September 18, 2024
Day 31: From Chama to the wilderness.
We both had a good sleep and felt rested waking up in the motel in Chama. We used the coffee maker to heat water for oatmeal and then coffee. Packing up what looked like a bomb went off took a bit of time but we were soon outside the room talking to our Kiwi friends who were a bit ahead of our progress. We looked over the bikes and got the chains lubed and set out for the day happy for sunshine.
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The road out of Chama was a highway but it had a generous shoulder so we were flying along at a good clip. Peter suggested we divert off the highway for a section to avoid a climb with minimal shoulder. That led to a very interesting pass through a town that looked very much like Mexico with similar architecture and some run down buildings.
We continued on the pavement through the towns and eventually it dumped back onto the highway for a piece. Then we went through a really run down area where we were concerned a dog could run out at any moment and eat our leg. Fortunately that didn’t happen.
We then started a climb on the highway that lasted for several hours. It was close to 1000 m of elevation gain. Along the way we pulled off for lunch. As roads go it was very nice. There were very few cars which made riding and eating lunch pleasant.
Soon after lunch we finally crested the hill and rolled into the gravel portion of the ride. We stoped at a campground to get water but found that every spigot was shut offs we next attempted to filter from the lake but it had strange green pieces that were a centimetre long and plentiful. We both decided that would destroy our filters. Then we spotted a water source supplied for hikers at the host site so we filled up and continued riding.
The gravel portion started great until we hit a flat section that was rutted by tires and muddy. We rolled in a bit of the mud we couldn’t avoid and felt good about our decision to take the bypass after the rain. It would be impassable. As it was it was challenging for a kilometre where we either walked off the trail or rode where it was possible. Fortunately once we started to go downhill things improved again and we didn’t struggle with mud the rest of the day.
There was talk of a convenience store when we reached pavement again but that turned out to be only a summer store; I had seen a video where its kids selling ice cream. So we continued on the pavement through some really run down areas that seemed to be forgotten by time. They almost felt like ghost towns but then we’d see a dog or two and some evidence that people still lived in the area.
The final stretch for the day was gravel with a lot of climbing. We agreed to ride until about 5:30 when we’d find a flat spot to camp. That worked well and we set our tents up at the crest of a long climb among ponderosa pine trees. We made very good progress today which felt good after a couple of challenging cold and wet days. It was one of our biggest climbing days. Tonight while eating we discussed the New Mexico riding. It will be less elevation gain but possibly poorer road conditions. Time will tell.
Tomorrow we will be in a smallish town by mid morning for a resupply. Our food stores are fine as we had an opportunity to add some things in Chama.
Highlights:
-quiet roads
-a few interesting small towns
-lunch by the highway was nice - rice, beans and corn
-sunshine but cool about 15 C
Distance - 120 km / 1926 m elevation
Today's ride: 120 km (75 miles)
Total: 3,476 km (2,159 miles)
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