Day 6
Destination: Laredo, Texas
Miles Ridden: 183 Total Miles: 2,118
Points of Interest:
Day 6 took us from Del Rio, where Judge Roy Bean is buried, to Laredo, Texas. Laredo is a large, industrial town which is a gateway to Mexico. The highway runs through the center of town, with frontage roads east and west of the highway. Hotels of every variety line the frontage roads, and numerous chain restaurants can be found. The trip getting here was the shortest, only 183 miles, and the most difficult. It was very hot, over 100 degrees, and the road is a two lane road. Generally, it had two major differences from the highways of California. First, it only had two lanes. Second, the road was in very good condition, with great markings. Like California highways used to be. While the road between El Paso to Del Rio was lined with abandoned and dilapidated buildings, this stretch of roadway had buildings in much better repair, and actually occupied (for the most part). In addition, we saw farmlands and orchards, so the smells traveling the road were pretty pleasant. There was the ever present threat of rain in the air, so you could smell the moisture all around us. We were hit with a mist when we first left, but rain never touched us.
When we arrived at Laredo, we rode into the old part of town along the border, and next to the border station. I know what you are thinking. If over a 100 degrees, why did we ride to the far end of town instead of finding a cold beer and floating in a pool? We're adventurers. We have never been accused of being overly bright! But the town is old, and the buildings pretty well maintained and occupied. We thought about staying in an old hotel in old town, but we changed our minds when we noticed the lack of air conditioning, lack of a place to park the bikes, and, did I mention, no pool? We're not that adventurous!
We met some very nice people along the way, and in Laredo. All of us were wearing our "ride shirts," so it was easy to start conversations. A good day for a ride!
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