I got on the road with another cyclist just before 8am. After leaving Arrey on SR 87, we passed through the small towns of Derry, Garfield and Salem within the first 14 miles. Along the way we passed by fields of chilli peppers and pecan tree orchards. At the 19 mile mark we stopped in the Chilli capital of the US, Hatch, population 1,648. We found a cafe open and stopped for a second breakfast. It wasn’t long before we were joined by several other cyclists in our group. The food and service was great. We rode on for another 21 miles or so and stopped at Fort Selden near Radium Springs.
Fort Selden, New Mexico Territory, was established in 1865 to protect local citizens and settlers travelling through the region from criminal bandits and local Indian tribes. The post was constructed by the 1st California and Infrantry Regiments, and the 1st New Mexico Infrantry. The fort was closed in 1891 after the army consolidated its troops at a larger post at Fort Bliss Texas. After a short visit in the Fort’s interpretive centre we checked out the fort ruins.
The remaining 17 or 18 miles to Las Cruces was easy riding on smooth roads with a bit of a tailwind. The last few miles to the Las Cruces KOA were the hardest all day because we faces a strong headwind and a steep hill just before the RV park. Overall the ride was mostly flat and I covered 61 miles. It got quite hot late in the morning and early afternoon.
Tomorrow we leave New Mexico and enter Texas. We will be overnighting in El Paso. I enjoyed New Mexico and will probably return to the Silver City area sometime.