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Day 13- Arenas NM

 The overnight rain stayed out of my tent and we woke to partly cloudy but dry skies . Our route took us out route 90 E. into the Gila National Forest. Skies ahead ahead of us looked forebodin, but what choice did we have?



We had 2000 feet of climbing over about 20 miles, not usually a problem but New Mexico threw in a stiff headwind. Our “gift” was reaching the continental divide at 6355 feet. I’ve seen photos from the divide and other places. This one was a bit underwhelming but I got the photo anyway.



Beyond that we rode past the Tyrone mine. They extract gold silver and copper. From the front it looks like it’s just the face of a mountain, but once we turned a bit it became apparent that a whole mountain got used up. I was left wondering what happens to the land now.

We had lovely rollers the rest of the way. You could see rain in the distance but it looked like it was moving away from us. No such luck. About a mile out of silver city I heard a crack of thunder and started looking for shelter. The rain started an earnest as I was whizzing down a hill with the town in sight.



It was just as a cross the bridge when God tossed a lightning bolt near me. The flash bang time was nonexistent. I didn’t need a second warning. I was able to cut across four lanes of traffic to a strip mall that seemed vacant but had an overhang for shelter. Kelly and Adam showed up a minute later. We found an open office. The border area mental health people are very pleasant and they let us ride out the storm inside. Unlike at home, it dumped and let up and repeated endlessly.

We thought it was safe to make a run for it at one point, but no. The water was barreling in the gutters and cars were spraying us. We made it barely a mile to a McDonald’s. The weather app said there was no respite inside so we get it out the last 4.5 miles, hitting every red light possible. We had a cabin at the KOA and we’re grateful for a dry night.


Things I learned today:

  • It is prudent to look for snakes before stepping behind bushes to pee.
  • New Mexico hates us.

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