Hachita, New Mexico

Hachita is an intersection on the way to the border. There is a small cafe next to the rodeo arena. The published camp grounds is not for tenters - no water, no facilities, gravel yard that is totally out in the open in town. The biting flies were terrible. There is a small general store with a gas pump that was not open. We were told the owner opens it when he is in the mood!
BETH writes - Today was an easy 60 miles through the desert. The first part of the day was spent on the last of the dirt roads I would see in this grand adventure. I saw a Rood Runner, huge Millipedes, cool enormous wasps, three Pronghorns and several Black Hawks today. The desert goes from Mesquite bushes to grassy/ Yucca areas over the course of a few miles and then back again. It was fascinating to watch. At mile 43, I came across the last Continental Divide crossing at 4500 ft. and it was flat as can be! I stood there on the line not sure if I should turn around, just stay there or keep going. I was excited to finish my journey a few days ago, but now the bitter sweetness of the end makes me want to slow down and make last forever. Of course the pain in my rear sends my mind back to the idea of finishing the 2500 miles I have come. I arrived around 2:30 in Hachita to where I thought we would camp for the night to find Mom and Fran ready to keep going. The "RV Park" we were supposed to stay at had no working bathroom, no bushes to hide to pee in, and had horrible flies. The town, which is not much of a town, had a small cafe which we stopped and had hamburgers. As we left town a Border Patrol officer stopped my Mom and Fran and told them to camp further down the road because there had been a huge drug bust in Hachita this morning. Oh, Boy!! I rode 11 miles down the road to find Mom and Fran pulled off the highway on a side road and we set up camp. The scarey part is that my map says to camp carefully on this highway because it is used by drug trafficers and illegals at night. We could be in for an interesting night. The road we were along had several cars go down it while we were lounging this evening. I get the biggest kick out of the fact that in NH the idea of people pulled off the road camping would be weird, but here people just wave like you are normal and not out of place. One day left to the border at 35 miles, I just hope for a quite safe night so I can finish my grand adventure.
JAN writes - It was over 80 degrees at 9AM when we set out. Luckily the clouds moved in and it never got above 86 degrees. Fran and I drove ahead of Beth and would wait for her. We explored the desert along the sandy road. We saw lots of quail, road runners, interesting insects, and lots of cactus. We got to the tiny town of Hachita and found that the advertised campground didn't exist. The teenager working at the cafe said we could pitch a tent next to the cafe, but it was also next to the rodeo arena. There was no water or bathroom (or bushes) and the flies were terrible. Then the customs men arrived and we learned there had been a big drug bust and we were warned not to pitch a tent near town as the guys were on foot in the area. Beth got back on her bike and rode another 11 miles to a dirt road where I could pull off and not be driving on cactus. We are now camped next to the road leading to the border. The customs men told us it is patrolled all night and we'll be safer here then further off the road where the illegals sneak through. Not much comfort there and no cell service, so we are armed with 2 canisters of bear spray and a hammer in the tent. Small rattlesnake in pic was warming himself on the road.