On thru El Paso to the border and the start of the CDT!

August 7th

We decided we had time to relax a little today and didn't get going till about 9:00 a.m.  We got to El Paso around 10:30 and hit up a Walmart for food and a few supplies for camping out in the great outdoors.  After topping off with gas we aimed our front wheels for the desert once again.  140 HOT and WINDY miles
later we stood peering into Mexico.  Took a few pics and started what we came for, the Contenetail Divide Trail.  As we pulled into a very small and mostly abandoned town of Hitachi we saw a Border Patrol officer sitting along the road.  Duane and I where working on my radio headset which was being a pain and Tyler decided to go chat to the BP officer about the forest fires in NM.  As they were chatting the officer remarked that is actually does kinda smell like smoke.  Turns out Ty's bike was on fire!!!  The plastic shield over the muffler melted down and caught his dry bag full of clothes and other things on fire.  Needless to say he has a few holes burned through a few things.  The first 75 miles was on pavement but then we hit the dirt roads through cattle country in the rolling foothills.  We were all very glad and excited to get some gravel under the wheels.  Rolled up a winding paved road to Silver City, NM and then took us by the Santa Rita copper mines which were very impressively huge. The route turned to dirt again just east of town.  We entered National Forest country after a bit and found a spot to camp.  As I right this I'm swinging in my hammock as the lighting is flashing in the distance.  Might be in for another interesting night!