6/9/00
Lordsburg, NM
77 miles Max Avg

Beautiful day with cooler temps, flat roads and a tail wind. A biker's dream day especially with the route through such expansive and picturesque country. I10 (Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway) weaves between the mountains. Only a few climbs slowed the high pace.

Once again the desert flora changed. Yuccas dominated until very near the New Mexico border when they faded out as well. Grasses and thorn bushes seem to hold sway on this eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert. Just a few hundred more miles and the first of the two deserts I'll cross will be behind me. That will not be without sadness despite the heat. I've always wanted to spend time in one and now I have. I used to think it was a simple environment, sort of a pared down version of the comparatively rich eastern woodlands and wetlands, but it isn't.

Entering New Mexico means two of the eight states making up the trek are complete. That doesn't mean the trip is one quarter over. More difficult climbs and distances are to come.

After arriving in Lordsburg--and discovered the change in time zone--I paid a visit to the town library. Housed in an a pseudo adobe looking structure, it was the resource I needed to do some Internet housekeeping for the course and to check on names of a few plants.