July 6, 2017 – Roswell to Portales – 93 miles
The sun was just starting to rise in Roswell, New Mexico. The team was circled up, and I remember looking across the way at Bambi with Al the inflatable alien sitting on his shoulders. Roswell had definitely been an interesting experience to say the least. We started the ride with the cool wind in our faces, passing by the countless stores with alien decorations in their windows.
The ride was long, 93 miles to be exact. Luckily, it was smooth and the road had a nice shoulder. The climbs were fun and we saw a lot of wildlife along the way including a few tarantula. We arrived in Portales just after 1:00 PM and ride to our lodging for the night at Eastern New Mexico University. It was so refreshing to see a college campus again. After the ride, we all had the opportunity to hang out and talk it over.
Dinner was sponsored by the Southside Church of Christ and was absolutely delicious. They served a “New Mexican stack” which is a lot like nachos except the meat was elk. We arrived back at the dorms after dinner to gather ourselves and prepare for the 40 mile day in the morning.
Dean Coffman
Delta Alpha (Virginia Tech)