March 2: Marathon, TX

We stayed at a hostel in Marathon called "La Loma Del Chivo", unique in that all of the buildings are made using "alternative," or "eco-friendly" building techniques. Some of the structures, like the kiva (a circular partially-underground chamber), were built of cob (clay + straw + manure). Others, like the main guest house, are made of papercrete (shredded recycled paper with water and cement addded). Bicyclists sometimes come to "La Loma" and decide to stay for a while. In turn, they contribute something to the "La Loma" community - for example, giving an old car a new paint job.

March 1: McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis, TX

Welcome to one of the darkest places in the lower forty-eight... the McDonald Observatory! Because it is so dark here, high up (at around 6,000 feet) and remote, it is an excellent spot to observe the night sky. The observatory houses three telescopes: one with a reflecting surface 107" across, built in the late 1960's (the solid, tan telescope), a smaller one with a reflecting surface of 82", built in the 1930's (the open-framework telescope), and a gigantic one with a reflecting surface 10 meters in diameter! Scientists can learn all kinds of things using these telescope, like whether there are other earth-like planets and sun-like stars in outer space, and how far away they are.

Feb. 26 -27: El Paso - Kent, TX

Not many options for lunch here in Western Texas (although, in a pinch, closed interstate rest areas can work!). There are fields growing pecans and cotton lining the road,and the views across the Rio Grande into Mexico are striking. The free-ranging cattle seem quite content with their lot...

Feb.22: Emory Pass, Kingston, NM

The (literal!) high point of our journey at 8,228 ft, in the Black Range of New Mexico...

Feb. 21: Gila Hot Springs

Andy and I continued North, deeper into the Gila, to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings (stone rooms built over 700 years ago by the Mogollan people in natural caves, high up on the face of a cliff). Nearby were the Gila Hot Springs - pools of water heated underground to130 degrees! It felt especially good to soak in them after the stiff climb out there - complete with snow!

Feb 19 - 22: Crossing the Continental Divide

We (Andy, John, and I) ascended into the Gila Wilderness. We were privileged to cross the Continental Divide (the high point from which water runs either East, to the Atlantic Ocean, or West, to the Pacific Ocean) not once... not twice... but three times (!) as we snaked our way up into the mountains of Southern New Mexico.

Feb. 18: New Mexico!

A long mornings' ride up from the desert in 3-Way, AZ, to a pine-forested, unnamed 6,295' pass and New Mexico! Switchbacks, or long curves in the roadway, made the climbing easier on us. Our friend John rode with us - can you find John and I in the landscape photo? Our first impressions of New Mexico were of rolling, golden-grassy hills and small shrubs framed by hazy blue-gray mountains. We felt our first drops of rain as we crossed the state border - fortunately only six or seven!