Woke up to 39F and gusting winds. Route short and downhill, so why worry about gusting winds?
There was no need to rush and most of us waited until the sun was up and we could take a few pictures before leaving Marathon. We visited a commune the evening before and met the last remaining resident. The site reminded me of Howard Finster and his garden. The basic building material was concrete and paper, a kind of permanent paper mâché. The picture above is a somewhat more practical application as a Bed and Breakfast painted in bright colors.
We continued down the road, using US 90, the southern transcontinental highway built beside the Southern Pacific RR before I-10 was established. We have been using this highway since leaving Van Horn. We will stay on it for several more days and pick it up again for the crossing of the Florida Panhandle. The basic surface is 'chip and seal' but has been smoothed down over the years. The use of the highway by a small but regular convoy of trucks and cars roaring by at speeds of 70-80+ mph keeps us on the wide but rough shoulders. Our hands are constantly vibrated and require regular stretching to restore feeling.
We did arrive early in Sanderson despite enduring constant headwinds. We enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in the park in front of the county courthouse, pictured above. We stayed in the local High School and had a very tasty beef brisket dinner prepared by students and a few parents. This was a fund raising event for their Project Graduation, an alcohol and drug free celebration for the small class of graduating seniors. About half a dozen students introduced themselves. Everyone was going to college and had what seemed to be ambitious and specific plans from medical professions to ranch management. (Note: This area is know primarily for sheep and goats, especially angora, rather than cattle ranching.)
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