Day 16 - Dr. Nick to the Rescue and Chili Peppers

It began to rain at about 4:00 AM and most of us didn't have our rain flies over our tents. It was an early rude awakening. After scrambling to attach the rain covers most of us couldn't fall back to sleep so we got an early start. The sunrise was beautiful with the desert in the foreground and the mountains in the background. As we headed out of camp Dick Williams slipped off of his pedal and cut his leg on the chainring. He rode for about two miles but he was bleeding so badly that Dr. Nick decided to stich the wound. We waited for Nick to give Dick the "ok" to ride but the Doc thought riding wouldn't be a good idea, so Dick ended up in the van for the day. He was very disappointed as we were too. Dick's our leader and we really missed him on one of the easier days. This was Dick's first missed day. We all want to try and ride the entire 3,070 miles but accidents happen. We will probably all have a day that we can't ride due to injury or sickness. 

(Dick tries to stop the bleeding)

(Surgery in the back of the van)

The fist 20 miles took us along the Rio Grande and the fertile valley that is irrigated by this vital river. We had a gentle descent that took us past fields of chili peppers, corn, cotton and giant groves of pecan trees. 

Our first rest stop was in the little town of Hatch. As we rode through the town the smell of roasting peppers permeated the air. It was a wonderful smell. There were peppers drying in many of the small restaurants and shops that lined this quaint town. 

(Shopping in Hatch, New Mexico)

As we headed out of town the wind was directly in our faces and the landscape became more rugged. We saw more Border Patrol check points and Border Patrol cars. The terrain was somewhat rolling. The twenty miles to the next rest stop proved that you never get a really easy day.  

(The Rio Grande where we saw many Border Patrol vehicles.) 

The last twenty miles into Las Cruces was like the first twenty miles. The terrain leveled out and the large farms and pecan groves reappeared. 

We grouped together with Kaylyn leading us to our RV park on the outskirts of Las Cruces (The Crosses). Tonight we ate at a restaurant that was voted as one of the best Mexican restaurants in the US. My meal would attest to that claim. Delicious!!! I'm sitting at the campsite listening to country music as it rides along the wind from an open restaurant patio. 

I'm a lucky man!