Day 13 - 116.7 miles - Las Cruces, NM

What a day! What winds, westerly winds. I got a later than normal start due to the all you can eat breakfast at my motel. It was well worth it, as I wasn't hungry for a long time. Today's ride was on Interstate 10, which may not sound to good but it's not a problem with the 10 to 12 foot shoulders. The best part with riding the Interstate is that it is graded better than most backroads. Today was no exemption. I was cruising at 20 mph without much effort. That makes up for the 4 mph I did when climbing the mountain up to Globe, AZ. As I was pushing the Interstate, I noticed a group of 3 bikers on a dirt path that parallels I-10. I was able to get their attention and we stopped to have a chat with just a barbed wire between us. Pete, Nancy, and Dan are riding a section of the Great Divide Trail. They have been on the trail for a week now and should finish up their section by the end of today's ride in Antelope Wells, NM and the Mexico border. The Great Divide Trail is a Canada to Mexico all trail ( about 90% trail, 10% road ) route that is also offered by Adventure Cycling maps. It was neat talking with them, as I have daydreamed about riding the Great Divide myself many times. We said our goodbyes and it was time again to enjoy the westerly winds pushing me across this state. I crossed the Continental Divide at 4,585' which was not the horrible climb I thought it would be. I was already at 4,000' leaving Lordsburg this morning. My original plan was to just cycle the 60 miles to the town of Deming, but I was already there at 10:30am. So my backup plan was to continue on I-10 to the next town of Las Cruces, which is 55 miles more. From Deming on, the shoulder was in bad shape and i worried about my bike and a possible blow out. Knock on wood, I survived without issue. It was a good day, and my first century of this tour. I have been far more tired on much shorter days. It just goes to show you that the terrain and the conditions make a huge difference in the distance you can travel. I got a phone call from my friend Kevin who is also bike touring. We are looking to meet up and ride together in Louisiana. Kevin took a more northerly route than I did but we hope to meet at some point.

Photos: Shakespeare (Ghost Town) - Pyramid Mountains - Pete, Nancy, and Dan on the Great Divide - Crossing the Continental Divide - Deming, NM and I-10 - Lonely road - Rio Grande - Coming into Las Cruces, NM