Emory Pass

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we are actually in sierra blanca, tx.
when we got ready to leave silver city, took climb up emory pass. bob called and said mary was sick. Some kind of food poison from the night before. we ate chinese so who else could we blame but keith?
she was still sick the next morning. so we ended up staying 3 days in silver city. mary finally started eating and the next morning we were off. it was the toughest day in the saddle so far. we rode 53 miles, and climed over 5000 feet. it would not have been so bad, but once we started the big climb, 8228 feet to the top. 3 times we almost got to 7000 feet, and each time, we plunged 350 feet, and would have to start over. psychologically, it was very tough. the views at the top were incredible. Then we had a 3800 foot descent into the valley. we stayed at a bed and breakfast, in kingston that was a real highlight. very different from any place else we stayed so far. the next day we rode down hill, to camp into and old koa cabin. we had a pretty good time there as well. we are not carrying any cooking equipment, but we were able to microwave some beans, bob the bold had put in an order for lettuce and tomato. we bought cheese and mustard, and mary fixed sandwiches to go are beans.
the next morning we left for el paso, lots of bicycles out doing centuries. it was dead flat, until we got to the edge of el paso, then we had a steady short climb and descent to downtown holiday inn express.
bob and mary were in the lead, going into town. I couldn't see them up front, and there was an odd turn on the map, come to find out, bob and mary being very gracious had taken a detour, just so I could see what it was like to be ahead.
when we got to the hotel, we got the shuttle to take us to the local national monument, Chamizal. mary and I both got 3 stamps for our passport books. we saw the film, how the border had been disputed for more than 100 years. then in the sixty's kennedy, and johnson signed the treaty, that put the border back where it was in the 18 hundred's. concrete walls were built on both sides of the rio grande to make sure the river didn't change again.
Sam

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