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Oct 10th
A great nights sleep at the Best Western and a hearty buffet breakfast sets us up for a great days cycling, all on the flat, the wind is light but against as usual. I have really enjoyed the company of Paul , Hughes and Susan, Paul's wife is flying down from Montana to meet him (later we find out her flight was canceled due to snow) but due to their different plans we split up on the route today.
The scenery is interesting once again , the Rio Grande is nothing to look at, without all the dams and extraction it would be more mighty and imposing I'm sure, but the abundance of agriculture and greenery is a testament to its influence in this desert.
I have booked a motel on the far side of El Paso to get a good start when I leave, this means I have to negotiate 14 miles of El Paso traffic which is ferocious, I am surprised and annoyed at how close vehicles pass me, danger danger! The problem of badly behaved drivers is solved by riding n the sidewalk which though poorly maintained is at least completely devoid of people. Its bumpy but safe.
So to the Coral Motel, again cheap and cheerful, there is a threat of thunderstorms so its good to be under a solid roof.
What about El Paso, well its just like Phoenix , strip Malls , Motels , gas stations, no human being outside a vehicle, buying their taco bells at drive thru's. If you rounded up all the pedestrians you could put them in the back of a pick up and have room left over. Bikes are a rare thig too.

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