Day 208: Silver City, NM

It was cold again when we awoke, so we tried waiting for things to warm up before heading out.  It managed to reach 39 degrees when we opted to head out, hoping that it would warm up a few degrees by the time we returned to the intersection with New Mexico Hwy 15.  It hadn't, so we waited for more than a half hour for it to warm up.  But the thermometer stubbornly stayed at 39 degrees, despite the fact that we were in fun sun.

Eventually I decided to bundle up and head out.  The road was steep almost immediately, and the cold air burned my lungs, having experienced nothing similar since my commuting days years ago.  Despite that discomfort, the cold air made it an easy climb, since there was no way I could overheat at whatever pace I chose.

We had planned a short riding day, knowing that we would need to restock the pantry and get some laundry done, as it would be a few days before we would once again have easy access to those services.  I rode a total of 26 miles, crossing the Continental Divide (which Alea had also crossed a couple of days ago) at Pinos Altos.  From there it was an easy downhill coast into Silver City.

Downtown Pinos Altos.  Established in the early 1860s, it doesn't
appear to have faired well in The Great Bushwhack.

There happened to be a Ford dealer in town, so we stopped to ask whether it was possible to disable a feature where the parking lights come on for several minutes whenever any door is opened.  This has gotten us into trouble a few times now, causing the battery to drain.  We have always managed to recharge the battery using the charging cable on our generator, but we would prefer not to continue having that experience.

The techs were hopeful that their computer sometimes has the ability to make changes that aren't available in the user menu, but it turns out that there is no way to disable the feature.  The problem is worse when we have the headlights set to "auto," as they will also come on.  So we will try to avoid using that, and be more cognizant of how many times we open and close the van doors throughout the day.

After getting lunch and groceries, we checked in at Silver City RV Park ($30, power, water, cable, wi-fi, adjustable showers and coin laundry).  It seems to be a well run park, though trailers are wedged into just about every nook and cranny.

Thankfully, the morning temperatures were warmer at the lower elevation (somewhat below 6,000 feet, I believe).  But we are anxious to get through the mountains, as the temperatures are likely to drop into the mid-20s tonight...