Day 2-Marathon, TX-March 17

	"I need to get back to my peeps. I've been down here 3 days and I don't know what I'm doin'" No, this didn't come from Forrest or I, but rather from a misplaced, transplanted, New Jersey gang member, for lack of a better description. I've seen my share of unusual characters in motels, but this topped my list for Best Westerns at the breakfast bar. Breakfast, on the other hand, was quite good with homemade breakfast tacos and fresh green salsa along with the usual breakfast fare. This warmed us up for several hours.
	The day was cool and gray as we left Eagles Pass for Marathon.. The main road in Eagles Pass has these beautiful Victorian homes as does every small town on the east coast. Here, sprinkled amongst the urban decay of a border town, they looked very out of place, but were a welcome sight nevertheless. Our timing for the trip has been great. A few days earlier a rain storm passed through the area and lit up the desert with color. The roadside was a yellow carpet with dots of blue and purple. Yucca plants added a sense of majesty with their stately spike of white flowers.

	Our first stop for the day would be Del Rio and Amistad National Park. With our dual sport bikes, Forrest on his BMW F650GS Dakar and me on a BMW R1150GS, we were able to do a little exploring, but in truth the paved roads were almost all that was available. Forrest decided to go bike rafting as soon as he saw the water. It impressed me that he had the restraint to only go in a few inches. Forrest has been know to make his bike disappear under water, and this is intentionally.

	A few miles out of the National Park is the Pecos River Bridge. I've been here many times, but this was the first time I had seen water under the bridge. There was even a working boat ramp. I've always viewed the bridge from the overhead lookout point. This time we worked our way down into the canyon for some fantastic views up to the bridge and along the canyon walls. The speed of the water flow was amazing.

	Gasoline is becoming a concern because the next town was dry. We neglected to fill up in Del Rio simply because we were having too much fun and because we were STUPID. I have a tendency to get the last drop out of a tank before I fill up which means I push my bike a lot. Forrest is becoming aware of this and knows that I'm not to be trusted. Besides, I still think I'm on my RT with its 7.25 gallon tank. This smallish fuel tank is starting to get on my nerves. In Langtry we hope to find the "onliest gas west if the Pecos." First we would visit Judge Roy Bean's place which also has a very nice cactus garden. The varieties are numerous as is their Marquis de Sade type armament. The Horse Crippler was especially medieval looking. With the larger cactus, the Indians would split them in half and use them for cattle feed. So, in the future when you read "farm fed cattle" make sure you know what the "fed" means. At least the toothpicks will be built into the meat.

	Highway 90, has it's own built in entertainment on each side of the road. If you get bored, just drive the dirt and gravel service road. While the main road cuts through the hills, the service road goes over them and give you great vistas. I can see for miles and miles, oh yeah. The big mountains are showing up in the distance and the landscape is wonderful. This is what I love about Highway 90. It's not overly twisty, but this section of the road from San Antonio west represents a great change of flora. We are threading our way through one small canyon after another until we arrive in Marathon. Boy, has this town changed. Pretty soon it will be nothing buy art galleries and bed and breakfasts. Any yahoo with a camera can snap a picture, put it on a wall with a frame and slap a $400.00 price tag on it. Oh, by the way, this print is exclusive in that only another 199 exist. Forrest and I stop by the Marathon Motel and immediately find the rockers on the porch. Later we eat at the Gage Motel. The food was not as good as I remember. It was a short but fun day. The 30 mph wind we were fighting all day wore on us, but only slightly. I'm sure the rider we passed on the bicycle working his way up a hill into that wind had a different opinion. The view from the porch on my birthday is great and this is a nice place to stay.