March 19, 2012
Day 23: Waiting out a storm in Hillsboro
The weather forecast calls for rain and snow showers all day, with very strong wind. Today I will stay in Hillsboro. I could use the rest after yesterday's big climb.
The precipitation came only occasionally. Sometimes rain but mostly snow. There were periods of sunshine, but it was still very cold and windy.
I walked around Hillsboro quite a bit. In the 1880's Hillsboro was a booming silver mining town with a population of more than 10,000, the biggest town in the New Mexico territory. But the mines closed in the 1890's when silver prices collapsed. Now Hillsboro has 124 residents.
The general store is open during the day but only until 3 PM. It's really more of a cafe than a general store. I had breakfast and a late lunch there. The other cafe is closed on Monday. At the cafe I spoke to a guy who specializes in petroglyph photography. His work is featured on a PBS television documentary.
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Ruins are scattered all around Hillsboro. Definitely more abandoned buildings than occupied buildings. The entire town is a historic district.
In 1936 the county seat was moved from Hillsboro to Hot Springs (later renamed Truth or Consequences). The brick courthouse was disassembled and the bricks were used to build storefronts in Hot Springs.
During the day I washed all my dirty clothes and patched a slow leak in the front tire. First flat of the tour. I learned that the motel has a weak Wi-Fi signal, so I caught up on the news and had a long Internet call with my wife.
Hillsboro has free camping at the city park. I would have camped there if the weather was warm, calm, and dry.
No cycling at all today, but I walked about 2 miles.
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