6/11/00
Alamogordo, NM
79.7 miles
Max 32.6 mph
Avg. 13.61 mph

On the road later than usual (7 am) mainly because I didn't sleep well. Maybe overtiredness was the cause due to the high mileage yesterday.

Just before beginning the big climb through San Augustin Pass at 5719', I stopped at a gas station/food mart. The muffin I picked out was molded and in the process of picking out a new one a conversation started. I learned about his nine children still in Alaska with a wife who is divorcing him. He cited the cause as religious differences with him being the conservative one. I wondered why he was working in a convenience store when he had nine children to support. It turned out that he did also work at a nearby military base as a pest control worker. He felt lost because he was losing his family. I felt fortunate that despite my being away, my family is still intact.

The climb from Las Cruces to the top of San Augustin took over an hour of hard spinning. At the base of the pass a marker described how in the late 1880s, Pat Garrett, who in his role as sheriff killed William Bonny (Billy-the-Kid) was himself shot at that place. I had seen mention of his grave on a sign near the middle of town. At the top of the pass, an overlook showed the Tularo Valley.

After an eight mile down hill the road flattened out, passed the missile range and the White Sands National monument. I went into the monument for about two miles to get a sense of biking through the dunes. The sand (actually gypsum crystals) was white as snow and piled high on either side of a narrow two lane road. Wisconsin in mid-winter came to mind--the sand dunes easily 20' high looked every bit like snow drifts. The illusion could not hold up to the heat though which was into the low 100s by 2pm.

To avoid water problems, I stopped at one of the three guarded entrances to the missile proving grounds and filled my bottles. The guard was whittling a walking stick--not much to do apparently. He said that on average over 20 missiles were tested each month.

On coming into Alamogordo, the language on several billboards was completely in German. In the restaurant where I ate dinner two families were speaking German. I didn't get a chance to inquire about the role of German nationals in the local or academic community here but it was surprising. Alamogordo is the home of Northern New Mexico State University.

All of the ride today was in the Chihuahuan Desert, most of which is in Mexico.