PEANUT Butter

Day 58—Wednesday, September 28—Cuba to dispersed camping on the trail to Grants

50 miles

Got a late start in order to pick up the final mail drop, so I knew I was tailing Eric by about 90 minutes and TJ by about 45 mins.

The first 10 miles were on a major highway complete with tractor trailers going 70 mph and a generous shoulder. The landscape was completely different than yesterday. Eroded edges of buttes and exposed rock dominated the scene. Leaving the highway for a gravel road, the trail let up through a canyon before riding up to the top of the exposed edge and the plain above. The road rolled over the contours of the hills and it varied between soft sand, aggregate stone, mud, and a recently dried material that I have heard will turn to “peanut butter” when it gets wet. Fortunately for us, the day started blue and cloudless and no warmer than mid-70s. Spectacular fall day.

Rio Puercos with dramatic cliffs beyond 

Impassable peanut butter when wet

Wind, water, mud

Starting high and gently descending to lower elevations; long views were possible and interesting shapes of mountains and outcroppings visible. Eventually we found ourselves passing though a massively wide valley with desert-like buttes on one side and verdant grazing lands on the other. The views continued to become more dramatic.

Megetra Vittata 

Long views

Continental Divide Trail:  this is the hiking trail. Very challenging 

Typical arroyo or wash

Butte photographed like a building

Is that the old man in the mountain?

View of the valley through which we traveled

Our target destination was an artesian well of sweet and clean water where we topped off our water bottles and proceeded up the road a bit to find a dispersed camping site with long views back to the valley through which we had passed.

Big day tomorrow with 5,000 feet of climbing. This 125 mike stretch from Cuba to Grants has specific well (water) sites some of which have good water and others which do not. So hydration is definitely a concern as we move up the road.

NIGHT Noises

Day 57—Tuesday, September 27—Dispersed camping to Cuba, NM 

50 (+12) miles

The appearance of these little roadside flowers means that winter is coming soon according to Flora, the owner of the Cuban Lodge

On my 1985 bike trip, I encountered a wild animal only by its sound. It was dusk on the blue Ridge Pkwy and I was in the woods looking for a place to camp. Whatever creature completely unnerved me by letting out a hideous scream is as yet unidentified (panther? screech owl?). The fact that I could not identify it added to the potency of the moment when I thought the devil itself had me in its sights.

There are many unnerving sounds at night if you don’t know what they are: loons, foxes, and coyotes can be as eerie as a banshee if you don’t know what you are hearing.

Last night, in the late hours of Day 56 and early morning hours of Day 57, I heard a sound that eerily seemed to echo around the woods. Eric filled me in so I would not freak out: it was bull elk bugling. Look this up on the internet: when you hear it in broad daylight on your computer it's one thing; repeated bugling through the night is another! It’s truly an amazing sound I would not associate with these massive mammals.

Eric and bovine friends 

Furthermore, the open range cows and bulls added to the night noises, to the extent that I had my bear spray out for the first time in weeks.

The day broke early with cold, crystal clear skies, and Eric and I went  through our morning packing ritual. For the first time in weeks, I took off earlier than he did and headed down the trail. Fifty miles to Cuba and a two to one ratio of descents to climbing…we hoped to be there by 2 pm to collect a mail drop. Not so fast.

Additionally, we knew that access to clean water was going to be an issue so we conserved. I was down to about 3/4 liter and hoping for clean water sources.

I, apparently, was so enthralled with the trail that I missed a key turnoff and headed down a canyon that was off trail. After about 6 miles I stopped, had a few burritos and waited for Eric to appear. And waited. I suddenly got that sickening feeling that I had missed a turn. I consulted my guide and map and, sure enough, I had missed a turn and was on a road from which there was no good route. I backtracked 6 miles and this added about two hours and 12 miles.

As mistakes often compound, the delay put me right in line with an afternoon rain and hailstorm.  I decided to ride through it and the roads, some of which were made up of red clay, became thick and slippery which slowed my progress.

That white stuff is not mothballs—but what the hail!

More rain; more hail; I tried to capture a photo but only got one: I was soaked to the skin through a windbreaker and shirt and the temp dropped. I could no longer activate my phone/camera because there was no warmth in my fingertips. 

I put on warmer gloves and an under layer and the sun eventually showed its face and I warmed up.

Sun finally appeared in this beautiful part of the national forest

Descent into Cuba topped out at 36 mph

Landscape changes again. Couldn’t get the panorama to work on a wet phone so this image…

…goes with this one

Cuba, NM. If Del Norte is pronounced Delnort, is Cuba pronounced Cue-bay?

Most of the trail today was enclosed by trees so long views were not possible or memorable except there was a 6 mile paved downhill into Cuba which provided a glimpse of the landscape to come.

Cuba is a sleepy town with a Main Street that is a four lane highway. McDonalds and Subway seem to have killed the local eateries so Scottish food (McD’s) was the fare for tonight. When one’s body is craving a calorie replacement, principles go out the window. I usually feel sick after eating fast food; now I just want to eat more. This happens when you are burning 300-500 calories per hour.

Happy birthday to Kassie, my lovely mother-in-law. Had a nice chat with her while the clothes were in the spin cycle at the laundromat.

Updates: Don and Dan made it to Cuba—so far so good for them. We heard that one of the Dream Bikers crashed up on the mountain on a rocky downhill and had to be airlifted by helicopter. He suffered a broken scapula and a puncture lung. These roads are tricky and unforgiving and I feel fortunate to have made it this far with a few scrapes and a bee sting.

