Mimbres Mountains

So at the suggestion of Jack I headed north from Las Cruces on a secondary highway that passed through some amazing farmland.  Orchards of picctaccio trees and fields of cotton, red chillies and pumpkin.  The smell of the roasting chillies was so sweet..  I am only assuming that is what it was but man was it good.....that reminds me the smell of burning wood I have been smelling is pinon.  It is a kind of pine that grows around here and the scent it gives off while burning, is something i will never forget.   I found myself in the town of Hatch where there are chili festivals.  Red or green that is the question.  I think that most of the green is made with a chicken gravy so I opted for the red, hoping it wasn't to fiery.  I am in Mexican food heaven.  Mmmmmmm is all I can say.  I hear Arizona has a different take on their chili and I am excited to test it out.  From Hatch I continued north till I got to a turn off that was to take me through the Mimbres Mountains.  I was planning on staying in Silver city which is on the other side of these mountains.  As I started in on the road I felt there might be a change of plans.  I had 2 or 3 hours till dark and the road was so wonderfully twisted that i new it might be tight getting in before dark.  Taking the tuns in 2nd and 3rd I was hypnotized by the road.  At one point I got stuck behind a RV and it was nice to slow down and be able to look at the scenery a little bit more.  At one point there was a tight curve on the uphill and 2 little black pigs ran out in front of me.  I wasn't going too fast so it was easy to miss them.  Around 5 o'clock I rode by a sign for National Forest and stopped in for a look around.  Iron Creek is a free camp site that had toilets and all.  I checked out site and it had a pile of wood sitting beside the pit.  This was my decision made for me.  I was staying the night.
     The fire was big and the moon was bright, especially for only being pretty new and it was the coldest night tenting I have ever experienced!  Not sure I slept at all.  When I did get out of the tent all my water was frozen and did not thaw till near 10am.  Those giant ponderosa pines shaded the sun from touching me till near 11!  I would not have traded it for anything tho cause wow what a road, and what a forest too.  Pretty neat how the land goes from flat desert plains to forests that hold bear and wild pig.  
     I got onto the road round noon and made it to silver city where I stopped into a bike shop.  My Clutch cable has been severely boogered as the mechanic called it for quite some time now and I have waited till I am nearly across the country to get it fixed.  I had been traveling with a spare cable thinking I would do it myself but that time never came and I was sick getting my whole body behind pulling that clutch in.  Whew!  What a difference.  Every time I get on the bike now it feels like a new bike:)  From silver city I tried to make it to Tombstone but just got as far as Wilcox and got a room in a motel.  This is a depressed little town.  There were lots of motels but the one I stayed at was the only one open.  Kinda run down little place.  The best hot shower was had here.  The hot water just kept coming.  Ahhhhh.  
All for now.