican gang members have kidnapped people for ransom. I did see a few news stories about it online that night in the motel room, but I didn’t get the impression that it is an epidemic. John also pointed out to me that there are boarder checkpoints between major town on the boarder to be aware. Sadly, I parted with my pot pipe to be on the safe side. Drug dogs have a very good sense of smell and I didn’t want any problems from residue in an empty pipe. I can’t wait until the other 48 states clue into what Washington and Colorado have figured out. Legalizing marijuana won’t result in the collapse of society and is more beneficial for the community at large than alcohol consumption.

I wanted to camp down by the Amistad (friendship) Reservoir, but with the clouds looking thick and stormy and my luck I decided to get a motel room.