Friday April 10, 2009, 47 miles (76 km) - Total so far: 753 miles (1,212 km)
Weather: Temperatures 39-62, winds light and variable from the west, sunny to partly cloudy skies.
We started in a chill, but warmed quickly as we rode up out of Silver City. We passed the Santa Rita Ccpper mine as we climbed most of the morning. Along the way we passed a lot of people walking down the road. They said they were walking for Good Friday as a sort of yearly pilgrimage between villages. After passing the small town of San Lorenzo, the route entered the Gila National forest. The higher we climbed the more breathtaking the scenery became. We encountered heavy pine forests, mountain streams, and canyons. It was a strenuous climb to the top of Emory Pass in the Black Range Mountains. At 8200 feet, this was the highest point on the entire route. It is all down hill from here!!!! Tonight's lodging is in the very unique Black Range Lodge B&B. It is an old ranch house dating back to the late 1800's in Kingston, NM. At one time Kingston was the largest city in New Mexico at over 7000 residents. Today, Kingston has one street -a dead end - and 24 residents. There are a handful of old buildings left, but most of the town is gone. In it's heyday, Kingston was a center for the silver industry. Now the mines are dried up and the US dollar no longer relies on silver. But this place is still neat. Since there are no restaurants for miles around, the owners are fixing us a home made turkey dinner for supper.
Until Later...
Uncle Barry, Flat Stanley, and Share Bear
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