September 20, 2024
Day 33: Cuba, NM
Distance: 135km
Climbing: 1344m
We had frost on the tents and ice in our water bottles this morning for the first time. We still got going in good time and enjoyed a mostly downhill ride to the town of Cuba where we ran into five or six more bikepackers, three of whom we’d run into before. After restocking at the grocery store we hit the highway and caught up with Ken. We shared the load pulling into the wind and completed the highway section at good speed and were finally back on gravel.
Now we were really in what we thought of as New Mexico: arid, sandy, beautiful stone formations, etc.
Starting out today we had 250km to Grants, an ambitious target for two days, but it would be really nice to get there tomorrow evening. Grants is the last big town before the six-day push to the finish. We hope to get a hotel there, do laundry, fuel up, get a good night of rest, and then crank. For that reason, plus the availability of water, we pushed today to 135km, although a few km of that was a detour for water. We hoped to set ourselves up with a good chance to make it to Grants.
While eating our dinner Kate and then Owen, the mother and son duo, rolled up to the same informal campground we had targeted. It was great to chat at a bit more leisure with them. Everyone has similar and different experiences with the route, different detours, different weather conditions, different chance encounters, different accommodations, as well different histories that have led them to tackle this ride. Some people have been bikepacking for years, others have barely done any. Anyone starting this with little experience to draw on will rapidly learn the routines and habits that work for them, and generally have many resources to help them like other riders, helpful locals, a Facebook group where you get very quick replies with advice and current conditions, etc. Learning as you go really does work here. Most errors or lack of experience will lead to some discomfort, rather than permanent damage or injury, and there’s no better teacher than experience.
Today's ride: 135 km (84 miles)
Total: 3,716 km (2,308 miles)
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