Fort Stockton to Ozona TX...107.8miles!

   It only took me 11hrs, with a couple of breaks, to ride from Ft Stockton to Ozona, TX. I hope that is the longest I ever have to ride. There were no towns in between those two on the path I had chosen, just a gas station where I stopped and had my lunch. At that point I wasn't even half way yet!
   After I left the gas station I felt it getting harder and harder to ride. I looked down and saw that my rear tire was super low on air. Not even a mile from the gas station I just left! Geez. So I pulled off the road and replaced the flat tube. That set me back about a half hour but I continued on my way.
   I stopped at a rest area to fill my water bottles and check a couple of my maps. I found that I had 56 miles until I reached my destination. I had already ridden 50 miles, so I was just about half way there. It was 4pm at this point, so I knew I was going to have to ride in the darkness. I pushed on.
   I just kept riding. The wind seemed to come from every direction. At one point it was from the North, then from the East, then SW. Everytime the rode curved I thought I would have the wind at my back but, in the words of my highschool Spanish teacher, 'you thought wrong Steven.' It always seemed to be in my face. It wasn't a really strong wind but it was always there and it was very disheartening. I pushed on.
   After a while, I became energetic but I had run out of fuel so I stopped on a bridge. The only place to stop and get off my bicycle is on a bridge (there are quite a few and they are mostly over washes, draws, or things like this) because the gaurd rails are the only things to lean my bicycle on in the middle of nowhere. I sat on the rail and ate a dry pack of top ramen while trucks and cars passed. It is neat to see people passing while I am on this trip. Realizing that everyone is on their own travels with their lives ahead of them is something that I have done. We are here doing what ever it is we are doing. We are all alone together. Finding those worth being alone with is truely special.
   I finished eating and resting and continued. I still had about 30 miles to go and the sun was in its desent. It is really neat to understand the nature of nature. I'm not saying I know everything about the sun and moon and how things work, but I have been realizing there are plenty of things to watch for to know what is going on in my own world. Knowing the orange glow of the sun and its position tells me I have about 45minutes to an hour before it is completely out of the sky. I saddled up and continued my ride.
   30 miles doesn't seem like a lot when you are hitting 50-70 a day, however when you have already hit 70 miles it is a mountain! It doesn't help when the last 20 miles are a mountain. I had desended a little bit earlier in the day and knew I was going to have to climb back out of the valley I dropped into, but I didn't think it would be so rough. The plateaus I climbed went on forever. It was devestating to my body. My mind was strong though. I had to make it. There was no option. It was dark, there was no tree cover for me to camp in on the side of the road, and I had passed evidence of wild animals in these areas (from wild boars to deer). Stopping was not happening.
   There was one climb in particular that wiped me out. I was sizing up all my climbs by how far the tail lights climbed then disappeared. This climb seemed almost straight up and just kept going. It was probably a good 3/4-1 mile climb. I had to stop so many times it was ridiculous. My body was so exhausted that I couldn't keep my handlebars forward. I was swerving all over the shoulder. The good thing about riding at night is that I can see the cars coming from behind by their headlights so I was never in any danger when I swerved. If I saw light coming from behind me, I got over to the right as far as possible as quick as possible. I kept my gearing in a mid-low gear. I wanted to make it easy for me but I also wanted to make progress. In a super low gear, a granny gear, you would spin your feet but not really go anywhere so I kept it a few knotches above that.
   I made it to the top of that hill and found a slight down hill to another climb. This is how it was for 20 miles. Climbing to slight down hill to climbing again.
   The town of Ozona, TX is off of Interstate 10 at exit 365. A sheriff pulled over in front of me at mile marker 358 and asked if I needed any assistance. I talked to him for a few minutes and asked what time it was. By this time I had stopped checking my bicycle computer for distance and time because I knew it didn't matter. I would get there when I got there and it would take however long it would take. Being 8 miles away, I wanted to know the time. He told me it was 10 passed 9pm. I asked how much more I had to climb and he said it was flat after this last hill. Phew! Almost done climbing.
   He left and so did I. I continued on to find the town. As I did this, I found there was no flat. I continued to climb the last 8 miles! I don't know what that sheriff was talking about. I kept waiting for the flat to come up. As I said before, in the dark I judge the terrain by the lights on the cars appearing and disappearing. That is just what they did: appear from over a hill and disappear over a hill. Also, if it was flat, I should have been able to see the lights of the town ahead. I didn't. I climbed on.
   I finally reached the town and had to stop to get some food. I hadn't eaten much and needed something soon before the town was all closed up. I found a DQ and had myself some chicken strips and a Heath Blizzard. A well deserved treat. I checked the time on my receipt and the time said it was 10:08pm. It took me an hour to go the last 8 miles! Flat? Yeah right. 8mph is not average for flat, even if I was riding all day. I couldn't believe I did it. I rode almost 108 miles in one day! Oh, I forgot to mention that I surpassed the 1000mile riding mark. I did it all in the same day. Over 100 miles, over 1000 miles. Now I just need to do 1000 miles three more times and that will take me to NY!