Day 59: To Gila Hot Springs

32 miles (51 km) - Total so far: 2,589 miles (4,167 km)

So the maps have a 20 mile out and back option to go see the Gila cliff dwellings, and we've it's been recommended that we do it more than once. So we decided to take the trip. The only other thing we heard about this ride was that the climbing is ridiculous. Another tourer said there's like 8% grade, and that most people rent a motel room right before the climb to leave all their gear in. Local cyclists we saw yesterday riding up Emory Pass for fun said that there was a 10% grade on the way out. They also said its called the Gila Monster. They hold an annual road race here called the Tour de Gila, a pro ride which Lance Armstrong has even ridden in. Needless to say we were pretty stoked for it. And the rumors were definitely true. Riding in was pretty sweet, about 7 miles of climbing, then about 7 miles of insane downhill. I pretty much rode my brakes the whole way down, and still was cruising around 30 mph. There were no guardrails, and one side of you was a pretty straight drop down. Crazy. The cliff dwellings were sweet. We camped at this place that had hot springs, so we relaxed in 108 degree natural spring water for like an hour after the ride. Another awesome day.
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Day 58: To Gila National Forest (Sapillo Campground)

55 miles (89 km) - Total so far: 2,557 miles (4,115 km)

Waking up in the Hillsboro campground was freezing. We have been slowly gaining elevation, and last night was the first time we slept outside at such an elevation. We quickly packed up and went to the only cafe in town. After some pancakes and eggs, and a lot of coffee, we were ready to tackle Emory Pass. Thiswas our first day of real climbing. We gained 2000+ feet in about 8 miles of switchbacks. Constant switchbacks, constant climbing. It was amazing. We encountered snow on thw mountainside and some serious views. And then of course, we had the payoff. About 18 miles of mostly downhill switchbacks. Later in the day we had more climbing, not as serious, as we crossed the Continental Divide for the first time. Not a bad day.
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Day 57: To Hillsboro

87 miles (140 km) - Total so far: 2,502 miles (4,027 km)

Woke up to a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast. Great way to start the day. We headed to Mesilla to hit the Post Office, then were back on the road around 9:30. It was a beautiful day with not too much wind. We had knocked out 45 miles by lunchtime. After lunch, the riding was a bit slower. We started to slowly gain elevation, and had a headwind. There was some great scenery all day.
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Day 56: Las Cruces Rest Day

Woke up nice and early this morning. Felt great to sleep in a real bed again. I picked up my book and went into the living room to read and have some coffee. Lee's wife had to catch a flight so she was gone by 5. Lee made us french toast and sauteed apples and bananas, which were delicious. Then we relaxed for awhile. Around noon, we took a trip to the bike shop and Ryan got some new tires. Then we got some lunch. Went back to the house and did some bike maintenance. We're looking to do a long day tomorrow, so the next day, which will be mostly climbing, won't be so bad.
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Day 55: To Las Cruces, NM!

63 miles (101 km) - Total so far: 2,415 miles (3,887 km)

We started off the day with all intentions of staying in El Paso for another night. We rolled out of the rv park around 8 with a destination of Krispy Kreme, a few miles away. We split a dozen donuts and some coffee. They actually give you a glazed donut off of the conveyor belt before you even order. Amazing. Then we were on our way to Barnes and Noble to pick up some new reading material. Then Best Buy. Then the bike shop to get Ryan new tires. Then we had planned to camp on the west side of El Paso. Only the bike shop didn't have the tires. The guys there were awesome though and called around and found some tires here in Las Cruces. Ryan and I look at each other, then the clock, and decide to just head on down to get the tires. We stop at a gas station for some fuel and we decide to try finding a warmshowers host, and we did. So now its like 12:30 and we start riding the 50 miles to Las Cruces, through El Paso, with no shoulder, and Saturday traffic, and hills, and headwinds. We made it to Las Cruces a little after 5 and our hosts are awesome!! Lee and his wife are just so accommodating. They have spare beds, let us roll our bikes inside, threw our clothes in the washer, gave us showers, and brought us to this awesome restaurant/brewery De La Vega's, named after Zorro. I had their pecan beer, which was very tasty. Pecan's are big down here apparently. We are taking the day off here tomorrow so Ryan can grab the tires and get some mail on Monday in the next town. Signing off from a real bed, with real food in my belly.
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Day 54: To El Paso, Tx

