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Day 14: Las Cruces, NM to Alamogordo, NM
63 Miles - Ascent To San Augstin Pass, White Sands Missile Range & National Monument - March 5, 2011
Shorty's Gas Station in Las Cruces. Love that cowboy on the sign! :)
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Cycling east from Las Cruces and away from the Rio Grande,
I certainly expected an ascent, but this was one arduous and butt-kicking climb. At first, it was hard to
notice the rise in the road, and I wondered if my
slowness was due to the thicker inner tubes in my tires. Naaaah, it wasn't. I was riding straight
over a mountain range, the San Augustin Mountains.
Every one to two miles, I stopped to rest. It's not ideal to have an imposing hill like this so early in a day's ride,
but that's what the topography gods gave me today.
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Continuing east on a frontage road. |
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The Organ Mountains to the southeast. |
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Looking back and facing west.
Those are the Doņa Ana Mountains (I believe), a cluster of mountains directly north of Las Cruces. |
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The climb was long. It was relentless. This ascent was not messing around.
A casual cyclist or the faint of heart would surely have turned back by now and
let gravity push them back to Las Cruces.
I kept looking up at that pointed peak, named San Augustin Peak (7,030 feet).
Slowly but surely my view became closer as I approached
the town or Organ, New Mexico.
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The road widened to allow more lanes for slow traffic. The hill intensified.
I stopped, snapped one more picture of San Augustin Peak ... |
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... then turned back and gazed at greater Las Cruces. Bye bye Las Cruces!
Whatever lingering concerns I had from Thursday and Friday (Day 12 and
13) about hitching rides were gone.
This crazy workout gave me a new perspective. |
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San Augustin Pass
Ahhh San Augustin Pass! I was approximately 1,700 feet above where I started.
Not much scenery at the top, but I didn't care. I was so happy to have conquered this pass. :)
P.S. It appears the more common way to spell this is "San Augustin," although some places spell it without the
first "u" as in "San Agustin."
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The riding was super easy for many miles.
One disadvantage of speeding: It's difficult to take pictures.
Yet at one point, I stopped from my 18-20 mph cruising speed to
document the entrance of the White Sands Missile Range Headquarters. |
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New Mexico Scenery
Plenty of mountain and desert scenery can be enjoyed on this section of Highway 70.
Nothing too wild, but nothing boring either. I think the third photo, showing the jagged
points of the Organ Mountains, is my favorite.
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Riding into desolation. Now this is New Mexico!
I think the empty desert matched what I felt inside. It was a lonely out there.
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Resting at a historic marker. |
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Plenty of shoulder existed throughout this road. It was nice to be acknowledged though. :) |
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I stopped at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint like everyone else. I grabbed the center of the lane
behind a large tractor-trailer and talked to a couple of motorcyclists behind me as we waited in line.
By the way, are you searching for a job? They're hiring! :)
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Although I've been in many parts of New Mexico,
I'd never been on this particular stretch from San Augustin Pass to Alamogordo. White Sands
National Monument is one of the biggest attractions in the region. From the highway, I could only see small
hills with white sands and common desert plants interspersed.
Sure, it would've been interesting to have explored the sands, but it wasn't meant to be. And personally,
we have our own massive sand dunes in Colorado. :)
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Past White Sands, the sun and lack of shade was finally getting to me. Thankfully the riding was
relatively easy for the remaining 15 miles to Alamogordo.
I approached a disabled truck on the shoulder.
Sensitive because of my own problems I've had, I stopped to see if I could help.
They were nice people - snowbirds from Michigan who were heading back home.
They said their truck stopped running, and they were waiting for a tow truck.
Of course, we discussed the basics about my ride, but it was too bad I didn't ask
about the miniature car they were hauling. Maybe they could have
driven that to Alamogordo to get help! :p) |
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Gratified to arrive in Alamogordo! I went 63 miles,
a respectable distance, but moreso, I had a normal ride with no flat tires or other problems.
I know I look a little crazy in the adjacent photo, but capturing the
standard picture of my bike leaning against the sign wasn't enough. Oh and notice how
tan I was becoming. ;)
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Alamogordo, New Mexico
Photo Above: Beautiful mountains east of Alamogordo in front of the Subway
restaurant on South White Sands Boulevard.
I stayed at the Motel 6 on the south end of Alamogordo. While on a computer for guests, a Twitter follower suggested
I visit Caliche's Frozen Custard, a local favorite that serves all kinds of
decadent, high-caloried ice cream
and custard treats. That sounded like a great idea, but it was three miles (one way) from the motel.
Tired and sore as it was, there was no
way I'd walk that distance, nor was I willing to bike that. I never wanted to ride my
bike around town after settling for the evening.
For better or worse, I experienced towns from the vicinity
of my motel. If I couldn't walk there in short time, then I didn't go there.
If Alamogordo had any attractions or events happening say, on the north side of town,
then surely I missed it. That's what biking across America was for me.
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