The shop in Alamogordo didn't have the belt I needed so I ordered one ahead to Marfa, TX.

I'm headed up Hwy 82 toward Cloucroft and 8000'! I really hope this little Ruckus makes it over the mountains today. Carlsbad tonight then a camp in Dark Canyon to wait out the snow storm.

fingers crossed

I cruised through downtown El Paso in the cool Monday morning being passed by all traffic. They are in a hurry, I'm not.  Attempts to track down a scooter belt were hopeless on a Monday when most shops are closed. I suppose I have a spare that is somewhat compromised if worst case scenario hits.  Unimpressed by the dirty bustle of city life, I plugged in White Sands NM into my GPS and attempted to take NM213 but found it dead ended at a missile range.

My GPS took me through the depressing trailer town of Chaparral and up Hwy 54 leading me toward Alamogordo. This 70mph freeway was interesting and not something I'd like to ride again. Eventually I made it to White Sands just as the sun was setting. A search team was setting out to look for a man lost in the dunes, not a hard predicament to find oneself in.

The afternoon was spent on Highway 9 "The Border Route" riding within a mile of the Mexican border.  The CBP trucks were out in full force and I kept my scoot headed east.  The sun began to set and I happened to view the lights of El Paso in the nearby valley. Texas! I had made it so far in the short daylight hours.  The buzz of two-stroke engines and open exhaust called me toward a sandy track in the desert.  Off-road buggies and quads raced everywhere in the BLM dunes west of El Paso near the airport.  BOOM! The crack of gunfire to my left as a teenager shoots a handgun at a can on the sand.  Kids raced all over without helmets, jeeps climbed the sandy precipices and shotguns rung out.  This must be America. Yup...I'm growing closer to Texas.

The route through the desert led me down to the border town of Douglas, AZ where I stocked up on food and water.  Resupplied, I plugged in the nearest NF road and cruised 30 miles up toward the grassland and mountains just over the NM border.  The road followed the old rail line, it's concrete supports and tunnels stamped 1910, the rail long since removed.  Fortunately, the route is generally level on account of the railroad grade.  A sign for Rucker Canyon Rd and a brown NF marker leads me into a 5 mi gravel road through beautiful grassland interspersed with cattle guards every few miles.  The sun sets behind the nearby mountain and I continue onward to the first campsite I spot off the road.