decoration on one of the bridges across the Rio Grande River which we crossed three times during the day Today’s ride started a bit late because the owners of the Black Mountain Lodge insisted on sending us off with a home cooked breakfast which included fresh homemade bread, steel cut oatmeal, hash brown potatoes fortified with bits of bacon, ham, chili, green onion and several other secret ingredients, scrambled eggs with sour cream, cheese, onion, avocados, tomatoes, cilantro and home made salsa, whole grain waffles with an exotic variety of syrups, coffee, fresh fruit and fresh squeezed orange juice.
Everyone of us protested mightily but still managed to sample everything on the theory that the first 18 miles were all downhill anyway, and that we would have time to digest a bit before we had to do anything as strenuous as peddle.
Sated, we mounted up and started off with Nancy the hostess was videotaping each of us smiling and waving goodbye, the rooster crowing from the roof of the henhouse and Pepper and Charlie the dogs, looking on.
downhill into HillsboroThe 9 mile coast downhill to Hillsboro was steep enough that no one had to pedal unless they wanted to hammer, and gentle enough that you didn’t have to brake much either. The canyon walls were quite steep and barren except for dry grass and the occasional juniper tree, but there was a lovely creek babbling alongside the road, with soft gree cottonwood threes just starting to leaf out. The sun played hide and seek around the curves and made interesting shadow plays along the hills and road and every now and then there was a iron single span bridge to cross over the canyon creek from one side to the other.
one of the iron span bridges in the canyon
After Hillsboro we did a bit of gentle climbing which was definitely a shock to the tired legs. The tiredness continued to be an issue as we crossed over into Lake Valley a stretch of totally flat desert land leading over to Caballo Reservoir, a dam and lake along the Rio Grande River. The lakeshore ride was mostly gentle rolls but the headwinds had started up so for the next 30 or so miles, we were riding through farmlands, more pecan grooves, more cotton fields plowed and ready for planting and headwinds which made the ride into Hatch a challenge. 
After Radium springs we started passing groups of small farming communities, so there were buildings to look at. I was studying the aquacitas or irrigation feed ditches in many of the small fields and thinking to myself that my father and the Major Domo, or water master on the irrigation ditch that led to the ranch I grew up on, would never have allowed the aquacita to be so weed clogged or have such collapsed walls.
It was also interesting to still see the adobe brick and wooden board floodgates of my childhood still being used.
As we rode, the late afternoon suburban traffic got thicker and the shoulder narrower and rougher so the last 10 miles were pretty tiresome after an already tiresome day. When we finally got to the hotel it was 5:30 and I was so tired that I didn’t even bother to check or clean my bike, but instead went to the room to squeeze in a shower before dinner and bed.
My grumpiness and tiredness notwithstanding, it was a good ride, with the first part being truly glorious and the last part being a matter of determination and unwillingness to admit defeat. Had the ride been on a day not following a major climb, or with a bit more recovery time after a major climb, it probably would have been a fun ride the whole day. As it was, I was just glad to get off the bike, and glad that tomorrow’s ride into El Paso is 20 miles shorter.
Today’s Stats
88 miles
6:16
14 mph thanks primarily to the 20 mile downhill
Elevation change 3,834 feet all downhill and you know there is another uphill lurking somewhere in our future.
The Hatch Chili Company, world famous for its chile.
We were delighted to be able to stop and have a late lunch in Hatch, if only to get out of the wind for awhile. After lunch we regrouped in a pace line of three and spent another hard 20 mile slog of gentle climbs or flat desolate desert alternating with farmlands rotating onto the front of the line every 2 miles. Nobody felt much like talking and we were all pretty much in a white line daze but it got us into Radium Springs and the next SAG stop. By this time it was getting on towards 3:00 and I think if any one oof the three of us had given in and opted to SAG into the hotel, the other two would have done the same, but fortunately no one made the first move so we remounted for the last stretch.
After Radium springs we started passing groups of small farming communities, so there were buildings to look at. I was studying the aquacitas or irrigation feed ditches in many of the small fields and thinking to myself that my father and the Major Domo, or water master on the irrigation ditch that led to the ranch I grew up on, would never have allowed the aquacita to be so weed clogged or have such collapsed walls.
It was also interesting to still see the adobe brick and wooden board floodgates of my childhood still being used.
As we rode, the late afternoon suburban traffic got thicker and the shoulder narrower and rougher so the last 10 miles were pretty tiresome after an already tiresome day. When we finally got to the hotel it was 5:30 and I was so tired that I didn’t even bother to check or clean my bike, but instead went to the room to squeeze in a shower before dinner and bed.
My grumpiness and tiredness notwithstanding, it was a good ride, with the first part being truly glorious and the last part being a matter of determination and unwillingness to admit defeat. Had the ride been on a day not following a major climb, or with a bit more recovery time after a major climb, it probably would have been a fun ride the whole day. As it was, I was just glad to get off the bike, and glad that tomorrow’s ride into El Paso is 20 miles shorter.
Today’s Stats
88 miles
6:16
14 mph thanks primarily to the 20 mile downhill
Elevation change 3,834 feet all downhill and you know there is another uphill lurking somewhere in our future.
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