Outa' Texas and Into New Mexico

Last night when we got back to our hotel after dinner we saw a cute little puppy out front of the lobby. He was so friendly and came running to see us. There was a man sitting on a bench outside and we thought the man and dog were together......not so, as we discovered this morning as we were about to depart.  The little doggie was still out front, alone, another guest had also observed the dog and we all had a conversation about her.  To my surprise Jeff said if we lived permanently in Arizona we could take him with us. I asked if I would have to hold her on the bike for the next 2/3 days! (Not that it mattered as we do not live permanently in Arizona) No, Jeff thought he could put his clothes In A plastic bag, the dog could go in his canvas bag and we could somehow strap it to the top of the saddlebag with the dogs head poking out! It was wishful thinking and Jeff being a big softie! And it would not have worked. Fortunately one of the Mexican grandmas working at the hotel said she would take it home for her grandkids and if an owner showed up she could bring it back.  The doggie dilemma being solved we were off.
It was a chilly morning and we were off without the warming benefit of our latte and americano. I kept thinking it would warm up but eventually I had to don my heated jacket. We were driving a road lined on each side by cotton fields or oil fields, sometimes the oil machines were in the middle of the cotton .  I looked at so much cotton today that I decided to read about it and share a few interesting facts.        A bale of cotton weighs 500lbs, one bale makes 1200 men's tshirts. The price per pound is 79 cents. The colour changes through the life cycle, at the start, creamy white, then yellow, then pink, and finally dark red.  After 3 days the flowers wither and fall leaving green pods which contain the cotton boll. As the boll ripens it turns brown, the fibers continue to expand under the sun, nearing maturity the boll bursts open and the cotton emerges. Lastly cotton can be grown in different colours......white, light brown, rust and lavender.
We crossed from Texas into New Mexico at around 1pm......goodbye Texas, we will definitely miss you!  In New Mexico the terrain gradually changed from cotton and oil, longhorn cattle and goat farms to undeveloped raw land with gently rolling hills. Very pleasant to ride through. We came across a small inn, stopped for libation and soup. We came to the town of Roswell which is famous for the UFO landing they had here years ago, there is a museum dedicated to the landing and tells of the many sightings authenticated by townsfolk. We had visited it back in 2010 on our first ride to Texas so gave it a miss this time. It is the sort of place that doesn't beg a return visit.
We passed through San Antonio NM and Rudisio and stopped in the small town of Socorro. Eight hours riding with gas stops and one small break for soup! We are both tired, our longest day yet.
Missing the family !!!! ❤️