Three days until Grants, NM where I will conclude this adventure. Andy Lamb from Tucson (see early Montana riding pardner) has offered to pick me up in Grants and drive me to Denver. What a gift!

HOLDING Together

Day 56—Monday, September 26—Abiquiu to dispersed camping at 10,000 feet

27 miles

Horse was nice enough to pose first thing in the morning

We met Don and Dan from Seattle (father and son) at Retreat on the River. They had elected to take an alternate paved route between Hopewell Lake and Abiquiu. Unfortunately Dan ran over something in the road which caused a massive and loud blowout and caused a serious tear in the tire tread. They limped into Abiquiu and had spent the next two days trying to figure out how to patch it so they could make it to Grants, NM, nearly 200 miles of rough riding away. 

On a daily basis I am amazed at the abuse these bikes and tires take given the condition of the trail—and how the rider is really at the mercy of things holding together.

Don and Dan from Seattle hoping for better tire performance

A pre-dawn outdoor shower in the dark delivered hot water that lasted long enough to be satisfying on a cool morning. The day's temperature was not nearly as cold as at the higher elevations, which was a nice break. Eric and I packed up got on the road just as the sun cleared the nearby butte.

The guidebook said that today's ride would probably be the most challenging given elevation gain and the condition of the roads. We were up for it.

We got a hot breakfast burrito and coffee at Bode’s, tried to send some emails and then got going up the road. The Bike Dreamers arrived at the turn-off about the same time. Unburdened by any packs, they zoomed up the road which steeply wound its way up a canyon, turned to gravel, and eventually led to the top of a mesa that looked like a high plain bordered by mountains. It was a new reference plane as there was little indication, other than glimpses, that our starting point lay 2,000 feet below.

Here come the bike dreamers

Prickly Pear

Verdant oasis amid the high desert landscape 

Passing through canyon

Glimpse through the trees of lower valley

Succulent 

I eventually caught up to Eric and we shared another breakfast burrito (one of the best we have sampled) and a can of still-cold Arizona tea.

We continued our climb which, start to finish, resulted in 27 miles of climbing and 5,000 feet of vertical gain. The road took on all sorts of materials and conditions as I have tried to capture in pics. The trail passed through broad canyons whose sides were capped with the type of rock and geology you might expect to see in NM.

Reference plane/plain 2,000 feet above the valley floor (of which you would be unaware)

Iconic mountain from Georgia O'Keefe’s painting?  Eric heading up the road

Passing through a broad canyon. Road is in great shape ... here …

High plains objet d’art

Moisture lingers on an aspen leaf

I think this is a baby horned toad—only about an inch and a quarter long. His scampering caught the corner of my eye… he seems to be catching me in the corner of his eye. He stayed still for the portrait. Teeny guy. Amazing body.

Exhausted, Eric and I decided to camp after 27 miles. We did not see TJ and thought he maybe stayed a day in Abiquiu. We left a sign for him in the road as to our whereabouts using an animal bone for a “J.”

Upon setting up camp in this grassy clearing, we were visited by cows and a couple of bulls who interestingly make a lot of noise when grazing: sounds like heavy breathing through their noses.

Same ritual: set up tent, make dinner, hang up the food, take on warm sleeping clothing, brush teeth, say our good nights, and get in our tents by about 7:30. Sun has been setting at 7 pm and it gets chilly fast.

Campsite at 10,000 feet

RIVER Retreat

Day 55—Sunday, September 25—Hopewell Lake to Abiquiu 

57 miles; dropping 4,000 ft

Cows and free range cattle..more on this later

Rolfe joined us to share the campsite. From San Ignacio (near Durango) he is doing a 10 day loop

Ponderosa Pine, I believe

Canon Plaza , NM

Vallecito, NM. Abandoned storefront

Vallecito—first Biden sign

Fence collage

Jim and Ron invited us to lunch

A lot of really pleasant downhills today interspersed with shorter climbs through beautiful national forests filled with Aspen, pinion pine, and ponderosa pine. We were invited to lunch by Bike Dreams (see previous post) and had terrific sandwiches which saved us since some of the restock options were closed or nonexistent in some of the towns we passed through. The hosts were very friendly as well as some of the riders, made up of Americans and Europeans.

Subtle colors on a fall day

Landscape changing as we ride into El Rito

"Mars Polar Lander" in El Rito—not sure how to describe this…wonder who issued the building permit 

El Rito church and storefronts (click images to enlarge), including the Mexican restaurant that would not open

We tried to get a second lunch in El Rito but the excellent Mexican restaurant there was closed.  On to Abiquiu. Coming into El Rito, the landscape changed dramatically to interesting rock formations, buttes, and mesas. The rock and dirt became more colorful. This is the New Mexico landscape I am more familiar with.

Dropping down to Abiquiu 

Rock formations…crazy clouds

Mountains behind Abiquiu

Iconic flat top mountain that Georgia O’Keefe worked into her paintings 

We had lunch at the Abiquiu Inn but could not afford their room rates. We met up with TJ who had pedaled ahead when we stopped at Hopewell and picked up some food at Bode's. For camping we found the Retreat on the River owned by Goldie. It is a relaxing spot with a covered picnic area right on the Chama River, a wide muddy waterway that was flowing fully from recent storms. ROTR is a funky place with outdoor shower and composting toilet. Goldie was very hospitable!

TJ picked up a bottle of wine and we watched and listened to the river as well as dramatic skies and thunderstorms as they passed overhead.