June 21, 2022
Cimarron - Taos, NM
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 1 | Link |
Our room was very stuffy last night. We had the window and the door open for air. Neither one of us slept well. Even Jacinto was awake at 4:30! Oren and I had agreed on a 7 AM depart. I told him I expected to stay with him the first few miles, but would eventually fall behind on the climb.
We stayed together until mile 11. I stopped for a bathroom break. Oren stopped also. But he shortly outpaced me. We were riding through a beautiful forested canyon. There were frequent campgrounds and trailheads. All were blocked off with orange cones and signs because of the fire. Oddly, right where we took our potty break, there were three backpackers sitting on the side of the road. We were in the area of the large Philmont Boy Scout Ranch. It has a prominent presence in Cimarron. We saw scouts everywhere! Steve, from our lodging, also owns a little coffee shop. He said they started the day yesterday with 50 breakfast sandwiches, and quickly sold out to the scouts. He said that 18,000 kids a summer come and stay at the ranch. It's obviously a very big operation. Even though the forest was closed, it appears the ranch was open.
The entire day today was one very long, gradual climb. I dropped into the granny to climb up to Eagle Nest Dam, looking over the lake. The short downhill into town was a pleasant respite.
We have been to Eagle's Nest before. Both times we rode through, and on to Red River and over Bobcat Pass. Going around that direction to Taos adds miles, and traffic. It isn't near as pretty as going over Palo Flechado Pass.
It was ten fast miles between Eagles Nest and Angel Fire. I was enjoying every bit of tailwind. Finally, it was our turn! Entertaining me along the way were all kinds of ground squirrels. They would 'eeek' at me and go running. Some of them were quite fat.
Although we stayed on Highway 64, we lost our shoulder at Angel Fire. It was only two miles to the top from the turn. A flagger had about 20 cars stopped. I made my way to the front of the line to see what was up. They were grading the edge of the road. Recent rains had caused dirt to get on the road. I was instructed to let the cars go, and then follow. The lead truck would make sure to go around me. Both the flagger and the truck driver were very friendly.
I think it worked to our advantage to have the construction. Cars came by in clumps. The road was otherwise empty. I needed to use the granny gear for most of the climb. I stopped the first time cars came past on my side, but not the second. Overall, I felt that the climb wasn't too difficult. It had many switchbacks to take the bite out of the climb.
I had two big semi flatbed trailers loaded with construction equipment pass me, also going uphill. I was happy they were behind a lead truck and we didn't have to worry about traffic the opposite direction.
I thought I might see Oren at the top, but he was gone. I waved at more construction workers, took out my one leftover chicken strip as a snack, and took off. I was sweaty, but thought the sweat might dry on the downhill. I was a little cold, but the road wasn't too steep for long. Mostly it was a long, let her go kind of descent. Plus, we still had a tailwind! Payback!
Almost to town, I saw Oren. He later said that he spent about a half hour talking to one of the construction guys. The money has been appropriated for a major improvement project on the pass. They are going to add a third lane, and chain up areas.
Temperatures were cool all day. Low 60's? Wind was favorable. We all agreed we felt just a drop or two of rain. That was it. Remember back in Trinidad when I wanted to combine two days, because this day was supposed to have .96 inch of rain? It didn't happen! Not even a drop. We can only hope the same thing happens on our next big day, over the Brazos Overlook between Tres Piedras and Chama.
Oren and I rode together to town. We went straight to our lodging. The woman who checked us in might have been the owner. She was very surly. It did not matter how I complimented their lodging, how I enjoy staying here, the breakfast, etc. She had a stone face and zero personality. I had made a phone call a few weeks ago, inquiring if they still had afternoon tea (and dessert!). The lady on the phone was pleasant and chatty. She said the owner (Barbara?) had passed away, and the daughter was running things. That her heart wasn't in it and afternoon tea had been discontinued and not brought back. I didn't have to worry about requesting the three layer gluten free chocolate cake they made for us our last pass through. Apparently, they used to make all sorts of desserts for afternoon tea. That's what I remember. Then they downgraded to cookies. Now they have nothing. We are waiting to see how breakfast is in the morning. It used to be amazing.
Oren and I were just getting organized to go in our rooms when Jacinto showed up! We agreed to hurry and get ready to go to lunch. We went to La Cueva, around the corner, where we have eaten before. They were busy. The food was excellent. Much, much better than our meal at the Cree Mee ice cream last night.
We have three hours until dinner time. We usually eat at 5, which works fine with Oren becasue he likes to beat the rush. Taos looks like the kind of place that will have a rush. Even though we barely ate, I feel confident that we will be able to clean our plates!
Tomorrow is a day off. Then we have six riding days before another day off. In those six days, three of them are over 4,000 feet of climbing. Rain and wind are still considerations for us. Although the forests are closed because of fires, roadways are open.
Today felt like an easy day, even with all of the climbing. It was a relief to finally have a tailwind. We all agreed this was the most fun we've had for a few days.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 704 miles (1,133 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 8 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 1 |
2 years ago
2 years ago