Southern Tier Part 3

June 10, 2023

Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #1

May 25, 2023

El Paso, TX to Leasburg Dam State Park, NM - 74 Miles

Start 10:22 AM Finish 8:08 PM

Total Duration 9:45

Moving Time 5:18

Stopped Time 4:27

Ascent 1282'

Descent 1254'

Tour Total 74 Miles

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/122349907

I slept so-so in room 115 of the Gardiner hotel in El Paso. Michele had an early flight and I was unable to fall back asleep after she left. I got out of bed at 6:30 AM and started assembling my bike. The rubber O ring in my pump was mangled so I drove over to Crazy Cat Cyclery to purchase a new one. I had gone to Crazy Cat last year to get my bike box for the return. Rob the mechanic tried lubing and replacing the damaged O ring but was unable to find the correct size. He sent me over to El Clavo hardware where I found one with a good fit. There continued to be some sort of suction problem, and I returned to Crazy Cat to buy a new pump. While inflating my tires I met a female cyclist who was riding north to Canada.

From Crazy Cat I drove to the airport to return my rental car. I clipped on my panniers and did final preparations at the parking garage. I used Google maps to find my way back to the Southern Tier route where I had been last year. I was wearing cycling shorts, a short-sleeve jersey, arm protectors, and da Brim around my helmet. It was 81°F and sunny. On the outskirts of El Paso I rode down an alley with soft gravel and sand. I lost control, couldn't unclip, and slammed into the ground gashing my left knee and bloodying my fingers.

By 10:46 AM I was back on the ACA route on map section 3, which I remembered from last year. The ginormous red X was to my left across the border in Juarez. I rode alongside the Rio Grande and underneath the Bridge of the Americas International Bridge. The border and Mexican flag was immediately to my left. Since my arrival on Saturday I hadn't seen a single migrant, but had passed dozens of Border Patrol vehicles and numerous road stops.

I rode through downtown, where I'd spent the night, and then crossed over I-10 and found myself on ACA Southern Tier map section two. I cycled up the hill and rode by the Hilton Garden Inn where I'd stayed last year. I got on Texas Highway 20 heading west through the sprawl. There was a ginormous dirt ridge to my right. I stopped at a Jack-in-the-Box for an ultimate breakfast and two large cokes. I charged my phone and cleaned up my bloody knee in the bathroom.

I stopped at a Post office and mailed back my broken pump. I'd need to order a new LEZYNE Micro Floor Drive Hand Pump when I returned, and would attempt to fix this one or at least reuse some of the parts. I crossed the Rio Grande and got on a bike trail that followed the levee. The surface was chunky gravel and my tires were too narrow, so I cut down to a concrete walk alongside the river. Eventually the route split left from the bike trail and away from the Rio Grande. It was brutally hot and I spotted a Family Dollar, where I got myself a red Gatorade and a tall can of Sprite.

There was no signage at the New Mexico border crossing. I noticed that the state highway signs featured a the same Zia sun sign found on the state flag. I took a right on Highway 28 North, and was still in the Rio Grande Valley. Pecan tree orchards and irrigation canals were to both sides of the road.

I stopped at Highway 28 brewery but they wouldn’t be open for another thirty minutes, so I kept pedaling. The sun was strong and it was hot. I pulled over at a pecan tree grove and took a nap in the shade. Back on the road I got honked at by an aggressive motorist driving a white pick-up truck. I was riding alongside horse pastures with jagged dirt mountains in the distance.

I stopped at a grocery store in La Mesa for a red Gatorade. I also filled one of my water bottles. My friend Sam called to wish me a belated happy birthday, and we talked while I pedaled. In Mesilla I stopped at the Spotted Dog brewery, where I ordered several pints of Irish Red, along with a pulled pork sandwich.

When I left the brewery the sun was low on the horizon, and riding was much more pleasant. I continued on Highway 28 and crossed underneath interstate 10. I then took a left on State Highway 185 continuing alongside the Rio Grande and acres of pecan groves. The gate to Leasburg Dam State Park was shut so I rode around it. It would be logged as a campsite sneak-in. I set up in a picnic area next to the Rio Grande. The air was rife with mosquitos, and goat heads littered the ground. I moved my tent over to a cement slab to prevent my air mattress from being punctured.