Resting in El Paso Texas - Thurs 3/1, Fri 3/2

We decided to stay three nights in El Paso so we can tour the city.  We are in a 100 year old house which our host, West, has named "Casa Puente", or "Bridge House."  He hosts groups here and works to build bridges and find solutions to immigration problems.  He served seven years as a Catholic missionary in Venezuela serving poor people.  It's been great to stay here because he has given us a lot of information about El Paso and our route through Texas.

Thursday:  I looked online and found a fraudulent charge on our credit card so we had to deal with that.  Then we rode to the Crazy Cat Cyclery and bought two spare bike tires.

We walked downtown and toured the Museum of History.  Apparently, desert life in El Paso has always been a struggle.  During the Mexican Revolution spectators came to El Paso to sit up on the hill and watch the battle.  Once, the Rio Grande River shifted its course and caused a border dispute that lasted until 1967.

After the museum we walked around town a bit admiring the architecture of the Performing Arts Center.  Then we went out to dinner with West.  He drove us up the hill to the scenic overlook where we looked out over all of El Paso and Juarez.

Friday:  We toured the University of Texas El Paso campus and spent time in the Centennial Museum and Gardens.  The UTEP campus was built in Bhutanese style.  Then we went to the downtown library and read books the rest of the day.

El Paso facts:  Everything is built out of stone, brick, or Adobe because there is no wood in the area.  I started looking for wooden structures as we toured the city and couldn't find a single one. 
We are now in the windy season here with frequent dust storms. 
El Paso has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation even though it is bordering one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

The truth from Ruth:  It has been a delightful few days in El Paso.  I have especially enjoyed getting to know our host, who is a very kind and good person.  I am ready to continue on our journey, and have been studying our next routes.

Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TEXAS - Wed 2/29

Today it was planned as an easy day so we started by touring Las Cruces.  We rode through the downtown plaza and bought some pastries at the farmers market.  We were both jarred when I missed a wheelchair ramp and suddenly found that we were going down a set of shallow stairs in the plaza.  Fortunately the bike wasn't loaded at the time.

Next we checked out of our motel, loaded the bike, and headed for La Mesilla, the most historic area near Las Cruces.  There was a beautiful Catholic church that dates from the 1850s, named San Albino.  Pope Benedict recently elevated it to the status of "Minor Basilica."  On the other end of the plaza there is a building that once was the courthouse where Billy the Kid was tried.  And next to that was a chocolate store, so we had to get some fuel for our ride.

Ever since California we've seen lots of farmland growing cotton and alfalfa.  I took a picture of some of the cotton that was missed by the harvester.  In eastern New Mexico we also saw miles and miles of pepper farms and pecan orchards.  Now we are seeing lots of horses, too.

Finally, we entered Texas!  It's funny, I thought there'd be a bigger sign.  Then it was dinner at Subway and a 15 mile ride to the home of West, a Warm Showers host who is putting us up for the night.  (See warmshowers.org)

Miles: 53.5  Average: 10.9

The truth from Ruth:  My favorite part of today was Mesilla.  Besides the church and chocolate store, there was a cute little bookstore.  I could have browsed there all day.  It was hard not to buy anything!  They had a cute  dollhouse on display that was in the adobe Mexican style.  Many of the homes we have seen along our trip look like that.  I really like them.

Hillsboro to Las Cruces - Tuesday 2/28

The night was cold and very windy but we were snug in our tent.  We got up before the sun and spent an hour, as usual, packing and getting everything onto the bike.  We immediately had to climb a winding hill with the wind threatening to blow us off the road.  All day long the wind blew in 20 to 30 mile-per-hour guests.  Mucho gust-o!  Sometimes the wind helped us, sometimes it was against us, but the crosswinds were always threatening to destabilize the bike.  Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic and we made it safely to Las Cruces.

The scenery was mostly desert and hills so we only took one picture along the way, of a horse painted like a cow.  A dairy with a sense of humor.

We met another biker crossing the country, a Malaysian named Ty.  He retired and put everything he owns in storage so is traveling all over the country with a bike as his only home.

