As of February 28th

Sunday we had a wonderful afternoon of riding out of Las Cruces, NM.  Las Cruces is a city of about 100,000 people and has an agricultural base similar to the Imperial Valley in CA. But this area seems to be more prosperous and have a more comfortable way of life. There were lots of bike riders including families, tons of motorcycles, a calm fun loving happy atmosphere we found enchanting. Of course outside the city one cannot escape the smell of farming (read cows, manure, fertilizer, etc.) but overall, it was a pleasant place to visit.

This pecan grove overarched the road and went on for several miles. Many families were riding their bikes along the sides of the road and dozens of motorcycles poured through. It was delightful.

This is a typical middle to upper middle class house in the farming district. Notice the fencing and the bars on the windows. Most houses, be they wealthy, middle class or poor, all have the fencing and physical barriers to entrance. I think it is a throwback to Spain and the European influence. The other thing is most people have dogs and sometimes I got chased. Talk about warming up fast, wow.

After staying overnight in Anthony, NM, we headed into the Lone Star state, Texas.  We now have 1100 miles to go to get to Louisiana, equal to one third of the trip.

We got to Tornillo, TX where we were supposed to find a functioning RV Park. It was not open but they did have a reception committee for Jeanne.  It was Mr. Ed the talking horse.

So we moved on to Ft. Hancock, TX and with nothing doing for an overnight we stayed at the Shell station parking lot, with their permission. No sooner did we get settled in when one 18 wheeler after another pulled in to either get some food at a nearby restaurant, or to take a break and get some sleep. Well, they keep their diesel engines going all night long. Furthermore, at 11:00 P.M. there was a conclave of drivers telling stories about their adventures of the day in excitable voices.  Hey, it was free, safe and much better than nothing. Furthermore, when we started out at 8:00 A.M. the next day, a Border Patrol officer came over to ask if everything was all right. We told him about Tornillo and he said, it was good we didn't stay there, it is a "cartel" town.

Speaking of security, this is a Border Patrol check point. I wasn't supposed to take this picture, but the guard said, "OK, OK, move on!".

 I peddled up to Van Horn, TX on Route I-10 with a fabulous West-East wind at my back. Also, Jeanne and I ran into Erin, the fellow we first saw in Sunrise, AZ,

so I peddled with him for about 50 miles. It was nice to see him again.