A 27 degree start to the day - heavy frost on the ground but a steep climb up to Johnson Mesa helped warm us up. Saw deer and antelope today (and lots of cows!). Pretty rapid transition from foothills and mesas to just wide-open spaces. The wind was SW and just howling - some of the time we were fighting it and it was a pretty discouraged group by lunch but then we made a 30 degree turn east and the cross/headwind became a cross/tailwind and made the rest of the ride much better! 93 miles today...
Clayton, NM was named by Stephen Dorsey after his son. Dorsey came to NM to ranch after leaving the US Senate in some disgrace after an alleged postal route scandal and bought the property adjacent the planned rail line. The Santa Fe Trail passed through the area and had attracted a number of ranchers and farmers (the Union County Leader bills itself as 'The best weekly newspaper on the historic Santa Fe trail!' - not sure how many others were in contention?) and the community Dorsey laid out in 1887 took off as a railway hub for shipping cattle and produce as well as becoming the county seat. Unfortunately, the Dairy Queen closed last year. The historic Eklund hotel (above, right) is where we stayed, in operation since 1894 and with some bullet holes in the bar's tin ceiling for local color.
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| Started the day climbing up to the mesa... |
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| Ended the day with lots of open spaces |
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| The Capulin volcano national monument - did not know there were volcanos in NM! |
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| Best marquee sign ever! Luna theatre over 100 years old! Rambo about the same! |
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