Van Horn to Marfa, TX on Southern Tier

[aggie]

Instead of going from Van Horn through Kent and on to Ft. Davis and Alpine I chose to follow hwy 90 out of Van Horn.  I found the road to be good and not too rough from the chip seal.  There was very little traffic and I avoided the big climb up Mount Locke although there is a constant 1% or so grade up to Marfa.  This wasn't noticeable with the prevailing tailwind.  However, the distance between stops that had water was about 70 miles.  There is one small town, Valentine, between Van Horn and Marfa but it appears to be dying.  Anything that looked like it formerly provided a stop for travelers was closed.  Marfa is a neat little town.  It has several motels, an rv park and some good restaurants.  It has a classic town square with the courthouse in the middle. 

[Westinghouse]

I cycled once through Marfa to Van Horn. It was a good ride. I had a strong tailwind for quite a while. I kept seeing the lights of Van Horn for a long time before getting there.