Las Cruces—you can always count on a pleasantly cool morning as we all meet up at the American Legion #10 for breakfast. We’ve come here for many years and enjoy it every time. It’s great to see many familiar faces that have been hard at it cooking up breakfast. Once our stomachs were full and we were briefed on the upcoming day’s events, we headed to the Las Cruces Veterans Memorial Park. This is an outstanding park, dedicated in honor and memory to every single veteran—from all wars. You can spend well over an hour here—looking and reading everything. The park’s director gave a brief talk on the progress of the additions & also described the different areas. It is truly humbling to see it all. P.S.some great pictures of the memorial park were posted on Facebook by Kelley Perry. Thank you, Gonzo!
Then it’s off to——TEXAS! Woohoo! Of course, right off the bat we have to get through El Paso—which is never fun, especially with the perpetual construction on I-10. But we made it through unscathed to our fuel stop in Fabens. Next stop—Van Horn for their wonderful lunch & cookies! Pastor Bobby does a phenomenal job for us, and we’re very appreciative.
Now to wet down with cool sleeves & neck wraps to get ready for the heat, again, heading towards Pecos for one last fuel stop. Pecos HAS to be the hottest spot in West Texas. This rider can vouch for that! But oh…guess what West Texas decided to treat us with? Before I tell you, early this morning at the breakfast, Captain “promised” us that the one thing we would NOT see is snow. As fate would have it, he was wrong! Well, it wasn’t entirely snow——it was hail !! Yes, the storm clouds dumped rain AND hail right in front of us—so much so that it literally looked like snow in the interstate shoulders and fields. Unbelievable! Yes, we got rained on, but by the time we arrived at Crossroads, the storm had passed.
Speaking of Crossroads, Our final stop for the day was supper at Crossroads Fellowship Church. Usually, we have a wonderful catfish dinner and ice cream waiting for us. But this year was a little different – we had some refreshing Jersey Mike’s sandwiches (hoagies to East Coast folks, subs to the rest of us), and some ice cream with M&M’s, and a small bag of chips. Several of the church members were there to greet us and make us feel welcome. The parking lot is always lined with local riders and friends. And the church is definitely a great place to come in and cool down from the heat. Tonight we also had the option of going out to the Chris Kyle Memorial, which was led by “Wild Bill,“ a local Vietnam veteran and PGR patriot. “Wild Bill” did the run back in 2008, and has always been passionate about our mission.
Before I close, I must give a HUGE “Thank You” to the Texas DPS . Once, again, they are escorting us ALL THE WAY ACROSS TEXAS. Despite the overwhelming work that these men and women have been facing regarding the border issue, they are dedicating a number of them to help us across the state. Words aren’t enough for a “thank you.”
Now, off to our hotels for restful night.
