March 21, 2012
Day 25: To Aguirre Springs campground
Today's distance is short but mostly uphill. It was more difficult than I expected.
I detoured 3 miles south into town to a bike shop to buy Crank Brothers cleats and a patch kit. On the way out of Las Cruces I got groceries and had an early lunch at a Wiener Schnitzel restaurant. I had never been to one before, and probably won't again.
The temperature was warming up, so I took off my Ibex Woolie thermal layer. Somehow while fussing with clothes I forgot to pack it away and left it sitting on the back of the bike. Of course it fell off and I never saw it again. Earlier in the tour I also lost a tail light due to carelessness.
I left Las Cruces on US 70, a busy highway that goes northeast to Alamogordo. The first 10 miles is expressway and I rode on the adjacent access road. After the expressway ends I rode on the wide paved shoulder of a 4 lane divided highway that continues all the way to Alamogordo. The first 20 miles is uphill to 5710 foot (1730 m) San Augustin pass with spectacular views of the Organ mountains on the right.
Once again I detour from the ACA Southern Tier route. From Las Cruces to Van Horn, Texas I will be north of the ACA route. The northern route is more scenic, more mountainous, and avoids the sprawling city of El Paso. Then from Van Horn to Marathon, Texas I will go south of the ACA route to see the Chihuahuan desert.
It felt warm while climbing in the sun with a 10 mph tailwind. I appreciated the warmth and comparatively light wind after 3 days of cold weather.
I was surprised how far the city of Las Cruces sprawls in this direction.
A mile east of the summit I turned right on the road to Aguirre Springs campground. The campground is 5 miles down the road on the east slope of the Organ mountains. In that 5 miles the road descends 650 feet and climbs 850 feet.
I had great views of the valley to the east. Clearly visible below is the headquarters "town" of White Sands Missile range, the largest military base in the U.S. at 3200 square miles (8300 sq. km). It's the birthplace of American rocketry. On July 16, 1945 the first atomic bomb was test-exploded at Trinity Site in the far north part of the base.
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The terrain is torturous but the scenery is awesome. At the midpoint of the road is a trailer for the campground host. It has a water faucet that I used to fill all my water containers. The campground has no water. The last mile to the campground is a 1-lane paved road.
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I arrived at 4:40 PM and chose a campsite with a great view. A sign says the campsite fee is $3 per vehicle. I'm pretty sure the BLM doesn't regard bicycles to be vehicles, so I didn't pay anything. The campground is in an idyllic location with dramatic views of the Organ mountains to the west and the Tularosa valley far below to the east.
There are several families with children camping here. It's spring break.
Today had a high of 65F and the wind was a reasonable 10 mph. Significantly warmer than yesterday but still cooler than normal. The campground elevation is 5738 feet, so it will get cold tonight. The twilight views of the valley were magical. In this idyllic setting it's hard to believe that the big city of Las Cruces is nearby, on the opposite side of the mountains.
Distance: 30.4 mi. (48.6 km)
Climbing: 2901 ft. (879 m)
Average Speed: 8.2 mph (13.1 km/h)
Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km)
Total: 1,333 miles (2,145 km)
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