Today I rode the SpaceX Odyssey permanent for the first time (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34925287). This route starts in Port Isabel, Texas and heads west to Brownsville. In Brownsville, turn south and turn on Boca Chica Rd (TX-4) which heads south and east towards Boca Chica Beach. The permanent stops short of the beach where a photo control at the SpaceX facility is needed to document your ride. I had planned to ride on Saturday, but there was a chance of rain all day and I had not brought any rain gear with me on this trip. Sunday was forecast to be dry, but the wind was forecast to be gusting up to 35mph SSE so wind was going to be a challenge.
I started the ride well after sunrise. My wife drove me and the bike into town and dropped me in the HEB parking lot. I pumped up the tires leaving them a little soft as I expected to encounter chip seal. As I rolled out TX-48 towards Brownsville, a strong cross headwind was present. The wind would only get worse over the course of the ride. TX-48 has a wide shoulder which was appreciated because car traffic is traveling at 75mph. It does go over the marshes near the Gulf and there are plenty of birds -- including some pelicans to be seen. As I reached Brownsville, I exited TX-48 and turned left on TX-511.
I opted to skip the Stripes C-Store as I reached Brownsville on TX-511. I still had plenty of water in my bottle. I also had food in my bag that I planned to eat near the turnaround. This road is a north south road and I rode south into the teeth of the wind. I was glad to turn left on N Oklahoma which provided some relief. It was on N Oklahoma that I learned there are dogs on this route. I did some yelling as I got chased twice and I was thankful to reach TX-4 where I would leave the dogs behind. I vowed to pull my whistle out of my handlebar bag for the return.
As I turned on TX-4, the first thing I noticed is there was a border checkpoint about a half mile down the road. Every time we visit South Padre Island (SPI) we travel through the checkpoint near Sarita, TX. This was the first time to find one in a different spot. It made sense as the border with Mexico is only about a half mile south of the road. Outbound, there is no need to stop. All the control is on the west-bound side of the road.
A few miles further along, I encountered a group of riders going the other way. We waved hello to each other as I rolled south and east. My progress along TX-4 was slower. The wind was more a factor and it grown stronger. Every time the road veered right, I was sad and every time it veered left, I cheered. More east and less south was appreciated. I eventually reached the point where I could see gantries in the distance. Both UT Rio Grand Valley and SpaceX have facilities on Boca Chica Rd. I stopped about a half mile from the SpaceX facility and captured a couple of photos.
It's also fun to take. selfie since this is part of the photo control requirements
I rolled down to the turn around then rolled back to the historical marker pull off about 1/4 of a mile west of the space port. It is here that I ate one my protein bars. The first few miles of the return were into a cross head wind. On the way back, I drank most of my water and knew that I would be stopping at the Stripes on 511. At the border control checkpoint, I said hello to the officer and he wished me a nice day. When I reached N Oklahoma to turn north (hooray!) I stopped and took out my whistle and put it around my neck. As I rolled along, dogs chased and I blew the whistle loud to discourage them.
I eventually got to the intersection with TX-511. It was a short 1 mile back to the Stripes and I stopped to buy water, ice, a Dr Pepper, and ice cream sandwich. The woman at the register said it was very brave of me to be out riding in the wind. I told her I still had to get back to Port Isabel and she said 'oh my!'. I sat out front on the sidewalk and filled my bottle and ate/drank the food, soda and remaining water.
I got back on the bike and enjoyed 2 more miles of due north riding with the wind at my back and pushing me along at 20mph without much effort. I reached TX-48 and was pleased to find the cross tail wind to push me home. I rolled along averaging about 13.5 with the wind buffeting the bike trying to push me toward the main lanes. I had to fight to get control. Finally the road turned slightly and things were much better. I made up a bunch of time on the final stretch. My average had dipped to 12.1 at the C-store stop, but I recovered back to 12.5 on the final leg. I was so glad to see the HEB parking lot as I climbed the small hill just outside of Port Isabel. I pulled into the parking lot feeling happy to be done and looking forward to a hot shower.
I stopped the Garmin and called my wife to come pick me up. Back at the condo, I was very glad to get a hot shower and then eat the Whataburger lunch we brought home from Port Isabel. 5 hours 40 minutes was the final time.
Comments