Date(s): Oct. 9, 1999
Day: Saturday
From: Caballo, NM
To: Las Cruces, NM
Lodging: Best View RV Park
Segment Mileage: 62.6
Cumulative Mileage: 1063.4
Actual Riding Time: 4:28
Average Speed: 13.9
Weather: Sunny, mild
Temp: low 80's high, 50's low
Even though we rode over 60 miles today, it was a relatively easy day. The route was nearly flat, and there was little to no headwind. It was a day to take it easy and enjoy the New Mexico scenery. Riding out of Caballo we came across acres of red peppers. Amidst them was a pepper processing plant that smelled great, like good food cooking. There were also a few cotton fields as well.
Just after Hatch, NM, we came across a small rodeo where several locals were competing in a cattle herding contest. The cows were numbered 0-9, and after getting a number, the 3 cowboys or cowgirls had to selectively herd each number in order out of the corner of the pen. Most couldnt't do it as one ornery beast would always escape out of order. I lingered for a while talking to some local kids who were amazed that we were riding our bikes cross country, as are most people. Suzanne and Todd stopped for a while then headed off.
I had heard that there were hot springs in Radium Springs and planned to check them out. Just before town were the remains of an old adobe fort, Fort Selden. I walked through the museum and remains and then headed to town. Unfortunately the town was on a side road that I missed, so I headed on into Las Cruces. The road from the fort was flat and straight, passing through acres and acres of pecan trees, some flooded with recent irrigation water.
We've seen relatively little wildlife on the trip. Bruno and I saw either a very small deer or a small coyote in the distance yesterday. There have been a few snakes, tarantulas, and rabbits, but little else. The caged emu we saw today didn't really count.
Just before Las Cruces, Mike, the English interloper who will be leaving us tomorrow, stopped at a recently opened gallery, Stele, that used to be a popular grocery store. The owners, a couple, were very gracious and offered us ice water and even a place to camp for the night. We stayed and talked about the gallery and about our trip for nearly 30 minutes, joined for a while by Janet and Lynne. I gave the couple our web address in case they wanted to read about our adventure.
The plan was for everyone to meet at the grocery store. Our fearless leader Jim, and Tod, my partner who missed his last cooking rotation, will be the cooks, using one of the Adventure Cycling recipes, the first, so this will be a test. The problem with the plan to meet at the store is that we all travel at different speeds, so those early ones must wait for the others, especially if the cooks are behind. Most of us were there and loaded the food and struggled the 4.5 miles to the camp, the last mile uphill. Camp is nice and quite, with a great view of the city and mountains beyond. It has everything we need, good showers, laundry facilities, a grassy camping spot, and is away from the road. Plus it has a pool.
Tonight is Cyndi's birthday. She started the day by repairing a flat tire from the night before. Janet later found that there were 6 holes in the tube from the stickers Cyndi had picked up somewhere along the way. Later she discovered a lost rack bolt. Luckily she had a spare. Then later in the day she and Bruno both had a flat at the same time. She's lost count of how many she's had. We plan to celebrate her birthday with a cake (only partly crushed from the ride to camp), and possibly a drink at a nearby bar.
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