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

Someone else's picture of the Meson de Mesilla. Someone else's picture of the Meson de Mesilla.

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

Someone else's picture of that wonderful bookstore in Mesilla, NM. Someone else's picture of that wonderful bookstore in Mesilla, NM.

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

Ramble 18: 2 Down, 5 To Go.