Day 59—Thursday, September 29—Dispersed camping to just beyond San Mateo Springs
52 miles
Given the water concerns of being in high desert and the lack of shade or cover—and the reality of needing to climb 5,000 vertical feet along the 50+ mile route—this day turned out to be as challenging as any we have had.
The road conditions were fair and there were long stretches of deep soft sand and soft dirt where the road dove steeply in arroyos (dry stream beds at this time year): these made for some slow going. Despite being very distant from signs of civilization, we ran into a road crew regrading (smoothing) out the bumps in this sandy dirt track. Mixed bag: get rid of the bumps but add in piles of soft material. Also, mentally and physically exhausting to keep your bike upright while pedaling through the sand. Many times the bike just went sidewards.
But! The landscape was spectacular with many ship-sized buttes and interesting rock formations. The past two days provided some of the most compelling views of the entire ride.
As mentioned previously, despite traveling 35 miles in high desert, the last 15 miles required some significant climbing: more than I anticipated. We climbed into a ponderosa forest and camped yet again among the trees, which we have to appreciate after headwinds and crosswinds and shadeless topography.
It was a good day but it was a hard day. My legs were tired at the start and maybe got the idea that the trip was ending soon so why push?
The last few days have yet again reminded me of the mental challenge this trip demands, getting up every day and pushing on; something that will be required of Eric and TJ as they finish the last 385 miles.
Tomorrow it’s 20 miles downhill into Grants, NM where we will find the KOA ("there’s camping, and then there’s KOA") and meet Andy and say our farewells. TJ reminded me that we have ridden together for 1500 miles. Will miss Eric and TJ: great traveling companions.
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