Hola from Las Cruces, NM!

Run Stats:
Day: 408
Miles Completed: 1428.7
Miles to San Diego: 671.3
Avg Miles/Day: 3.5
Marathons Completed: 54.5
Longest Run Streak: 15 days
Shoes: Skora Fit/Skora Tempo
Playlist Favs: Paul McCartney - Wings Over America
Guest Runners: Bernie Del Hierro (virtual), El Paso, TX (2/11/17)

Bible Verse of the Day: "This is my command -- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

Run Reflections: When I finish my run this afternoon, I will have reached Las Cruces, NM. It's hard to believe that the long virtual journey through Texas is now complete. Looking back, I entered Texas back in May 2016 so I was basically in Texas long enough for someone to get pregnant and have a baby! I'm still running along I-10 and, after traveling north/west since San Antonio, the road takes a sharp left (westerly) turn heading toward San Diego.

For the 1st time in this project, I was able to go on a virtual run with a guest runner. As indicated above, I was able to connect with Bernie Del Hierro from El Paso, TX, when I was working on my blog post from the town last week. Mr. Del Hierro is part of the group from Run El Paso that I mentioned and, in addition to hooking me up with a Run El lasso t-shirt, agreed to go on a virtual run with me yesterday morning. As part of this, he agreed to provide me with a short write-up which I will include as a guest spotlight in a future post. Whether virtual or in person, I hope this can become a regular feature of these posts as the journey to San Diego continues.

Las Cruces, NM: Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Dona Ana County, NM. It is the second largest city in the state, after Albuquerque. Las Cruces is the economic and geographic center of the Mesilla Valley, the agricultural region on the floodplain of the Rio Grande which extends from Hatch, NM (widely known as the Chile Capital of the World for the variety of chiles grown there) to the west side of El Paso.

Las Cruces is the home of New Mexico State University (NMSU), New Mexico's only land-grant university. The city's major employer is the federal government on nearby White Sands Test Facility and White Sands Missile Rangs. The Organ Mountains, 10 miles to the east, are dominant in the city's landscape, along with the Dona Ana Mountains, Robledo Mountains, and Picacho Peak. The area where Las Cruces rose was previously inhabited by the Manso people, with the Mescalero Apache living nearby. In 1598, the area was colonized by the Spanish and remained under either Spanish or Mexican control until after the Mexican-America War ended in 1848. I've included a picture from wikipedia with a view of the town with the Organ Mountains in the background.

Being another larger town, there is a lot of history, culture and things to do and see here. One of these is the Whole Enchilada Fiesta that is held the last weekend in September. Wikipedia reports that the fiesta attracts roughly 50,000 attendees each year and the centerpiece is the making of a large flat enchilada which apparently has grown in size over the years. In 2000, the fiesta's 10.5 foot diameter enchilada was certified as the world's largest by the Guiness Book of World Records. After the enchilada is assembled, it is cut into many pieces and distributed free of charge to fiesta attendees.

Another prominent attraction in Las Cruces is the large sculpture of a road runner located in a rest area on the south side of I-10, just west of Las Cruces. The road runner is 20 feet tall and 40 feet wide and is made entirely from recycled material. It was created by artist Olin Calk in 1993 and has been a local landmark ever since. I've included a picture of the speedy bird from the trip advisor web site. I have also included a link from roadside america (below) with more information on its construction, history, preservation (and a warning for visitors about rattlesnakes).

Recycled Roadrunner

Finally, I'll mention the small village of Mesilla located on the southwest outskirts of Las Cruces. During the "Wild West" era, Mesilla was known for its cantinas and festivals. The area attracted such figures as Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett and Pancho Villa. It was also the crossroads of two major stagecoach lines, Butterfield Stagecoach and the Santa Fe Trail. Today, the town's historic district which is highlighted by a large plaza is a registered historical landmark and, per tripadvisor, the #2 thing to do and see in Las Cruces. I've included a picture from wikipedia of a really cool looking adobe house in Mesilla.

Well folks, that's it for this week. I was looking around at some restaurants in the area to mention (saw a cool place called Habaneros that had some good looking carne asada fries) and might include some info on either "best burger" or "best Mexican food" in some future posts. For now though, I'll sign off by saying thanks for taking the time to read this. let me know if you'd be interested in joining me on an upcoming run.

God Bless,

Pat