Didn’t meet any hungry immigrants in the chihuahua desert. I did meet border patrol(circumstances were good). I keep imagining myself hopping a barbed fence to camp out of sight. The hills have eyes, border patrol have binoculars, and mexican sniper thugs have scopes.
After getting a new wheel (different sized hub) sent from el paso, I began south from alpine to rte 170 between terlingua and presidio which parallels the Mexico border. 50% chance of ice pellets was forecast. Low 60s one day, high of 35 the next. Then I told no one where I was going before I went out of cell range possibly for days. 30 miles later, I found camp at elephant Mt. This ice pellet storm began that night just after handfuls of dust blew into the tent, later to create mud. Then the bike, the tent and the desert around froze over. So I stayed the next day in my sleeping bag listening to ice pelt my tent and bill burr podcasts. Ate the food and water for next days ride. Bored, i pulled thorns out of my tire and fixed a slow leak. The road to Big Bend is a thorny desert road with barbed off ranches, border patrol, mountain lion, wild pigs up to 300 lbs and javelina. A javelina looks like a 40 lbs hairy pig burn victim. They are technically a rodent. Startle them and they can charge and bite your ankle then They are fast as rats and blend well with shrubs. They will eat people.
Border patrol punks, roads riddled with thorns, and the vicious pig sized rat animal unsettled me. I wasn’t even sure about my new cheap wheel. So after my bike/tent thawed, I turned around and headed for Davis observatory.
