Day 7: Friday

Distance: 42.99 mi.
Average: 15.3 mph
Maximum: 28.3 mph
Time in Motion: 2:48:34
Temperature: 62 degrees!
Wind: tail/crosswinds

Because of the short distance to tonight’s planned stop, we slept in and lounged around until check out time at 11 o’clock. By that time, the temperature was warm and the sun was out. It was perfect biking weather.

We rode along the Rio Grande, pictured above, for much of today. Maybe it’s just because it’s early January, but the river was anything but Grande. In many places, it didn’t even seem to flow.

The route took us through more agricultural towns. Ranching is apparently much more important than farming in New Mexico, but I saw very few actual cattle. Mostly we saw pecan groves, chili pepper and cotton fields. I imagine that things look quite different in the late spring and early summer.

Sixteen miles outside of Hatch, Jesse and I locked our bikes to a road sign and hiked .6 miles through rocky, hilly, cacti-filled desert to the “Crack in the Earth” geocache . There, I left the “Buffy da Bison” travel bug. I hope he finds his way home. As we hiked/carefully slid down the loose rock on one hill , Jesse proclaimed “This is a little too much adventure for one day.”

Soon we were in Mesilla, just south of Las Cruces. This town of about 2,000 people is really just a part of Las Cruces. Wandering around the historic downtown of Mesilla I couldn’t help but think of it as New Mexico’s version of Medora. Small, colorful shops lined the cobblestone streets and tourists packed the walkways shopping for souvenirs. Apparently, Mesilla was a Confederate territorial capital during the American Civil War. And the town, like so many in this area, claims some connection with the murderous outlaw Billy the Kid.

We checked into the Best Western, showered, and rode around the area to enjoy the warm weather.

Tomorrow we arrive in El Paso. I can’t believe the trip is nearing the end. We plan to get an early start despite the shorter mileage tomorrow. There is a wind and blowing dust advisory for tomorrow. Winds are forecasted to be 20 to 40 mph by mid afternoon.