In 2006, John, our friend AD, and I went on GITAP - the worst organized ride we have ever experienced. However, proving that every cloud has a silver lining, Kay and Paul were also on the ride, and we became fast friends. Over the years we have kept loosely in touch, reading each others blogs and emailing. As luck would have it, we were able to meet up with not only Kay and Paul, but also their friend Lee just outside of Las Cruces and rode to the hotel together.
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| A drive by shot of Lee |
It was like we had never been apart and had known Lee forever as well. After much story swapping, food and a couple beers, we hit the sack promising to meet at 7:15 the next morning.
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| Kay and Paul |
Paul, who knows the Las Cruces area well decided to give us a hand getting out of town. On the way, we stopped by Mesilla, a quaint tourist town. It was established when the land belonged to Mexico and has been in continuous use since then. It is arranged in the classic Spanish style with a church at one end, a central plaza and alleyway/streets leading out of the square.
In 2008, San Albino was designated a minor basilica by the Holy See. For the non- Catholics out there, only the Holy See, that is to say the pope and his close minions, can grant basilica status. A basilica is a site of holy pilgrimage. They are generally yuge, ornate churches, most found in Rome dating from Roman times. In Mexico City, Our Lady of Guadalupe had 6.1 million pilgrims in one weekend. The whole major/minor basilica difference is complicated and not that interesting. Suffice it to say the designation is a big deal to Catholics. I would have liked to see the inside but alas, time was short and our day long. |
| La Mesilla Historic District, which includes Mesilla Plaza, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 (Wikipedia) |
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| Paul giving us a history lesson on the Rio Grande River. We've been criss-crossing the river for several days, but this is our last time. |
Las Cruces is a located in a flood plain of the Rio Grande and therefore is an agricultural area. We passed vineyards, alfalfa and onion field, but by far the largest crop is pecan trees. We're still in the Chihuahua Desert so it is odd the see groves of trees suddenly come into view.
Shortly after we crossed the Rio Grande for the last time, Kay, Paul and Lee had to go their own way and we still had 50 odd miles to go. We headed west along side the Organ (pronounced Oregon) and later the Robledo Mountains.
Bicycles, which are normally not allowed on interstates, may use them if there is no other road available. Today was one of those days.
Luckily, there was a wide shoulder and not much traffic.
A few miles down the road, however, we had to exit for a border control inspection. John and I did not know what to expect and stopped to dig out our driver's licenses. In reality, they were very friendly and just asked where we came from and sent us on our way.
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| Dust storms are no joke but today we lucked out. |
It was a beautiful day with clear skies and a bit of a tail wind. All in all, I can't complain. Tomorrow we head to Lordsburg, 66 miles west.
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