September 19, 2024
Day 32: From wilderness through Albiquiu to wilderness.
Shaken and stirred thoroughly.
Today was another great day of effort and progress starting at 7:30 and finishing at 6:10 pm.
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We woke up in our cowboy camp and made coffee and enjoyed oatmeal. We also polished off the white bread as a vehicle to eat more peanut butter. For whatever reason we were a bit more efficient and were moving at 7:30. Yesterday we did a huge climb to our eventual camp so Peter commented that we would have only a few bump (up and down) and then we’d have a nice long descent into a small town with a convenience store and restaurant. There was talk of another coffee.
The descent was very nice amongst the ponderosa forest and we made very good time arriving in El Rito by 8:30 at the ranger station. It was a nice building that was open so Peter took advantage of the restroom and I chatted with a local who was drinking a coffee and wanted to share his good fortune from yesterday of selling some wood for $1100. I congratulated him and then asked about water fill up opportunities. There was a nice lady at the counter and she pointed me to a spigot outside. After filling bottles Peter surrendered his bear spray and she gifted him peanut M&Ms. I was mildly envious.
We rolled through the town which again felt a little bit like Mexico. We were passed by several cars who all waved. It was exciting to know that we would have a net descent all the way to Abiquiu which was roughly 42 km from our start for the day. This part of the ride turned into highway with a modest shoulder and few cars. I noticed several crosses by the side of the road where there was really no reason for accidents. The only thing I could guess was drunk driving because the amount of bottles and small liquor containers strewn in ditches and along the road has gone up sharply from other states.
When we arrived in Abiquiu we went straight to Bodes that was right off of the road. There to my surprise was a mother and son tandem that we met 4 or 5 days before at the camp with only bikers. It did not compute that they got there first but she explained she’d struggled with health issues and they went to a clinic and took a U-Haul to get to this point.
It then started to feel like we were on reality TV because they stayed at an RV park locally and said there were a big group of riders. We asked if they saw Nick and they confirmed they talked to the guy in the cowboy hat riding the Salsa Cut Throat (bike brand known for this route). We asked if he got struck in the mud as I suspected and they confirmed they had an awful time and had to carry their bikes. As we were talking there was another guy we recognized from the Facebook group and then Daniel (LA) rolled in at the same time. Moments later another Canadian from Edmonton. So now I’m sure we are Peter and Andrew from Vancouver to everyone.
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The store was great! They had breakfast burritos so we enjoyed that savoury treat with another coffee. Then I ran back in and topped up our candy and real food supplies and we were ready to go again after about a 45 minute break. We never took another significant break for the rest of the day because we had 1200 m of climbing to get done.
We got back on the road and made a quick turn onto gravel for the rest of the day. After being chased briefly by a few dogs in town we were alone again. I have my foot cocked ready to give a sharp kick if they get too close. And I love dogs. I just don’t love dogs that bite me.
The gravel climbing was good to start. We found a stream after about 45 minutes and decided to top up again not knowing what we’d find later. The water from the stream was clear and cold so I drank that bottle right away and also drank nearly a full bottle while filling up. Nothing like pre hydration! Today the weather was ideal about 24 C with a slight breeze and warm sun. I applied and reapplied my 50 baby sunscreen (what was available last resupply) several times; it smells great too.
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The climbing was going well. We had a couple trucks with locals stop and encourage us and talk about the topography. That was very nice. Eventually the climbing became difficult. It wasn’t the grade. That was fine. It was the surface that kept change from protruding rocks you couldn’t avoid and then to very long rocks that had seams and ruts from bulldozers. I could feel every vibration up through my seat. It was not comfortable and there was little reprieve for a very long time (5-10 km if I had to guess). Occasionally we’d try and ride beside the road on the grass and then sometimes there would be a little spots of sand that felt great after all the bumps. At times we pushed our bikes for a bit to take a break from the bumps. And other times we’d stand to ride but that’s not sustainable for long.
Then I spotted a bike in the distance and we rolled up to find our Kiwi friends. Again, another feeling like we were on reality TV. They chose to take the highway from Chama way further than us until it intersects the trail. We chose to follow the trail as closely as possible so we cut across to the trail on another highway. That meant they jumped ahead of us. We chatted a bit but I was eager to move on because it was already 3:30 and I wanted to get to the summit and descend to lower altitude.
We climbed some more difficult terrain and saw a few trucks and tents a few hundred metres from us. Two guys called out to us and asked if we needed water. We paused and then decided it was a good idea so we walked over with an empty 1 L bottle. They met us with bottled water that we transferred to our bottles and talked elk hunting season for a few minutes before thanking them and starting riding again. Nice guys.
After more challenging rutted roads we finally got to the top at 4:30. Peter said we’d gone 82 km or thereabouts and we’d have to bump up and down at this elevation for about 25 km before descending. It turned out that 25 km was definitely a net descent so we covered that ground fairly quickly and we decided we’d ride later tonight.
We got to the descending part as it was getting close to 6 pm and we rode quickly until we hit a level area where we could pull off and wild camp. We set up our tents very fast and had dinner cooking while enjoying a salad we bought earlier in the day. We had a beautiful sun drenched dinner followed by a very pretty sunset.
Hope to sleep well tonight. This was a very productive and scenic day. It sure felt like how I’d imagined New Mexico.
Highlights:
-Interactions with other riders, locals and store staff
-Bodes was a great stop and very efficient
-We climbed really well and again almost met our biggest elevation day
-Very unique scenery
-Good water management as we drank lots and never came close to running out
Distance - 111 km / 1936 m elevation gain
Today's ride: 111 km (69 miles)
Total: 3,587 km (2,228 miles)
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