Day 132

I awoke from sleep in my hammock before sun rise. I broke camp and retrieved the buggy. I headed down to an Amtrak train stations to use the bathroom. 

I doubled back to church. Mass was in español. After Mass, a woman named Elda gave me a donation! I was so thankful. I told her muchas gracias. I headed into town for breakfast.
Tomás caught me down the street!  He stopped his car and asked me from and to where I was headed. He offered to take me out to breakfast! He gave me directions and then met up with me halfway on his bicycle! He brought me to his house and I left the buggy on his porch. (I have a picture of him but he asked me not to put it on the internet).

We went to Magoos, a local place. Tomás just retired from a teaching career in Pescos. He grew up in Alpine and knew just about everyone at Magoos. He introduced me to many people!
We talked about traveling, the town, its people, and music. Tomás is a big fan of Bob Dylan. I had a big plate of eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and a biscuit. It was great!

We doubled back to Tomás’ house a few blocks away. I retrieved the buggy, and we parted ways. He’s a great man!

I headed over to a dumpster. The buggy was very heavy. The rear axle was slowly bending. I needed to ditch some weight.
I got rid of all different kinds of things I had acquired along the road: a pot, wrenches, sandals with holes in them, extra bungies and ropes, some clothes, and other things too. I also did a complete unpack of the buggy. I repacked it with weight distribution in mind. It made such a difference!
I filled up the tires with air. I usually have to do this at least two times a day, sometimes more. The inner tubes have slow leaks on them. In the desert, the tires are punctured by all kinds of different thorns and prickly things. Its actually pretty amazing the tubes have made it this far. I havent been able to buy spare inner tubes or tires since Del Rio!
Tomás came by! The dumpster was across the street from his house. He had told me I could ditch weight there. He gave me a donation! He also gave me his phone number and told me to call him if I needed anything else. We parted ways.

With a lighter buggy moving just a bit smoother I made my way out of town. It was 25 miles to Marfa.

I laced up the nikes and started chipping away at the miles. 

Around 11:30 a.m. I made it to a picnic area 10 miles outside town. I set up my hammock under a roof top and took a siesta.

Time passed.

I awoke and fueled up. I ate tortillas with peanut butter, a packet of tuna, and downed a gatorade. I hit the road.

I saw great things: mountains, hills, valleys, and desert:

I got a flat tire. On top of that one of the pins that held the tire in place broke. :(. 
I wondered how I would fix it. Just then I found a coat hanger there on the shoulder of the road. What a find! 

There was shade across the way. I got to work.

It was a bit of work and took some time, but the coat hanger worked great! I patched the inner tubes with a few scabs and hit the road. It still had a slow leak.

I passed into Presidio County.
I kept chipping. I made my way down onto Mitchell Flat:

Around 8 p.m. I made it to the Marfa Lights viewing area along Highway 90. They had picnic tables and bathrooms! Such a luxury.

I ate spam and tortillas for dinner. 

The sun set.

Just past sunset, a good amount of people started to show up! Mostly families. They peered through binoculars out into the desert. It got dark. They searched for the Marfa Lights. I joined them. 

The sun went down. It got quiet. We desert gazed. 

It was fun. I mostly saw headlights from Highway 67 across the desert, but every now and then a kid would make a bold claim. A Marfa Light! A friend would top it. Two Marfa Lights! It was funny!

The stars were amazing. After a few hours, fewer and fewer people remained. I suddenly found myself alone. Under the Milky Way! Mars and Saturn! 
I hung my hammock on the patio and laid down for rest. Every now and then I would look out into the desert wondering if I would witness some sort of phenomenon. I grew tired.

Around 1 a.m. a group of young people showed up. They must have been having a good time. A little loud for me though. I repacked the buggy and hit the road.
About a mile away, I found a bridge with a great place to hang my hammock down beneath the road. I fell asleep just a few short miles from Marfa town. My feet were sore.