Day 35: Grants to Pie Town.

September 23, 2024

Today my internal alarm went off at 5:30 and the real alarm went off at 5:45. Our plan for the day was tonight hit Denny’s early and fill right up for a big day, hopefully all the way to Pie Town (about 145 km). The day before we ate the motel breakfast but it just didn’t cut it for a big day. That was our third trip to Denny’s and the third time having the exact same meal. I have to give them credit for consistently but that’s probably the most times I can go in any given week.

Our bikes were ready to go so we were out the door of the motel by 7 am and on the road working our way back to the trail. Along the way there were a few interesting buildings and Route 66 designations. We couldn’t leave town without passing through more neighbourhoods with dogs. I think they likely woke the owners more than bothering us this time.

Interesting reaction to the pavement ending. Check out the hole in the sign.

When we got out of town we were immediately on a really nice quiet gravel road that climbed slowly through really unique rock formations. I was relieved because I was hoping we wouldn’t always be in the desert and this felt very different in a good way. We continued climbing slowly for a couple of hours and then reached the highest point of the day without too much of a push. It was a nice grade and really scenic. I felt really strong riding all day. I think the day of rest gave me a good boost.

We know all about the peanut butter and so happy with the forecast of sun all the way!

After finishing the gravel section we turned onto a dirt road that said it was impassable when wet and we now fully understand what they mean. I really enjoyed this riding. It was really hard packed and we were really moving fast. I think we made 70 km by 1130 when we stopped for burritos that we bought at Walmart. I could not believe the price at $1.47 so we bought 4 for lunch.

After lunch we finished the hard packed dirt, had a very short piece of highway, and then had gravel for the rest of the day. Again there were a few places with possible water that there wasn’t any and then another windmill that did have water in a giant basin with lots of vegetation growing in it. We didn’t need a refill at that time and were felling pretty confident about getting to our destination with water left over.

Cool reflection on the basin. Check out the growth!

We made it all the way to Pie Town by 6 pm and found our way to the Toaster House which is another trail angel house open to hikers and bikers. They have beds where you provide your sleeping bag, stove, and a pantry full of food people have left behind for others to use. We don’t need any more food. We are excited always to eat some of the food to make the bikes lighter.

I’m really happy with the progress we made today. We only have 500 km left now for 5 days and we should be able to average more than 100 km per day so that our last day is shorter for the shuttle to El Paso.

Highlights:

-scenery outside of Grants and the whole climb

-dirt road was an awesome surface for riding

-feeling strong after a day of rest

-endless blue sky and great temperatures for riding

Distance - 149 km / 1338 m elevation gain

Today's ride: 149 km (93 miles)
Total: 3,989 km (2,477 miles)

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