DAY 13 SIERRA BLANCA

We left Ft. Hancock, Texas around 9 this morning and began the ride towards Sierra Blanca, about 38 miles away.  Doesn't sound like a lot of miles, but the roads, being steep and curvy, made it a long day for the riders.  For awhile, it was great following them because they were on a two lane highway, 20E, with little traffic and at times, none at all.  However, 20 stops around the 23rd mile, so once again, the challenge of I 10 had to be tackled.  Actually, the guys like that highway as the biking path near the shoulder is quite wide.  For me, I get very nervous with the amount of trucks, cars, RVs, riding past us at 80 plus miles/hour!  My routine for that situation is finding a spot along the highway to stop for approximately 15 minutes, drive on, and then, once I spot them, again pull over to wait another 15 minutes.  At times, the trucks passing me as I sit on the side of the road is so great, the whole van shakes.....not the best situation!!!  I just always am concerned with the safety factor for the riders, but so far, everything has been fine in regards to safety.  The mountain climbs concern them far more then the highway.
Another flat for Adolf today, but being the experienced biker he is,  he got whatever equipment he needed out of the van, replaced what needed to be fixed so efficiently, and then, off they all went...all the way to Sierra Blanca. I'm just amazed that the guys don't have more problems with flat tires....there's always a great deal of debris along the road which could easily cause a problem.
Today, we also went through a border patrol check point.  We were asked where we were going and why we were going there.  When I informed the border patrol officer that we were riding for pediatric cancer across the nation, he displayed a great big smile, gave me a high five and waved us on.  Other cars were subjected to precise searches featuring dogs trained to sniff out drugs.  
We got into Sierra Blanca around 1:30 and all of us couldn't believe that the motel we're staying in is a fairly new one!  With only a population of 560 people, not much of a choice here so one never knows what we'll find when we roll into our lodgings! This afternoon, we'll rest and then prepare for tomorrow's ride.
We also lucked out in that there is a small restaurant within walking distance, and having no breakfast this morning, it felt good to sit down to a good meal.  We'll be back there for dinner as well. 
Tomorrow we head out to Van Horn, Texas, and in our path will be a 6,300 ft. mountain which the cyclists will have to take on as a challenge!!!  It won't be easy!!!  
From Sierra Blanca, Michael, Adolf, Mike Brown and myself, send our love and best wishes to you all....and as always, many thanks for the many notes of encouragement!!  We love reading the many e mails we get each day.