88 Miles to Las Cruces, NM ......

Even though the inn where we stayed last night was a little funky, they prepared the best breakfast we've had so far. We were all dressed in our winter cycling gear when we pulled out of the parking lot. Not only were we at a high altitude so that the temperature was in the low 40s, but we had an 8 mile decent, so we had to bundle up. At the 20 mile SAG stop, we were able to shed some of those clothes.

It was another beautiful day. We crossed the Rio Grande 3 times. There were lots of pecan orchards along the way and fields growing cotton. We've started to see the cattle crossing guards (I stopped to take a picture of one) and will see more of those when we get to Texas. You have to be careful to ride across them at a right angle, just like railroad tracks, and they can be quite dangerous if they're wet.

Some of us stopped at mile 50 for lunch in Hatch, the chili capital of the world.

The ride had seemed so easy up until that point and then the wind picked up, making the final 38 miles of the ride quite difficult.

I'm posting a map of New Mexico, so you can see where we have been. Tomorrow-- Texas.