Trans America Cycling Day 15 - Las Cruces, NM to Clint, TX


The link to today's route and statistics is found here.
Today was our last ride in New Mexico, as we cycle into Texas for 18 days.  New Mexico has been very accommodating; the best cycling roads/shoulders on the trip so far have been in New Mexico rather than in either California or Arizona.  
We have so many award winning quality photographs today, it is difficult deciding which to include in the blog.  The first photo is not award winning quality, however, it is our only photo of our signed entry into Texas.  There was no large sign proclaiming TEXAS, since we entered on a minor road.
Entering Texas in El Paso were Ray, Roberto and Barry
Back at the start of the day at the motel, Ray from Pennsylvania is doing anything he can to get close to our Swiss lady riders.

Ray pretends to be Swiss with Nichole and Ester

 On our ride today we kept seeing pecan orchards all the way from Las Cruces to El Paso.  I will think of the pecan orchards in New Mexico every time that I order pecan pie.  It is said that Native Americans introduced pecans to the French in Louisiana, and afterwards the French there invented pecan pie.  As we cycled out of New Mexico, Alison took a great shot of mature pecan trees.  In the mature pecan orchards, tree diameters were one to two feet in diameter.

Pecan tree canopy

Many rode in pacelines today on decent roads with little traffic in New Mexico.  Kristin switched pacelines today, and Kip tried one out.

Kip riding in the paceline whiplash position

 While we were riding bicycles, the military was riding overhead in their jet-powered aircraft.  Could it have been Air Force units from further east in New Mexico or Marine aviators from Arizona, or someone else?

Wispy trails of military origin

Most of us traveled as a group to make it easier to pass through the center of El Paso, a city of 650,000 inhabitants.  As we rode through El Paso, we passed by the Port of Entry between the United States and Mexico.  Roberto has added some words about the Port of Entry.

“Trans-America Tour team crossed through one of the main Ports of Entry along the Southwest Border. El Paso and Ciudad Juarez serve as one of the arteries for businesses between United States 🇺🇸 and Mexico 🇲🇽. Rio Grande serves as the borderline in this area. Homeland Security-Customs and Border Protection is responsible for monitoring all inbound activities at the Ports of Entry as well as all illegal traffic between the Ports of Entry.“

Port of Entry between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez

We saw a giant “X” sculpture located on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande as we rode near the border.  The “X” symbolizes the blood spilled from brutal Juarez drug wars.  The two towers of “La Equis” also represents the merging of the indigenous Aztec culture with the Spanish culture in Mexico.

The big “X”

After we arrived at the motel everyone cleaned up before dinner.  Riders looked much smarter in their non-riding wardrobe.

Who is the Maltese Don?

As it got dark, from out vantage point on the hill we had great views towards El Paso and of mountains in Mexico.

Sunset, thanks to Ray

Essentially the same view after sunset


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