New Mexico: Las Cruces. Day 1
From : March 4th 2025
Entry number one from my trip in New Mexico: Las Cruces (Monumental Loop 2.0) Distance pedaled 40miles.
I find myself heating up my second cup of coffee as I begin to actually cook my breakfast. The clock on my phone marks 9:01am. Funny to think that at first I was struggling bringing my actual camping chair. But as I sit and enjoy the coffee and begin to recall yesterday’s ride, I realize that this is why I agree to haul the extra items that provide comfort once at camp. After all, why go through the hassle of bikepacking if when at camp you won’t have the relaxation that is also part of the trip, at least for me it is.
The ride itself was pretty good considering I had a late start. I believe I left the airbnb in Las Cruces at around 12:45pm. Didn’t hit the actual trail head until about 2pm. The bike probably weighed about 120 lbs. give or take a few poundsI had a long day on the saddle even though I started late. I went until 9pm at night.
Looking back, I recall the moment the sun started to go down, that I desperately wanted the security of a room, kitchen, bathroom and bed. I literally stopped at the only bar I came a crossed wondering if the employees knew any place I could crash for the night. Thankfully (in retrospect) there were no airbnbs or hotels/motels anywhere near by. At this point it was about 7:15pm. I was riding along the side of the road, and cars buzzing by every now and then made me nervous and so I wanted to just be done riding. That was partly the reason, but really I believe that I also delay in actually falling into the raw idea of just being present while on the adventure. Free to sleep anywhere on the trail, after all it is all state land that allows for such a thing. It actually takes me a while to mentally accept that the next few days are supposed to be spent on the saddle, and outside, camping sitting by a fire and enjoying the stars, should the weather allow it.
The point of these types of travels, at least for me, is to pull the comfortable day to day life part of me into the uncomfortable. To pull myself more into those simple, but often more chaotic parts of real life outside of the insulated reality in which most of us find ourselves in the day to day. Take starting a fire for instance. At home all you do is turn a knob and your set. Out in the elements, it can take anywhere from 2 minutes or less to hours if you’re surrounded by wet brush and/or you got rained on and your lighter is wet. And that’s just fire. If your clothes get wet, well, you get the picture.
Perhaps, the philosopher Seneca said it best in his quote stating, “Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while: ‘Is this the condition that I feared?’” Though this has more to do with facing the fear of poverty, it lends perspective in getting the mind/psyche aligned with the task at hand. In living a simple existance while on the road, that is.
Trail head: Organ Mountain Desert Peaks
As I continue to sip away at my last bit of coffee, and the last of the breakfast; I now start to put the last of the gear away and pack all things. The ride for the day should be pretty good, the day is looking very promising with the sun out and in the high sixties. Hoping to allow for another 40 mile day or hopefully more?
