Long haul & short ride

Once again I am humbled and blown away by the generosity shown us.

Johnny's friend Kyle S. has been keeping a roping horse and huge LQ
trailer at the house. Kyle lives 170 miles west. This morning Kyle
took his horse in the LQ and offered me and Walter a ride. Kyle being
good company, we got to talking... Kyle gets on the phone with
someone, and I hear him say "...we'll be stopping at the ranch to
switch trailers, and then I'm taking the mule lady to Bernardo..."
another 50 miles west! In one day, he got us past the truly desolate
dry stretch and to a couple miles east of the the Rio Grande.

Kyle dropped us off at the intersection of Hwy 60 and Hwy 308, a little 2-laner with barely any traffic that runs south, on the opposite side of the river from I-25.

heading down 380

Walter thinks he's on another planet

No Walter, we're not in Louisiana anymore...

From there we rode south on 308 about 8 miles to La Joya, where we are
tonight. I love these tiny New Mexican villages. It's good to be back
in the Southwest. And mountains! Mountains on the horizon! I know where
I am again!

First glimpse of the Rio Grande valley

La Joya post office

The only intersection in town. 380 dead-ends here.

Turns out 308 ends at this village. All roads south end at this village.
The Rio Grande is flooded and can't be forded. We'll have to ride all the way back to 60 tomorrow,
to where we got dropped off today, and cross near Bernardo. Ah, well.
It's only one day.

Tonight we are staying with Vince and Teresa, at the first horse pens I saw when we rode into town. Vince - with no prior horse experience - rescued an unhandled pregnant mare last year. She blessed him with an appaloosa baby with the most beautiful spotted blanket I've ever seen. Vince named the colt "Luna" because he was born at night under the full moon.

Teresa and Vince with mother and baby

Have to say it felt really, really good to be back on the road today on Sir
Walter. Walter seemed glad to be out too.