Day 18 – Hatch chiles, pecan groves, and more rain

Miles Completed: 60.0

Cumulative miles: 908.9

Miles to St Augustine: 2153

Today’s ride followed the Rio Grande valley from Caballo Lake to Las Cruces. It was a gradual downhill ride. We had a headwind but not as bad as other days. For the first half of the ride, there was only one light drizzle, but the second half of the ride had a steady rain. There was also a section where farm implements dragged a lot of mud on the road and my bike and I got full of mud. I had to clean it up when I got to camp. The good thing is that the rain stopped when I got to camp.

We rode through the village of Hatch, New Mexico which is known for their Hatch chiles. There were fields of chile plants and processing factories all around Hatch. When riding by the processing plants, I got really good scents of chiles. In New Mexico cuisine, there are abundant uses of both red and green chiles and chile sauces. The chiles are generally not too hot, and the green chiles are generally milder than the red. Sometimes you’ll see “Hatch chiles” on menus in the area. Hatch is a cool little village where everything revolves around the Hatch chiles.

After Hatch, I rode past many Pecan farms with rows and rows of pecan trees.

We also crossed the Rio Grande three times and there was little water in the river.

Tonight we’re camping at the Las Cruces KOA and it is by far the best campground we’ve stayed at. While I’m writing this, I’m sitting by a fire pit enjoying a beautiful New Mexico evening.