Temps were pretty nice in the morning.  We left the nice KOA campground and headed north west up the Rio Grande Valley.

The winds were not too bad in the morning and it was a nice ride through more pecan farms and other stuff to Hatch.  WE stopped at a nice bar in Radium Springs where it was seemingly the only business. They were having a corn hole contest. A few people went to Sparky’s Diner in Hatch. An interesting place. Hatch is famous for its chili peppers and they are available fresh, in cans, in salsa, and other ways.

  After Hatch, the winds came up and our speed went way down.  It was a great cycling day in the morning and okay in the afternoon.  I was in a little after one.

 A dog came out and followed us, and I could not understand its intentions. Then it snuck up alongside me and bit the buckle on my shoe. It stopped, I stopped and it ran away.

We are camping at a State Park on the Rio Grande.  A birder came by looking for the Common Black Hawk, which had been seen earlier. No luck.

  I did see Greater Roadrunner, Say’s Phoebe, Lesser Goldfinch and Vermilion Flycatcher.  Dark eyed Junco and American Goldfinch.  Later, a NOrthern Harrier went by.

 Many of us are sleeping in the shelter without our tents.  We hope to get an early start tomorrow and ride as far as we can before the wind comes up.

Tomorrow will be full of surprises.  We will head toward the highest point of the tour.  There will also be strong head winds starting late morning or early afternoon.  It could be a long day of cycling or we may have to put the ride on hold and try to finish the next day.

It is getting towards sunset and the wind is still blowing pretty hard.