A few miles west of Fort Davis
I set out on the road with three other cyclists before 8am. For the first 22 miles we followed an unsigned frontage road that ran adjacent to I-10. The surface of the pavement was a little rough, but there was no traffic so the riding was pretty good. We stopped at a truck stop at Exit 159 to take off our jackets and to get some fluids before turning on to I-10 East for the next 17.5 miles. The traffic was heavy and there were lots of trucks passing by us. The shoulder of the highway was wide and smooth and we made good progress with some help from a tailwind. When we reached Kent we got off I-10 at Exit 176 and headed southeast on SR 118 towards Fort Davis. SR 118 has a chipseal surface as does most of the other secondary roads in this state. The traffic volume was extremely light. At the 51 mile mark from Van Horn, we stopped briefly at a water stop set up by our support van. Just before we arrived at the water stop we stopped to let two Javalinas (wild pigs) cross the road as we have been told they can be aggressive.
Water stop at mile 51
Just after the water stop we began a series of climbs and descents in the Davis Mountains for the next 20-25 miles or so. Some of the climbs were shorter than we experienced on previous days but steeper. The highest point on the ride was at the McDonald Observatory on Mount Locke.
After passing the entrance to the Observatory, the remaining 16 miles were mostly downhill to Fort Davis. My speedy descent down past the entrance to the observatory was halted when I had to stop and fix a water bottle cage. The rough chip seal surface had helped the fastening screws to vibrate loose. One had fallen out along the road and I managed to catch my water bottle just as it was about to fall from the cage. I stopped to make sure other screws were tight and carried on. I arrived in Fort Davis and the Stone Village Tourist Camp around 3:30pm. It was a long hot day and the temperature reached the mid 80’s F.
The trip was 90 miles and I averaged 13.4 miles per hour when cycling. I spent 6:43 in the saddle. Some riders recorded our total ascent for the day at 2500 feet and some recorded it as over 3000 feet. Either way it was a long, but enjoyable day on the road. I’m happy to be back staying at the Stone Village Tourist Camp again. I stayed 3 nights there in early Novmeber 2014 before starting the Big Bend Tour.
Fort Davis is the highest town in Texas, at 5050′ above sea level. The original military post was established in 1854.