Day 64. Outskirts of Marathon to Sanderson TX. 34 Miles

11/2/2014

IMG_4142Changing time zones, changing temperature, set the clock back for fall daylight savings. Which way is up? Adaptation has been the key to staying sane. We adjusted to the heat. Apparently we will have to adjust to the cold and the wind.

IMG_4137The breakfast must have taken all morning to prepare. My lazy body crawled into the dining room. I had slept a good nine hours and my body wanted more. It wasn’t until the food appeared that my body decided to wake from a zombie like state. Two egg frittatas were available for breakfast. One was made with portabella mushroom and spinach, the other was made with potatoes and cheese. We had a wonderful focaccia bread to go with the eggs. Not only did we have our choice of frittatas, we also had three fruit crumbles, blue and blackberry, strawberry and apple, apple and pomegranate. Crystal who doesn’t normally enjoy cooked fruit loved the fruit crumble. She even had an extra helping. Again I had plenty of fuel to keep my strength up for the day.

IMG_4235On day 64 when I took off, I had the image of tall grass plains on my mind. It was a topic of conversation at breakfast. Kate and Crystal discussed the wildlife and geographic properties of the land. Kate explained that the plains were once all covered in tall grass. Several factors had contributed to the desertification of area. As I ran, the view would change slightly every couple of miles. I’d see plateaus and hills always in the distance. Ranches provided me with bovine companions. They always looked very content as they relaxed under trees and chewed on grass. Of course I’d run through stretches where the plant life seemed to thrive then suddenly the open fields would return.

IMG_4245The cloudy skies provided cover the entire day. With little sun and whipping winds, it was necessary to keep the body moving and the blood flowing. Thirty miles passed rather quickly but the sky. The entire day felt grey and it wasn’t easy to tell when the night would fall. So the darkness descended on me in a quick decisive moment. We were lucky I had reached the beginning of town. The Desert Air Motel greeted us and provided us with a hot shower and a place to lay our head. It would be necessary to take advantage of the internet signal since there didn’t seem to be much on the road ahead. It would be a 121 mile trek until we reached the nearest grocery store. The next few days should be interesting. IMG_4282

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