Biking to Las Cruces (Day 21)

Things are coming to an end soon. I'm getting a little tired of cycling (especially in the desert) and the roads out here are brutal on my bike. Lots of bumps, holes, and cracks with loose, pointy trash scattered about. Hit something along the way today and my rear wheel is out of true again. Will need to get it mended tomorrow if I hope to continue on to Texas.

While in the small town of Akela, I biked about a quarter of a mile to the C-store, which had this long, amusement-park-like frontier facade. I went inside to get something to eat, but all they had was overpriced snack food and a hot dog that's been on the roller-grill since the Reagan administration. The lady working there recommended I go to the "casino," which was back by the highway exit, for a freshly-made meal. I realized I had already biked past the bland, windowless "casino" before, but at the time, I thought it was some administrative office for the highway, not a place of food and betting. But thankfully, the lady's info was right on the money. I got a drink, chicken sandwich and fries for 6 bucks and relaxed in a nice, chilled room... which was empty except for the occasional local who came in to buy cheap cartons of cigarettes. And even though it wasn't technically a "casino," I found out that they did have bingo twice a week.



It was another hot, hot day in the 100's and I managed to bike 60 miles, reaching the town of Las Cruces by sunset. The total miles since I began 3 weeks ago is 943. CLICK HERE to get closer to the action.