Stick a fork in this puppy!
After 39 days of riding, through 2 Provinces and 5 States, we finally reached Mexico.
The last 3 days in New Mexico have been a mix of tough riding and great experiences. After Pie Town, we headed into the
Gila National Forest. Wow, what a pretty little piece of the world. I am definitely heading back here again sometime soon.
We were trying to add extra miles to today's leg in order to shorten the next day. We were doing great until we hit a washed out section of the road that was impassable for the support van, and it would take 3 hours for a drive around the closed road to pick us up and shuttle us to the hotel, so we called it quits for the day.
We camped in
Reserve NM that night. A quiet, funky little town but apparently the campground owner doesn't own a lawn mower. Needed a little bike repair as my crank was cranky.
The next morning was a pre-dawn start and pretty crisp with temps below freezing. We shuttled back to the spot where we left off the day before, and worked our way around the closed road section. It seems that it rained for the last 2 months in the Gila area, and most of that rain looks like it went right down the middle of this road. It took me an hour to get the first 5 miles - and it took the main group about double that time as they pushed their bikes through most of it, and I tried my best to ride it all.
It was 100.2 miles of up and down and up and down. Rough climbs and descents and you ended up braking a lot more than you wanted to. Part of the ride was on the
Geronimo Trail - I would have thought Geronimo was smart enough to pick a smoother route.
Eventually we came out on a paved section and pedaled to Roberts Lake for the night. It was a hotel night, and I have no complaints about
The Little Toad Creek where we stayed. They brew their own beer and distill their own whiskey, which we worked our way through while chowing down on venison ribs in their dining hall. Life was good again after such a killer day.
The next day started on
Trail Of The Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway. After a tough steep climb right out of the gate, we were up on this amazing ridge where you could see forever. Today's 'normal' route was a short and scenic one, where we passed through Pinos Altos and ended in Silver City after only about 40 miles.
But, we all wanted to chew off some of the LAST day's mileage, since we were scheduled for 120 miles and not looking forward to it. So, we pitched our tents at the campground and pedaled another 50 miles to I-10 (our LAST Interstate) and got picked up there. Strong winds, but sometimes they were at our back for a change so no complaints.
A great dinner and then a few beers out in Silver City. Apparently the only silver here is in the hair of most of the residents - pretty much a retirement community - think Florida with less humidity.
And finally the big day. After being shuttled back to I-10, we had 72 miles of STRONG headwinds to contend with. And a landscape that didn't change much. The only break in the pain was when a Border Patrol car would race by - and there were a lot of them. I was on my own for one section, and got pulled over and questioned a bit. I guess I didn't fit the profile so off they went and left me alone.
I rode the last 17 miles with a pack of folks in what could only be described as a survival peleton against the wind. Finally we could see the border station!
It felt unreal to actually finish. A lot of the ride is a blur - there were so many miles and so many memories. Good days and bad days. Amazing experiences, and a few really bad ones.
Now we can add our names and experiences to the
GDMBR register, and start thinking about the next adventure! Thanks for reading.
