Silver City-Caballo State Park
I left Silver City late, around 11am. I said farewell to Ben, whom I was very happy to meet and wished we had more time to hang out. The weather was hot that day. I had a big climb, Emory Pass, but was looking forward to climbing to over 8200ft in elevation and hopefully cooling off up there. The ride to the top was beautiful, and in particular I passed through a rocky canyon where I found my self shouting just to hear the echo and the reverb. I reached the top right around sundown, and the temperature dropped quick. I ended up riding until about 8:30pm because there wasn't too much going on until Caballo State Park. The ride was dark, smooth, and free from traffic. The moon was below the horizon all night and I saw many reflective eyes staring out at me from the darkness.
Miles: 75 miles
RRD: Baby pajamas (Why are there so many things for babies along the roadside?!?!)
11/15/11
Caballo Lake - Las Cruces
I woke just before sunrise and headed out. There was frost on my tent and it was cold that morning. I made it over 20 miles before I found a warm restaurant to go and eat. At the restaurant another touring cyclist named Andy showed up after I was done eating, and I decided to stick around until he finished so we could ride together. He was the same cyclist I met on my day off in Silver City. We arrived in Las Cruces around 1:30pm. We got some lunch and then parted ways, but took down each others contact info first. I was happy to have made it so far so early, and decided to stick around Las Cruces for the rest of the day. I hung out at Spirt Winds Coffee Bar near the New Mexico State University as I tried to decide where to stay that evening. I found a WarmShowers host who bought me dinner and gave me some patch kits for the road. I went to bed early after doing laundry and getting a warm shower.
Miles: 62 miles
RRD: A metal spoon
11/16/11
Las Cruces - El Paso
I headed out early but stopped at a coffee shop and ended up staying there until about 11am. I headed out of town, and had a wonderful ride through pecan orchards. Somewhere along the way I ran into Judy, a 72 year old touring cyclist traveling alone. She's so inspiring to me. I hope to be riding my bike still at 72. Just outside of town I stopped at a local favorite, Chope's, for some amazing Mexican food. I had planned to ride around El Paso, in an effort to avoid it, and headed north of it. I went a lot of miles out of my way but ended up getting mixed up and heading straight trough the center of town. I met a couple with a baby who had run out of gas on the side of the road. I offered to take their gas can, fill it and return, and that's exactly what I did. They offered to refund me for the gallon f gas, but it seemed to me like they needed the money so I refused to take anything. I felt like it was at least one little way I was 'paying it forward' for all the generosity I had received on the trip. I had a hard time finding a place to camp, but eventually found a secluded spot just east of El Paso.
Miles: 73 miles
RRD: A baby rattle (not to be confused with a baby rattler)
11/17/11
El Paso - Ft Hancock
The day was super windy, and I was fighting it all day. In Ft Hancock I stopped to eat at a Subway where I met the eccentric owner who was very excited about my travels. He was very nice and gave me a bright yellow subway shirt, which he noted would be a good thing to wear while riding to be noticed. Before I could leave town I ran into another touring cyclist named Francis. Francis was a bit quirky, but because of the wind I was happy to split the cost of a motel room with him. The motel was way overpriced, but splitting it 2 ways wasn't so bad.
Miles: 45 miles
RRD: A car door
11/18/11
Fort Hancock-Van Horn
Francis and I left town at a decent hour. He rode a bit slower than I was used too, but we was pulling a lot more weight than I was too. His bike was more loaded than mine, plus he was pulling a fully loaded trailer. At one point I stopped to snack and he kept riding ahead. I caught up with him outside of Sierra Blanca, TX and we rolled into the small town together looking for a place get some lunch. Our best bet for food was a local gas station, and there we met two other cyclists, Ryan and Nick. Ryan and Nick were my age and were riding more at my speed, so I decided to keep up with them the rest of the day. The wind was mostly a our backs, and we made it to Van Horn before dark. Nick offered to pick up the motel bill, which was super generous of him, and we all went out to eat at Chuy's, another local favorite for Mexican food.
Miles: 69 miles
RRD: A dead javelina
-D
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