Day 18 - Las Cruces, NM to El Paso, TX

Looks like we're a little ahead of schedule for our arrival in Del Rio where J&M's son-in-law will join us so we decided to slow down a bit. Short day today from Las Cruces to El Paso, and another short day tomorrow to Fort Hancock.

We arrived in El Paso in time for lunch, but couldn't find anything to do. We considered going to one of El Paso's museums, but they were pretty far from our hotel and it was hot, so we just checked into a local Motel 6 around 3:00 and relaxed in our rooms all afternoon.

I'm becoming a fan of Motel 6. Cheap, and they have cable TV. My room tonight was $39 plus tax.

For dinner we tried Chico's Tacos, a local chain, rolled tacos in broth. Interesting, but just one step above Taco Bell.

Not much of interest today. We entered Texas without any fanfare, not even a roadside sign announcing the State line, just a change in the pavement marked the transition.

The scenery was mostly agricultural, lots of flooded pecan orchards. We crossed the Rio Grande a couple of times, looks dirty.

This evening I did notice a blue star on the side of the Franklin Mountains. El Paso keeps the star lit, I guess it's because El Paso is know as the Star City, and of course it's in the Lone Star State. The star is usually white I think, but it's been changed to blue in honor of autism awareness month.

Juarez can clearly be seen across the river.

Both Jerry and I can occasionally be heard singing "West Texas Town of El Paso" by Marty Robbins. You know how it goes:

"Out in the West Texas town of El Paso; I fell in love with a Mexican girl. Night-time would find me in Rosa's cantina; Music would play and Felina would whirl." and so on. It keeps us entertained.

I've also find myself signing "Luckenbach, Texas" by Waylon Jennings and Willy Nelson while we ride. The route doesn't take us through Luckenbach, but it's only a 12-mile detour as we approach Austin. Its one of my favorite songs so I've been planting the seed in their minds about a detour. I want a picture of me with the city logo for some reason.

Our riding pace has picked up a bit, most likely because of the flatter terrain. Our last two riding days have exceeded Randonneuring pace (9.3 mph minimum, including stops). We had not been able to achieve that previously.

It's nice to be in Texas, so many of my favorite people have history here. I can't wait to reach Austin.

Hook 'em Horns.