Miles: 85.3  Average: 12.5

The truth from Ruth:   Last night I was nervous to camp,  because I thought I might be too cold to sleep.  But we had descended over 2000 feet, so the night was not too bad and I was plenty warm.
Today was the first time the wind has bothered me.  It was blowing so hard in our faces  and sending dust and dirt our way.  By lunchtime I was so ready for a break.  In a little town called Hatch, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant called The Pepper Pot.  My food was so good, and it was so wonderful to be out of the wind and cold.  I don't  know when I've enjoyed a meal out so much.
The afternoon went much better weather-wise.  The wind was behind us much more, and I finally got warm.  And tonight we are feeling luxurious in our hotel room.

Emory Peak - Monday 2/27

On Monday the road rose to meet us, and rose higher and higher and higher.  We left Silver City early in the morning and at 4 o'clock we finally crossed Emory Peak.  At 8228 feet it is the highest point in our entire planned trip.  We've been looking at that point on the map ever since we left San Diego.

To get there we had to pass through many ups and downs and snow covered hillsides.  We had our first mechanical problem when the front tire started changing shape and had to be replaced.  The tire picked up a small cut in San Diego County so I've been monitoring it closely and it finally started bulging on the side.

After crossing the peak I had to keep the drum break on for almost 3 miles to keep the downhill speed manageable.  The combination of low temperature, high-speed, and not pedaling made us really cold on the downhill.

After completing 58.1 miles we pulled into Hillsboro, a quaint little village.  But it was 5 PM and all the stores and cafés were closed.  The bed and breakfast was kind of expensive and the motel had no one to let us in.  There was a sign telling us to call the motel owner but there was no cell coverage in that town.  A passing local told us we could get cell coverage at the top of the hill so we tried but it didn't work with our cell phone.  She also told us that we could camp in the town square and get water from the guy across the street that ran the museum. 

So we camped for free in the town square.  Another local showed us how to cross the street and ring the brass bell.  That brought Jim came out of his trailer and he was happy to fill our water bottles.

The truth from Ruth:  Today is my new favorite riding day.  To think we almost didn't do it.  The scenery was so beautiful, with the snow, running creeks, and tall trees.  Even though there was snow on the ground, the sun was shining and it was very pleasant weather, until we were on the descent.  The view at the top took my breath away.  It was a super day.

Sunday Rest Day - 2/26

Biked to church and back: 6 miles

Church was fun, and the ward members super friendly.  We met a couple who has hiked 20,000 miles over 41 summers hiking through Yellowstone. 

Some of the folks inquired about our route and recommended a shortcut.  It would save about 40 miles and much hill climbing.  After discussing it with the local cyclist we decided that we will probably just take the longer scenic way.  After all we have plenty of time and this is supposed to be an adventure!

Since I don't have any riding to report on today, I'll record a few notes on logistics.

Food:
I had planned to eat whatever we wanted whenever we wanted but food isn't always readily available.  We have eaten at some diners, restaurants, and fast food joints.  We love Subway.  Often our only option is a small market.  On the rare occasions that we come across a full-size grocery store we load up on fruits, vegetables, juices and snacks.

Aches:
After a few hours of riding we tend to get aching in the wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, back, legs and glutes.  Stopping and stretching feels so good, and after a few minutes we are ready to ride again.  Most of the pain is very minor and hasn't been an issue.  But after a few strenuous days it starts to accumulate and we need a rest day.

Wind:
When the wind is with us we love it.  When it is against us it is very demoralizing.  Fortunately, that has been rare.

Tedium:
One of the most difficult things is relieving the tedium of pedaling all day.  I'm very fortunate to have my best friend close enough to talk to.   We tell stories, sing songs, laugh and discuss events and scenery.  Ruth has told me the history of medieval England including the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses.  I have told her cowboy and science fiction stories.  Sometimes we invent stories or new verses to songs.  The miles just fly by when we have something interesting to talk about.

Life is good, the days are beautiful,and we're still having fun.