Day 32: Santa Fe National Forest

September 19, 2024

Distance: 111km

Climbing: 1936m

The descent from our forest camp took us through several climate zones in a matter of two hours. The high pine forest, then a region of shorter but more frequent trees including juniper, then a region with several varieties of cactus, and then valley floor farmland.

It’s the Mars Polar Lander, what did you think it was?

As we reached the valley floor we stopped at the El Rito NSFS Ranger Station where we were able to fill our water bottles, donate my bear spray, and take some offered M&Ms.

Another hour or two on the road took us to the town of Abiquiu where we ran into five bike packers, three of whom we’d already met, including the mother and son. All had taken detours of various lengths to avoid the mud as we had, although we had rejoined the trail sooner having heard that it dried quite quickly.

We restocked in Abiquiu and tackled another big climb, similar in gain to Indiana Pass, but not quite as sustained. What it lacked in sustained grade though it made up for in heat from direct sunlight and a very rocky surface that made progress slow. It took about five hours to complete the climb. We both felt strong though and really wanted to get over the climb and past the plateau at the summit so we could lose some altitude before camping to benefit from a slightly warmer morning. Our strategy today was a bit different to deal with the slow pace the terrain forced. We skipped lunch and just snacked harder, and rode until a bit past 6pm since we had the energy and had reached the downslope. This worked out well as I find I’m sluggish after a big lunch anyway and fighting through that leaves me more tired at the end of the day.

Along the climb today we had a few hunters call to us we went by their camp to offer us water. We happily accepted 1L each and chatted for a few minutes. A number of people stopped their vehicles to chat and ask if we needed anything.

We found a meadow to camp in that let us enjoy the warmth of the setting sun long enough to set up and make dinner.

This section of the trail in New Mexico is known to have fewer water sources. So far we have managed fine and never gotten close to running out, but one difference compared to most of the rest of the trip is that we don’t have water at any of our campsites so we have to arrive with enough to make dinner and breakfast and until we ride to the next source.

One thing we’ve also noticed in New Mexico is a sudden increase in the number of cans and bottles in the ditch - it’s a startling difference. I don’t know if it’s a big difference in the level of drinking and driving or a lack of a bottle refund - it’s amazing how effective a 10 cent refund can be. Notwithstanding that hat, New Mexico has been lovely so far. We have a bit more of the mountainous part for a few days before we get into more full-on desert.

Today's ride: 111 km (69 miles)
Total: 3,581 km (2,224 miles)

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