Day 6: Thursday

Distance: 52.22 mi.
Average: 15.2 mph
Maximum: 31.3 mph
Tim in Motion: 3:25:08

Happy New Year!

Jesse and I woke before the rest of the house, so it was very quiet. A peak out the window revealed sunshine over snow-capped mountains. A fog was burning off.

It rained last night at the lodge. Just a few miles up the road, it snowed. The morning was beautiful and the roosters in the yard heralded its arrival.

After breakfast of sourdough waffles and homemade granola, we headed down the hill. The views were spectacular as we headed toward Hillsboro . That small village looked pleasant enough. I caught up with Jesse at the General Store, where he was chatting with a local resident .

On the short climb out of Hillsboro, I got a few last snapshots of the snow-capped mountains:

Before long, we were riding across a large flat section near Caballo Lake and through numerous small agricultural villages. This area is the “Chile capital of the world.” There were also pecan groves in the area.

Our map indicated a restaurant in Arrey, but like so many other businesses in the area, it was closed for the holiday. We settled for a snack from the grocery store. I really didn’t like Arrey. The town stank and the one business that was open was filthy. But what can one expect of a town located right next to a dairy? Many of the towns along this stretch of the route were similar. They were filled with trailers, shoddy homes, and farms. And we were chased by more unfriendly dogs on this stretch than the entire rest of the trip. Maybe that’s responsible for my dislike of the Caballo lake area.

Thankfully, we were soon in Hatch. But unfortunately, the motel office door had a sign proclaiming “Will return at 5:00.” We had a reservation, but I was quite worried the proprietor wouldn’t show up. There are no other lodging options in the area and the sun sets shortly after 5.

While we waited for the office to open, we played Ms. Pac Man at the Laundromat , ate a late lunch at Dairy Queen, and walked around town for three hours. Not much was open on New Year’s Day.

The motel office opened and we checked into what looked like an actual apartment. The room didn’t have a phone, but it had everything else. We each got our own bedroom and there was a full kitchen. The place was nice and reasonably priced: .

The DQ closed before we got supper, so we had gas station sandwiches before settling in for the night.

The weather was nice today and the ride was flat. Aside from the stench and odd motel office hours, it was a great day.