24 March 2014
Gila Hot Springs to Kingston, New Mexico
54 miles (Total Miles = 700)

“You’re almost there,” says the gal in the maroon SUV, braking down the hill past me as I’m creeping up it. I sure hope she’s right, I think to myself, next wondering if her definition of “almost” and my definition of “almost” come from the same dictionary. To me, “almost” would mean that the 8,228 foot summit of Emory Pass is just around that next bend. To her, “almost” might mean a few more hundred feet of climbing because her “almost” comes from the seat of a car going downhill, so one could say that we are starting from different perspectives.

But there it is, the top of what has been about a 15 mile climb, and the view is simply spectacular. This little southwestern corner of New Mexico is definitely a hidden gem.

It’s hard to believe I’m typing this but at the bottom of the long descent from the summit is another night at a Lodge. A Lodge. I can hardly believe it myself. Let’s just type it again because it’s the last time I’ll be typing it on this trip: Lodge. This is one of those Lodges where Gina is running around parroting “cute, cute, cute, cute”. And it is cute. Super cute. Beyond cute. Cute. Cute. Cute.