New Mexico's Rio Grande valley

Land of chili peppers! It would have been an easy cruise downhill along the Rio Grande if not for a stiff headwind that lasted all day. Nonetheless, the irrigated agricultural valley was charming, though most of the time my head was tucked down against the wind, making it tough to catch all the scenery. The smell of chilis was everywhere, a joy to the nose, surpassed only by the smell of garlic in Gilroy, Californib.