What a beautiful ride--downhill most of the way with wide smooth shoulders and through a variety of discrete environments ranging from the high sierra to the high plains.

The stretch from Ruidosa along the Rio Hondo weaves across the valley through small towns, horse farms, and orchards. Someone must have learned about Lombardy poplars and their quick growth because groves of them are sprinkled down the valley. Cottonwoods are plentiful as well. They were seeding out, releasing those puffs of cotton looking seedlings.

The highway has the dubious honor of being named Billy-the-Kid Scenic Highway. Evidently there was quite a war here in the 1800s and Billy was involved. Along the route are his hideouts now selling Kid kitch and memorial markers where this or that happened. Strange that we memorialize a criminal.

This day was significant in a number of ways. It was the first day of the downhill side of the trek--Apache Summit was the literal high point. The continental divide was already crossed near Lordsburg. This was also the day the total mileage went over one thousand miles. And this was the first day out of the desert since June 2.

I'm not thinking one third is finished because the difficult mileage is yet to come, after crossing the Mississippi.