Day 27 (24 riding): Total overall distance: 1740.86mi Total distance today: 38.60mi Total time: 2.49.17 Avg speed: 13.7mph Top speed: 24.5mph

Random thoughts of the day:
-I bet most of the old western/country tv shows were shot right around here and the hill country
-I think I figured out where Cotton Eyed Joe came from
-It is truly a very small world
-I hope I don't get stung by a scorpion in my sleep tonight
-This is the best place I've ever been in terms of scenery and peacefulness

Today was a great day. It started out with a slight tail wind which made riding easy. The roads were actually pretty good which was nice, and the whole time I knew I wasn't going very far which is good for my legs to know. About 25 miles after I left Del Rio, I had to go through an Immigration Checkpoint. They believed that I was a US citizen and then they asked me if I was traveling alone or if I was riding with 3 other people who were ahead of me. I immediately figured it was Ricky, Paul, and Nadine. It turns out that Ricky had lost the card I gave him with my contact info on it and they asked the immigration folks if I had passed through here yet. The crazy part is that we rode together 10 days ago, and after different stops and slightly different routes, they were 10-15 minutes in front of me! How crazy is that? So I pedaled away at a decent pace and hoped they decided to take a break in the last town we'd see for a while. I got to the top of a hill where the small town was...and boom, there they were. It was cool seeing them again and exchanging stories of the past 10 days. I had actually passed them on Thursday but since I was off yesterday, they caught me and passed me this morning since I started late, around 10. Crazy. We only rode together for another 10 miles or so before I reached my destination and they kept going. They are in more of a time crunch than me and I really wanted to stop at Seminole Canyon. This time we exchanged numbers into each others' phones so maybe we'll meet up again down the road somewhere.

I am so glad that I stopped here. The views of the canyon were great but the views of the canyon with the green Rio Grande flowing gently through it...was incredible. Easily the most peaceful and amazing sight I've ever experienced. I walked to the edge of the canyon and just looked out over the river from about 60 or so feet above it. Stunning really. The only downside was that the caves with the 4,000 year old Indian paintings are only accessible during tours which are apparently only Wednesday-Sunday. Figures. So tomorrow morning, I'm going to try and talk my way into seeing one of the caves just for a few minutes. If I fail however, enjoy the pictures below that were taken in the dark ;P The paintings were incredible to see, even with a flashlight. I couldn't believe how high up in the cave they were...most were on the roof. I have no idea how they could have reached up there, let alone paint out scenes. Unfortunately I couldn't see all the details, but it was still really cool to know that I was in the same exact place as those Indians a little over 4,000 years ago.

It is truly a very small world. I walked into the bathroom at the campsite to warm up before bed, it's only 40 degrees, and to change. There was a guy my age sitting on the floor writing and also just warming up. He is part of a 10 man crew who are working on the trails at this park. He also is from Milton, MA and went to Milton Academy and has a sister who is a senior there. There is a junior member at Wannamoisett who is a senior there. What are the odds??

It is a perfectly clear night with an almost full moon and a ton of stars in the sky. I wish it was a little warmer but pretty cool anyway!

I plan on taking a quick tour of the "museum" here and trying to see the cave paintings in the daylight. After that, I'll have an 80 mile day to Sanderson. Should be good weather, and I hope good winds because I'll be climbing all day.

I took a ton of pictures and none of them really captured the beauty of this canyon, but hopefully you enjoy them!