PPP and CCC

Tuesday March 29. Day 24. Hillsboro to Radium Springs. 60 miles or 100 km.

We woke to a cold temperature of minus 2 degrees Celcius. I had slept from 8 pm last night till 6 am this morning! I made a cup of coffee to warm up. The sun was shining but inside you wouldn't know it. We packed up quickly and headed down the other or shady side of the mountain. Soon my hands became cold and even colder. It hurt quite badly. I tried to shake my hands. Make them into a ball, sticking my fingers in my mouth and blowing on them to no avail. A strong headwind made it even worse. I just bent my head and biked as fast as I could. And pushing my pedals made progress today. I knew that in about 20 miles there would be a small store. I kept on dreaming of a warm woodstove in the store to warm me. This thought pushed me in the right direction.

The store didn't have a woodstove yet it was warm inside. I trailed for as long as possible till I felt like I could go on. Luckily we turned right which meant tailwind. It was much easier cycling after this stop. And the roads had straightened out to almost flat! Loving it.

Soon we came to Cabello, capital of chili peppers. Many signs stated green and red chili peppers for sale. I also saw big barbecues on the side of the road where the peppers are being fried or barbecued. After that, we only passed through very small villages like Derry, Garfield, and Salem. Together there weren't more than 2000 inhabitants. All we saw were fields with chili peppers, cotton fields that had already been harvested, and  large fields full of pecan trees.

Very interesting to see but really nothing to offer to us til we came to Arrey. We had heard about this great restaurant and we weren't disappointed. Fresh hot coffee and a yummy chili dog hit the spot.

While in the restaurant several people wanted to know about our travels which created a great atmosphere of comradery. And for a moment I thought that I had found my cowboy. "Howdy ma'am" he greeted me. Cowboy hat, shirt and jeans but no boots nor a horse. Darn. Oh well maybe next time.

The wind remained favorable to us and we made great strides towards Radium Springs our final destination for today. There is a State Park and I was excited to see a NM State Park. There are still working hot springs out there.

Once we arrived at the State Park the gateway closed! And it has been a number of years now that this camping has been closed to guests. It has been transformed into a bird sanctuary. Oops Adventure Cycling. You had enough time to update your maps. 

So what now. Vicki didn't have enough battery power left to cycle to the next town tomorrow and I was too tired to bike another 30 km. So an impasse arose till I suggested to knock on the door of the house next to the camping. Vicki secured us a spot in their garden. We got a jug of water and there is an outlet for charging. Problem solved. The love birds will sing us to sleep tonight. Could be worse

This is so interesting and we enjoy seeing how our Heavenly Father is taking care of you and Vicki! You are a good team! Bill and Mildred Trotter

Not sure how you endure the cold- thankful you were able to keep going ! The hot food- hot coffee was a treat after a long ride- I’m glad the nice folks are allowing you both to camp- interesting day - sleep well❤️🙏🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️ (Poddy)

Howdy Mam. I hear you're looking for a cowboy. I have a horse that would be a good replacement for that bicycle. Look me up when you get to El Paso. Safe travels...(John Wayne)