Oct 15 Caballo Reservoir, New Mexico

Dropping down the east side of Emory pass was long and steep, and I was afraid that all the braking I was doing would overheat my tires and pop my tubes, so I occasionally stopped to let my rims cool off. At the end of the descent, the landscape suddenly became that of arid desert. I passed the town of Hillsborough, where all the cafes and shops were closed; the poor little place has seen better days, back in the last century when it was the county seat and a base for miners. I rode on to the valley of the Rio Grande, where a dam creates this pleasant reservoir, near which I'm now camped at a friendly campground.