March 19, 2018

Today we had a choice of three different routes of various distances and difficulty. The most difficult was a 90 miler that ended with the Gila Cliff Dwellings; The easiest a 25 miler direct shot to our next campground. In between was a 50 mile journey to Robert’s Lake. All ended up at the same place. While my mind wanted to do the 50 miler, my heart (quite literally) recommended the more direct route. Along the way I met Karl the Magnificent.

Karl was a cross country rider that my travelling companions, Annette, Jim and I met along the way. He was headed in the opposite direction towards San Diego. He was from Sweden and doing a self supported ride by himself. What made him magnificent in my eyes was that he had started his journey in Key West, Florida a brief 3 week ago! His average ride was around 130 miles a day with his longest day chewing up a glorious 160 miles! He expected to reach the Pacific within a week or less. Just when my travelling companions and I were beginning to think we were made of steel, along came Karl to show us what real steel looks like. Ah, to be young again.

Another feature of the shorter route was a view of the giant Santa Rita pit mine. Here they were creating an artificial tunnel across the highway to allow them to link up operations on both sides of the road without having to cross traffic. The mine is immense and claims to be the oldest operating pit mine in the USA. Just the tires on their ore haulers dwarfed our bicycles.

There is also an interesting history of a mining strike at the nearby Empire Zinc Mine back in 1951. After many months of the strike a court issued an injunction against the miners picketing the site. However, that injunction did not apply to the Ladies Auxiliary of Mine Worker’s Local 890. Withstanding threats of violence and other hardships, these women persevered and brought the mine owners to the table to negotiate a successful agreement.

It did not take very long to cover the short distance today so the six of us who took that route had time to relax and wait for the ACA van carrying our tents and street clothing. During that wait the step-mom of one of out leaders paid us her third visit of the trip bringing us gifts of beer, tortillas, wine and other goodies. I would like to say that we kept the beer cold and waited for our fellow riders on the longer route to get in before cracking open a cold one. Yes, I would like to be able to say that.

We had one rider who opted to follow the 90 mile route to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. He got an early start leaving before sunrise. Kevin is the real adventurer of our group and decided to make his trip alone when no one else felt like making this epic trek up and down the numerous, steep climbs to this national park. Unfortunately he ran low on battery power having used his headlight as a safety beacon on the long winding road to the dwellings. A few of us rode along with tour leader Kelly to backtrack his route to make sure he was O.K. We met him coming uphill from the park where he had spent a little too much time enjoying the cliff dwellings and he feared he would be travelling light-less in the dark well before reaching the campsite. He accepted our offer of a ride back to camp in the ACA van having accomplished the most epic ride so far in our trip.

March 21, 2018

Another chilly start today but it quickly warmed up. Temperatures went from 33 degrees F. at wake up to nearly 80 degrees by the time we reached Las Cruces. My first stop along the way was at the not so grand Rio Grande. Here in New Mexico farm country it is not much more than an irrigation ditch. Every drop of water is used, used again and finally returned, much saltier, to its bed. Farming seems to be concentrated on chili peppers, pecan trees and pistachios.

The town of Hatch is devoted to the pepper and all the salsa that they go into. Processing plants and farms line the road leading into and out of the town. The town itself celebrates the chili pepper as well as some over the top collectibles at Sharky’s Restaurant. Unfortunately, Sharky is only open Thursday through Sunday so I could not try one of his award winning burgers.

We are at another KOA tonight in the city of Las Cruces. Nearby was the site of the Shalam Colony another attempt at utopia that did not make the grade. Here they adopted orphans and tried to indoctrinate them from an early age into living the Godly life along the road to a religious utopia. You can guess for yourself how that turned out.

March 23, 2018

After a nice night in a very clean America’s Best Value inn, it was back into the traffic and out of El Paso. I can’t say much about the scenery except that it was mostly dull and depressing with abandoned homes wasting away just outside the city limits. However, the mountains in Mexico, across the Rio Grande to the south were majestic. At least the traffic was light once we were out of the city.

The one thing lacking in this part of Texas is shade along the highway. The Pecan trees that line the highway in places are without leaf this time of the year as is nearly everything else. A innovative person will look for what shade he can find before settling down to lunch in this warm and bright part of the country. I found my shade under a bridge with a delightful breeze.

Lodging tonight is either camping in a church yard or spreading out inside the Fort Hancock Community Church. I found my own quiet spot in the vestibule where I could escape the 40 mph winds predicted for overnight.

March 24, 2018

Texas claims the distinction of being the largest of the lower 48 states. However, it is also one of the most desolate, at least in that section through which we are currently riding. Today’s ride was long, mostly straight, and paralleling Interstate 10. We were even on the interstate for a couple of brief periods where there was no frontage road. Paralleling an interstate highway gives you all the noise but none of the traffic or smoothness of paving. Allow me to just say that no one was sad to see this day’s ride end.

March 25, 2018

I can’t be quite sure what is happening to the economy in this part of the country. Either it is on its way back from a deep decline or it is down and striking for rock bottom. It seems every small town is just a single soul away from becoming a ghost town. Some are far healthier than others but all are looking quite shop worn. Each is interesting in its own way and the people you meet are friendly and eager to offer whatever assistance they can. Judging by the people alone, these communities are on their way up.

We started today with a birthday. Pete, turned the calendar page to another year on this planet and there was a cake, balloon and many well wishes to celebrate. Afterwards we were off on another jaunt over a lot of road with no services anticipated until the town of Marfa, 75 miles away. The scenery was much the same as we have been looking at the past few days but along the way was some interesting roadside art. First were some metal sculptures in a front yard which seemed right at home in Texas. However, the next installation was completely out of place. Somewhere between Van Horn and Marfa, Texas, in an area best known for its complete and utter desolation, you will find rising from the dust and tumbleweeds, Prada. Complete with display windows and merchandise this non operational store front is there solely to make an artistic statement. What that statement is I can only guess but to me it spoke, Prada in the middle of nada.