January 24, 2019 - Langtry to Governor’s Landing, Amistad National Recreation Area, TX

UPDATE: One of our readers said the red bird that we spotted in Marathon was not a Scarlet Tanager but a Vermillion Flycatcher. They are more common in Texas, so I will go with their identification. Thanks!

DAY 24 Cross Country Bike Trip

Tobey and Phil were ready to roll by 8:45 this morning and headed out onto Highway 90 east. Hills, hills, and more hills! The good thing was they had a small tailwind which always helps. However, on one of the steep hills, three trucks pulling horse trailers passed the guys. Tobey said he isn’t very good at lip-reading, but he could have sworn that the last guy said, “Them boys outta get a horse!”

There were some interesting historical markers today that I stopped to read. One of them talked about the silver spike that was used to mark the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad near the Pecos High Bridge.

Another had information about the Site of Vigegarroon. One of the last major obstacles for the Southern Pacific Railroad which would connect New Orleans with San Francisco was crossing the Pecos River. As Tunnel No. 2 was excavated on the west side of the canyon in 1882, a camp for the thousands of primarily Chinese laborers was established. The site was named Vigegarroon after the scorpions found in the area. The site was abandoned in 1883 after the rail line was completed.

The last sign was about the railroad bridges over the Pecos River, which is a major tributary of the Rio Grande. It was long a barrier to transportation, particularly across the deep gorge that once marked where it joined the Rio Grande. The first bridge over the Pecos was completed in 1882 as part of the transcontinental route of the Southern Pacific Railroad. There were two tunnels and a long, circuitous route to cross the river. In 1890, the railroad officials planned a new bridge which would cut directly across the ravine by means of a high-line viaduct that would save miles and straighten the route. It was completed within three months at a cost of more than $250,000. At the time of its completion, it was the third highest bridge in the world and the highest in the United States!

Passenger trains slowed down to six miles per hour before crossing and then stopped on the bridge to allow travelers a view of the river! Can you imagine that happening today??!! There was a new bridge built in 1944. It is not as high as it once was due to the rising of the river with the construction of the Amistad Reservoir.

The guys came down the hill from the west to cross over the bridge and had a little road construction to deal with.

This is a view of one of the bridge they were crossing from a picnic viewing area.

Unfortunately, Marcia wasn’t feeling well today. We stopped in Comstock for lunch and they opted to stop there for the night so she could rest. Tobey continued riding to Governor’s Landing at Amistad National Recreation Area, just outside of Del Rio, Texas. The campground is open, at no fee because of the government shutdown. The downside is there is no water available for the RV. We looked into staying at one of the RV parks in town, but they are all full! Apparently a large group of pipe fitters are here for a job and have booked them all for at least a month.

Since we needed to replenish water, we needed a plan B. After claiming a campsite, we headed into town to refill propane, find a laundromat, get groceries, then gas and water. The station next to the grocery store also had water, so we are good to go again! FINALLY, back to our campsite about 8:30 pm!

Today Tobey rode about 49.7 miles today. This is the link to today’s ride:
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/31169579

Tomorrow Phil and Marcia will rejoin us as we continue east toward Brackettville.