42 miles (68 km) - Total so far: 2,352 miles (3,785 km)

We got a nice jump on the day this morning, hearing that the winds were going to be picking up in the afternoon. We wanted to make El Paso before it got too windy. The ride all morning was great. There was no shoulder for most of the morning, but we only saw like 10 cars, so it didn't matter. By noon, the winds started. It was a cross wind, which is pretty annoying. We'd be leaning into the wind, then it'd let up for a second causing us to swerve around. It started getting really bad over the last few miles. It started kicking up dust and sand and blowing it all around. Visibility was only a mile or two, and you could no longer see the mountains in the distance. We stopped at the first rv park we could get to and found some shelter. We've been hanging out in the rec room since about 1:30. Winds are supposedly around 35-45 with gusts up to 60 mph. Should be a fun night. Tomorrow we are just heading to the other side of the city. Ryan wants to find a bike shop, and I a bookstore. Then it should be outta this state on Sunday.
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Day 53: To Fort Hancock, Tx

71 miles (114 km) - Total so far: 2,310 miles (3,718 km)

We stopped to resupply and also grabbed breakfast before heading out for the day. We didn't end up getting on the road til almost 11. Within a few miles we changed time zones. The winds were much tamer than yesterday, even feeling like a tailwind at times. We rode I-10 for the whole day, which was surprisingly pleasant. It had a very wide shoulder, and was nice and smooth. We lost elevation gradually throughout the day. We were pushing 15-20 mph for most of the day with barely any effort. It was awesome. We are sleeping behind a church tonight. Tomorrow we are heading to El Paso.
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Day 52: To Van Horn, Tx

74 miles (119 km) - Total so far: 2,239 miles (3,603 km)

This morning was a bit of a downer. We left John and his family (who were great hosts and awesome people) by 10, and within the first 2 miles, we were saying good-bye to Mike. I'm beginning to think Ryan and I smell or something. Anyway, Mike headed back to Alpine to catch a train home. Hopefully our paths will cross again, he's a cool dude. After that we rode 118 for most of the day, winding through mountains, with a few climbs, but mostly we lost elevation today. It would have been a very fast day if it wasn't for the 30 or so mph headwinds we were riding against. Nevertheless, the landscapes did not disappoint. Even after we got on the interstate, we still had awesome views. I think we may be doing another long day tomorrow based on our accommodations. Stay tuned.

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Day 51: To McDonald Observatory

42 miles (68 km) - Total so far: 2,165 miles (3,484 km)

We had a great ride today. It was beautiful out, with beautiful scenery. We met an eastbound rider within 10 miles of heading out. He had a sag wagon and was riding a nice road bike. Then we rode through some nice valleys before we started to climb. The climbing was definitely worth it when we finally got to our destination: the McDonald Observatory. We found a warmshowers host that works there, John. He took us up to the telescopes and gave us a little tour. It was awesome! To say the least. John was just so full of information. We were all very glad we made the decision to head up there.
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Day 50: To Alpine, Tx

32 miles (51 km) - Total so far: 2,123 miles (3,417 km)

We were on the road by 8 this morning, but only made it about a mile before stopping for some breakfast. We had breakfast burritos and coffee at this little cafe right in town. It was very good. Then Ryan and I took off for Alpine, since Mike wanted to hang around Marathon for another hour or so. The first 20 miles were great, the sun was coming out, the scenery was amazing. Then for the last 10 miles we started fighting a headwind. It was still great riding though. We rolled into Alpine before 1 and were trying to locate the library when this woman pulls over and walks up to us. It turned out to be Alice, the woman we had plans to stay with tonight. She was heading out of town, but told us were her house was and to make ourselves at home. So we went to her house, dropped off our gear, and then found the library and grocery store. We've all just been relaxing the rest of the afternoon, enjoying the beautiful weather. Tomorrow we are headed to the Macdonald Observatory. We're all pretty pumped to check it out, everyone keeps telling us about it.
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Day 49: To Marathon, Tx

