Ride The Rio, 2003
El Undécimo

This year, "Ride The Rio" had a new location, and had to deal with something it really never has had to deal with before - the weather. RTR enjoyed its many years in Lajitas, but was looking forward to 2003 and its new location - Ft. Davis, Texas.

Ft. Davis presented changes and challenges. One challenge was that there was no single hotel that could hold all of us, so we were spread out amongst several locations. But Ft. Davis is a small town, and the various hotels, motels, and B&Bs were central to the main hotel, The Hotel Limpia; it was a short ride or a manageable walk from one location to the next. Another challenge was the location of Ft. Davis itself. "Ride The Rio" is so named because it is a rally that has taken place on the Rio Grande and central to Big Bend National Park, the Terlingua Ghost Town and, of course, El Camino del Rio - The River Road. Ft. Davis is 100 miles from the Rio Grande. The good news, however, is it is a fast and straight 100 miles, and you could travel the distance from Ft. Davis to Presidio faster than you might think. But the biggest challenge was one we could not overcome, only hope to avoid.

Ft. Davis sits at more than 5,000ft above sea level, and is located, as mentioned, more than 100 miles north of previous RTRs. These two simple facts combine to produce an exposure to the winter weather that previous RTRs were able to avoid. So, for the first time in its eleven-year history, the weather became a significant factor for "Ride The Rio". In fact, winter visited "Ride The Rio", complete with snow, freezing temperatures, and ice.

As bad as that sounds, "Ride The Rio, El Undécimo" was a success. This is, and always has been, a devoted group of riders. A little cold, a little snow, a little ice wouldn't keep this group down!