| Cross-Country Ramble 17:
Chateaubriand for Two Sent: 96-05-09 17:12:26 EDT
May 7, 1996
Mesilla, New Mexico
We left Deming Saturday morning and biked the 60+ miles to
Mesilla, NM, just outside Las Cruces, helped by a strong tailwind
and a slight down hill grade. It was a glorious ride.
Mesilla and Las Cruces were an oasis in the desert. The area was
small enough we could easily bike to the movies, to church and to a
bike shop. We found cultural diversity, superb food, historical
buildings and a terrific bookstore.
After we pitched our tent, we walked to the Mesilla town square
to participate in the Cinco De Mayo celebration. We tried gorditos,
which reminded us of pasties, except the crust was like a deep fried
pita made out of corn flour. We watched a children's dance contest
in which it seemed all the kids in the crowd participated and in
which enthusiasm made up for skill in many cases. And we witnessed a
Quincenero, in which friends and family of all ages celebrated a
girl's fifteenth birthday. For that evening we all were
Mexicans--much like we are all Irish on St. Patrick's day.
On Sunday after church we stopped for brunch at the
Meson de
Mesilla. The food was terrific. We had a cantaloupe that was the
sweetest and best I have ever eaten. The salad greens were fresh
with wonderful variety. The mixed vegetables were lightly steamed.
We could have an omelet of choice or prime rib. We chose the prime
rib, moist and tender. After we raved to the waitress about the food
she gave us information about the place and we discovered it was
also a country inn with reasonable rates. We stayed there Monday and
Tuesday nights. Each morning we had wonderful food for breakfast.
Each night we chose to eat dinner there as well. Monday night I had
quail with a tart cherry sauce and Ken had lamb chops with a lemon
and thyme sauce. Tuesday night we shared the Chateaubriand. The meat
was so succulent and tender that we cut it with our forks. The soup,
salad and desserts were all a delight to the palate. We tried the
local wines. Alas, not as good as our California wines.
When we weren't eating we walked around Mesilla. Many of the
buildings had been there since the days of Billy the Kid. Most of
the buildings had been converted into stores designed to appeal to
the tourist. There were not too many so we did not feel overwhelmed.
 We
stopped by the bookstore in hopes of finding a couple of books I
have been looking for in every bookstore we had come across for the
previous two weeks. Books of all kinds packed shelves from floor to
ceiling. The books standing up had more books lying down in front of
them. Happily, the personnel were extremely helpful and found both
of the books I was looking for. We could have stayed longer and
bought many wonderful books. However, traveling by bicycle does
limit what we are willing to carry.
We might have stayed forever if we had not already had airline
tickets out of El Paso. With reluctance we left Mesilla. This is one
place I shall certainly visit again.
Carol
Itinerary
- Day 31-32: Deming, NM
- Day 33-36: Messilla (Meh SEE ya), NM
- Day 37: El Paso, TX
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