Sipapu - Angel Fire, NM - The Mountain Goat Tour

July 14, 2011

Sipapu - Angel Fire, NM

Fear of heat caused me to get out the door early this morning. No worries there - we were in a canyon and it was some time before the sun penetrated the canyon. The early morning run through the narrow canyon next to the river reminded me of the downhill off of Lolo Pass in Montana.

Cheryl next to yet another old cabin. I didn't see much of the California crew while cycling as they typically started later than I did and quickly passed me. This particular morning I was stopped for a 'nature break' (Genny's term) when the crew caught up with me.

I caught John in action here - zipping past while others are stopped.

We saw many, many closed and abandoned buildings this tour. Riding through Cleveland was a bit spooky for me - sometimes I need to be hit over the head to realize how privileged my life is. It has been many years since Cleveland has seen prosperity.

I found several mentions of Holman Hill on the New Mexico Touring Society's website. All with warnings of great difficulty. It was quite frustrating for us, to ride such long granny gear climbs that didn't have names. Once I came across the Holman Hill name written with such reverence, I had to figure out just where it was. Surely we had ridden it. Yes, we had! Lucky us, we rode down Holman Hill (summit 9,469 feet) into Mora. It would have been a long climb. We zipped through several small towns on the downhill, all showing poor economic times. Dogs came out and gave chase from several different homes. All attacks were unsuccessful.

John is from Santa Fe and has done quite a bit of cycling on the county roads in the Mora valley. He led us to the Cowboy Kitchen in . I had a pancake and two eggs for only $3.00. You can't beat those prices!

After leaving Mora we took Hwy 434 in Angel Fire. This was, almost unanimously, the favorite road of the trip. We started out in the valley, then through a narrow, narrow canyon with the water all but lapping across the road. There were so many cattle guards, I lost count. Very few cars. The prettiest location ever for a campground was occupied by the Sierra Bonita Cabins and RV Park.

We passed the Victory Alpaca Ranch just outside of Mora.We did not stop, but according to their website, they sell yarn, garments, blankets, books,and also give ranch tours. The alpacas had recently been shorn and looked quite comical with their short coats and long, furry 'boots' where they hadn't been shorn. Unfortunately, I didn't get a close up photo.

Just as we were cycling out of town we passed the Tapetes de Lana Weaving Center. They spin yarn and also weave rugs and garments. It is a non profit center created to preserve New Mexico traditions and rural lifestyle.

A mere 4.7 miles from Mora is the Salman Raspberry Ranch. They have a pick your own field, cafe, and store. This would make a nice pitstop if you bicycle on Hwy 442. We didn't go that direction. Instead we were on the aforementioned beautiful Hwy 434.

We passed by the alpacas, the spinning mill, and the raspberry farm. Those attractions together would have made a nice day off. There is no lodging in Mora - but the Mora Inn and RV Park is located two miles out of town. Although there are the above mentioned sights to see, the town of Mora itself holds little. That seems contradictory - but that's how I call it.

I felt relieved at the good cloud cover today. The road had several very steep grades. Two of which I got off and walked. From the wet road, it was obvious that I was missing rain, but receiving shade from the clouds. This was the first grade I walked. My Garmin 305 said the grade was 16% when I gave up and started pushing. I'm not sure that it was really that steep - but it was a good one.

The second grade I walked was also worth documenting. Why is it steep hills never seem as steep in a photo?

As we finished the climb, nearing Angel Fire, the valley opened up.

Our condo was a granny gear climb up the hill. Cheryl decided to make the foray back downhill to the grocery store. I was too lazy to go, but sent money with her for a milk to go with my oatmeal for breakfast. Jacinto sent money for a soda. Jim, Genny, and Cheryl went. Jim said it seemed a much shorter distance on the downhill than on the uphill, he wasn't sure how he let the ladies talk him into the trek. After arriving back at the condo and sorting through their grocery bags, it was discovered the beverages were missing. Cheryl was very apologetic. Then her tone turned to anger when she discovered her tea was also missing. It was probably a good thing for the grocery that they didn't answer the phone when she called to ask why the clerk didn't come outside with the missing grocery bag. They had stood outside of the store's window eating a snack before heading back up the hill.

We rented a 4 bedroom condo in Angel Fire. This was our first try at group housing. It was some cheaper for the couples and quite a bit cheaper for the singles. Renting houses is somewhat difficult as most places want multiple night stays.

We had mixed reviews on the group housing. The major plus was that there was an inside gathering area. It was also cheaper. The downside was lack of privacy (especially bathrooms) and noise factors. Several times Jacinto wanted to watch TV, but that disturbed others. He said he'd rather have just a motel room. Jacinto is making up for lost time, he didn't have TV at all growing up and does enjoy watching the news and the baseball game in the evening . . . .

As we were walking to dinner this evening, a woman stopped her car, rolled down the window and told us that we looked like the Magnificent Seven striding purposefully downhill. She made our evening, giving us such a compliment. Although, I don't know many touring cyclists who don't stride purposefully to dinner. We all had such warm feelings from her taking the time to say something nice. I made a mental note to always give a compliment when given the chance - I'm sure her words will stick with us far longer than she'll remember saying them.

We ate a yummy Chinese dinner. Each of us ordered a dinner and then we shared everything family style. It was delicious. We could hardly waddle back uphill to our condo after. Jacinto and Ken justified their big dinner by walking back down to the grocery to collect the missing groceries. They had no trouble retrieving the items. We were all happy to have our beverages.

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