June 24, 2021
Gary's Birthday Treat
Mitzvah's from strangers
Rolled out of Albuquerque at 7:30am to pleasant warm temps and a sunny blue sky. The trail out of town passed through downtown, a path along the Rio Grande, and finally the main roads towards Interstate 40 west towards Grants, NM. Our homemade route did not turn out to be as expected. To avoid travel on I-40 our route took back roads paralleling I-40 all the way to Grants. At mile 20 we turned to our first back road. Found a road with solitude from the loud highway, and almost no cars. We spotted a group of 6 wild horses with three very young colts, still nursing. The horses were 40 yards off the roadside, and looked agitated by our stopping to snap their photos.
About 6 miles in we turned to an old road that quickly changed to merciless deep sand. This was followed by a Tribal Security officer who pulled up in his truck, told us this was private tribal land and that we could only drive through and due to Coronavirus were forbidden for talking to any tribal residents. Based on these issues, we backtracked out to I-40 and caught old Route 66 towards Grants.
It turned out that Route 66 only exists in chunks, and after 8 miles we hit a barbed wire dead end of Route 66, with a single locked 5 foot steel gate between us and I-40. Working the problem we hoisted our 100 pound rigs over the fence and hopped back onto the shoulder of I-40.
Clear skies turned into huge black lightning filled clouds which sent us racing for cover under a highway overpass bridge. Left the bikes semi sheltered and climbed with our lunch snacks up the embankment to stay dry beneath the road above. On the opposite side of the highway bridge was waved at two other bicycle tourists, also takin shelter from the storm.
Back on I-40, but now with the challenge of road construction zones that minimized our skinny shoulder. White knuckle travel along I-40 as the huge semi trucks did their best to navigate the construction zone with our two tiny bicycles making another obstacle for them to avoid.
Exited I-40 for a return to Route 66 in Laguna, NM, and were immediately chased by two dogs. 5 miles later we frightened away two more dogs. Had three more dogs run out from the opposite side of the road and THANKFULLY the oncoming traffic prevented those scary dogs from crossing. Few more miles down Route 66 we were chased by a family's pack of five mongrels. And it rained hard, again.
Thanks to our backtracking and escapades with I-40, the 84 mile trip from ABQ to Grants was now clocking 84 miles but we still had 10 to go. Just as we psyched ourselves up for a final 10 mile ride along the shoulder of I-40 to reach Grants, we were flagged down by Gary.
Gary arrived in a late model all White F250, beat up and missing various handles and trim pieces. "Hey, you guys want some nuts?" He spotted us, thought we looked hungry, had leftover hazelnuts he was delivering to local needy tribal families, and figured he do a good deed. We swapped stories, learned his 65th birthday is tomorrow, he lives alone and was simply heading home. He offered us a ride in his pickup for the final 10 miles to Grants and we happily accepted his generosity. I climbed in the bed with the bikes and Steve rode with Gary in the cab. Seems that Gary was happy and drunk. Poured from his liquor bottle into his coffee cup as we cruised down I-40 and chatted away his stories. To be sure a wonderful man who did his mitzvah for the day by getting us to mile 94 for the day, and put an end to our 84 mile journey to Grants.
Last night at a hotel and famished, we walked over to Wal-Mart, raided their prepared foods, a pie, chips and Pepsi, headed back to the hotel, and dined like Wal-Mart royalty.
Tomorrow we hit the divide.
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Today's ride: 94 miles (151 km)
Total: 198 miles (319 km)
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3 years ago