55 miles (89 km) - Total so far: 2,091 miles (3,365 km)

We got a slow start this morning, having a real roof over our heads. Slowly we got our gear together, had some waffles and got on the road. It was around 11 by the time we really got going. We rode into headwinds all day long, so the 50 or so miles didn't go as quickly as it could have. We rolled into Marathon looking for La Loma del Chivo, a hostel tha let's cross-country cyclists stay for free. This place is awesome. The dwellings are made of concrete, paper, and pearlite. They have solar panels, a windmill, woodstoves and an organic garden going. All the buildings are super unique and very cool. Plus its free. We hung out down at the Famous Burro, a local restaurant, and had a few drinks to relax after the long day. We have a shorter, 30 mile or so day planned tomorrow to get to Alpine.
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Day 48: Rest Day in Sanderson, Tx

2 miles (3 km) - Total so far: 2,036 miles (3,277 km)

Last night around midnight, the winds started to pick up viciously. It was throwing our tents around. We didn't get much sleep. And then in the morning it was freezing cold and we even saw some flurries! So we made the decision to take the day off. It remained cold and windy for most of the day. We had made plans to stay with a woman in Alpine in a couple days, and we found out she also has a little house here in Sanderson. She let us use it, so we rode over from the campground and warmed up and relaxed. By 2 o'clock, we were all passed out, napping for about 4 hours. We made some pasta for dinner, had a few beers and some wine, and just hung out. It was a much needed rest. Tomorrow we are supposed to still have some headwinds, but it should be in the 60's at least. We should be in Marathon.
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Day 47: To Sanderson, Tx

62 miles (100 km) - Total so far: 2,034 miles (3,273 km)

We were up and out of our campsite by 8 this morning. We decided to stop by the Judge Roy Bean visitor center which was on our way out of Langtry. It was a great place. Lots of interesting stuff, and clean bathrooms! Then we hit the last store we'd see for 40 miles. We each had beef bbq sandwiches and some pepsi, for breakfast. They were pretty good, and did a good job of filling us for the 60 miles we had planned. Ryan and I were in Sanderson by 3, which is why I've been wanting to leave early in the morning. It's so much better to get to a town and relax for a few hours in the afternoon as opposed to getting a late start and having to rush to get to town before dark. We had some mexican food, which was delicious. Finally caught up to a father and son who have been a few days ahead of us, and we've been hearing about for awhile. Nice guys. We are heading to Marathon tomorrow, should be about 55 miles or so.
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Day 46: To Langtry, Tx

62 miles (100 km) - Total so far: 1,972 miles (3,174 km)

We ended up hanging out in the Elks Lodge til after 10, just relaxing, having some beers and pizza. Then we went out back and slept under a pavilion right by a stream. It was pretty great. This morning though was a slow start. Mike was having tire problems, so we didn't leave the elks til after 10. We stopped by a bike shop for a bit and he got some tubes and new tires. Then we headed to Skillets for breakfast. We finally got on the road around 2, but luckily we had a slight tailwind. Made the ride into Langtry nice and easy. We set up camp behind the community center. Then we took a little ride down the road and checked out the canyon that the Rio Grande runs through. As the sun went down, the sky was perfectly clear. Slept without a tent again, and saw the fullest sky of stars I think I've ever seen. There was barely any light pollution at all. It was amazing.
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Day 45: To Del Rio, Tx

68 miles (109 km) - Total so far: 1,910 miles (3,074 km)

So after we were all setup last night, I see two cyclists standing by the fence of the yard we were camped in. Matt and Page happened to be staying the night also. They had stayed with the sister of the woman we talked to a few nights earlier in Alpine and were told to come by here. They had the hookup from the sister though, they got a little bedroom and access to the house. Matt ended up cooking us all some dinner and we all talked for awhile. They started in San Fran and rode to San Diego before heading east on the Southern Tier. Awesome people. We had planned on leaving around 8, so Matt had a pot of coffee waiting for us by 7:45. By the time we had coffee and breakfast, Matt and Page were getting up, so we hung around and talked some more. Then Mike had to fix a flat, and we didn't end up getting out of there til after 11, I think. We had a long ride to Del Rio where we are camping behind an Elks Lodge.
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