The day started with a great breakfast prepared by our B&B host. She nicely got up early to have breakfast ready at 7:30am so we could get on the road. She made a delicious cheesy vegetable quiche, bacon and hash browns. She joined us for breakfast and we enjoyed hearing stories about her B&B and the area.

We set out 23 miles west of San Antonio, NM on Rt 380. After some flat and gradual uphill, we had a long downhill (10 miles). However the very bumpy shoulder kept us from truly enjoying it. I imagined I was mountain biking between the down hill and bumps. Katye and I were both happy to have a little suspension on our bikes and padded biking gloves. There was some wind but it only served to slow us down on the downhill. We did see the entry for the White Sands Missile site which was fun as Mark, my late husband, had served in the military there. He was a radio technician and worked underground on the missiles. He loved living and working in NM and after he left the military and went to college, he actually did a semester at NM State Univ as a result. In San Antonio, we turned on to Rt 1 to go 9 miles into Socorro, NM. It was a nice change from Rt 380 as it was a quieter slower road and went through a denser area and a small town. Katye got to experience dogs. Most of the dogs were tied up or fenced but one came running at us. We slowed way up and he backed off. We biked through Socorro and started the route to Magdalena on Rt 60. Like Rt 380, we will spend a lot of time on this road through the rest of NM and some of AZ. There is a decent shoulder on this road but it is rough and we have fingers crossed that it smooths out.

We finished just over 40 miles and called it a day. Katye was an amazing biking partner and really supported my riding. Her spin classes and natural athleticism paid off as she had no trouble riding the distance each day. Before we headed to the airport so she could fly home, we went to see the “Very Large Array” radio telescopes. We were disappointed that the visitors center was closed but we got to see them and Katye took pictures. I didn’t know much about them so it was fun to learn a little.

Dale is flying in tonight to join me for the next week. It is fun he came as tomorrow is our 16th wedding anniversary - time flies when you are having fun. Although we will celebrate when we get home, I am glad to spend the day with him.