Columbus to El Paso March 25 2012

Last night after our delicious supper of feves au lard avec saucinies et boeuf cuite dans la graisse, we had two speakers. The first was the mayor of Columbus. She was a young woman who was very nervous to be addressing us but after she warmed up to the group she was actually an incredibly interesting person. She was not elected mayor but wound up in the office after existing mayor, assistant mayor, police chief and two town aldermen were convicted of gun running to the Mexican drug cartels across the line. She is one of the EMS workers and her main job is delivering babies of Mexican women who show up at the boarder crossing in labour. This way the baby is born in the US and is therefore an American citizen. WOW!! The second speaker was a friend of Bubbas who was an ex-under cover police officer who told us some very interesting stoties of his days as an undercover officer.

However you want to hear about the exciting adventures we are having riding though the total waste land. Wallace, Don and myself had decided to leave last so we just hung around and then rolled out of camp together. The idea was to leave last and then get in first. We followed quite a few other riders so I had my water pistol out and gave several of them a shot as we cruised past. They were think ing I was going take their picture so there was quite a surprise as I rode on by. I took a few rider pictures after I emptied my water pistol. Then I scared a couple of riders by coming up and barking. Here we are in the middle of the desert and there isn’t a house for 50 miles so how would there be a dog coming after you. Lunch was at the 40 mile mark and by the time we got to lunch I was out in front. Wallace and I left lunch together and rode up to the DQ which was at 69 mile mark. Don joined us and we were going to ride in together but two other rider came up so Wallace and I left Don who wasn’t ready to go yet. Wallace and I rolled in first.

It was a very nice 79 mile ride over some exceptionally smooth pavement with a tail wind which seemed to come and go. We crossed the Rio Grande which is nothing but a little bit of muddy water in aditch into Texas.

We are in a dumpy hotel tonight next to a gravel pit and cement plant. There is an elite gentlemen’s club across the street. Wallace killed our roommate with one of his shoes (radiation does not kill these guys).

Terry