Week 8: The Land of Enchantment
Thanks for joining me on my trip along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Whitefish, MT, to Antelope Wells, NM. I'll be sending this newsletter about once a week. It will be in a narrative journal format with a few pictures. To see more pics, please check out my Instagram account.
Day 50 & 51: Bandera Volcano & Ice Cave rest and exploration days
Dad, Denise, and I spent two extra days in the cabin at the Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave. On Monday I got a chance to hike up to the volcano rim and see down into the sandy crater and then hike over to find the Ice Cave down in an old lava tube. The ice inside is 12 feet thick and green colored from the algae that lives in it. The cave stays below freezing all year round and the ice is fed by rainwater and snowmelt.
On Tuesday we drove over to El Morro National Monument. El Morro is a large sandstone mesa with a pool at its base which made it an ideal stopping point for travelers in the area throughout many centuries, starting with the Ancestral Puebloans who lived there. They left petroglyphs on the walls of the mesa and many travelers during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries left over 2,000 dated inscriptions on the walls as well.
On the way to El Morro we passed the dirt road I needed to take when I left the cabin to get back on my route. At that moment there were two side-by-side vehicles parked at the end of the road completely coated in mud. We pulled over to talk with the two guys. They had just finished the 30 mile section of road and said it was the worst mud they've ever seen. They strongly recommended taking an alternative route. I decided to listen to them and use the El Malpais Alternate route on paved highway 117. Unfortunately it started in Grants and there was no choice but to go back the 20+ miles I had already traveled. In the interest of time, I decided to have Dad & Denise take me and the bike to a campground on SR-117 the next morning to start my ride again.
Day 52: Joe Skeen CG to Pie Town
We woke before dawn, packed the truck, and headed to Joe Skeen Campground. There we said our goodbyes as they headed off to visit Taos, the Great Sand Dunes National Park, and possibly other points on the way back to Michigan. I started on down the paved highway which wound through the eastern edge of El Malpais and eventually into a wide open grassland where I reconnected with the main route on a well-maintained gravel road. That road was a fairly straight and level shot down to Pie Town, NM.
I'd gone 50 miles by noon, but with more rain in the forecast for the afternoon, I opted to set up my tent in the city park and stay dry. The rain broke in the mid-afternoon, so I trekked over to Pie Town Pies for a late lunch and, of course, some blueberry pie.
Day 53: Pie Town to FR-30 Campsite
The roads south of Pie Town were wet, but not muddy. I cruised along through now-familiar surroundings of mesas, junipers, and piñon pines with a few small grasslands thrown in. In the late morning I started a gradual climb through the Mangas Mountains. I started thinking about where I'd refill water, though I still had a few liters on hand. The creek beds were all dry and all I saw were some small muddy ponds. Eventually I knew I was going to cross a large plain, so I filtered from the largest pond I could find.
I descended the mountains and crossed a highway to begin tracing the western edge of the grassy Plains of San Agustin. Along the way I found a big box at the AF Ranch labeled "GDMBR water." I wished I'd waited to fill my bottles. Another box contained snacks and a guest book. I signed the book, had a mini feast, and donated a few bucks.
Later on I began climbing through Y Canyon which emerged at the open grassland of Collins Park. A pronghorn hunter offered to share his campsite there, but I wanted to go just a little farther to the ponderosa pine forests near Elk Mountain. I found a rare, small running stream there and knew I had to make camp nearby. As I was eating dinner, I heard the strangest high-pitched whining sounds. They became louder as it neared my camp and seemed to fill the forest to the west. Then the sound veered south just before my camp and I glimpsed a few elk through the trees. I never knew they made such a strange sound. They moved off toward the appropriately named Elk Mountain.
Day 54: FR-30 Campsite to Upper Black Canyon CG
A heavy dew fell in the morning and the trees were not going to let the sun dry my tent quickly, so I packed it up wet and hit the road. Another cyclist named John had briefly stopped by my camp the previous evening before riding on a little farther. I found him with another guy named Steve at the Beaverhead Work Center which is a nice water stop before heading into the hills of the Gila National Forest. I found out Steve was the one that had spooked the elk herd the night before. He said there could have been 300-400 of them! Two other cyclists named Tom and Deb also arrived while we were there. It was nice to see some other folks on the trail again.
We all took off at our own paces into the hills which were advertised as steep and tough, but I only found them moderately tiring with just a few steep sections. By late afternoon I came to my destination in Black Canyon. Two more cyclists named Alex and Tyler, plus Tom and Deb, all showed up to the same tiny campground which basically filled it up. We made room for a couple adventure motorcyclists later in the evening too. The best feature of the campground was the creek rushing through it. I hadn't seen this much flowing water in many days. It's rushing sound put me right to sleep at night.
Day 55: Upper Black Canyon CG to Spirit Canyon Lodge
Another day's ride through the Gila National Forest took me over a hill and into another beautiful valley called Rocky Canyon where a small stream criss-crossed the road several times splashing up on my legs during the warm morning. Finally after a couple hours of short ups and downs I emerged at a paved scenic byway which led into the small town of Lake Roberts.
Tom & Deb rolled in shortly afterwards and we all booked into the Spirit Canyon Lodge owned by Frances and Tony. They love hosting cyclists and will cook up a dinner and dessert for any that would like it. A homemade meal, what a treat!
Day 56: Spirit Canyon Lodge to Silver City
The last 30 miles into Silver City were all on pavement up and over the Pinos Altos Range. It rained a little last night, so the road and surrounding forest were still damp. I hit the road early and watched the sun rise as I climbed over the hills. It was an enjoyable stretch of road with little traffic early on a Sunday morning.
I rolled into Silver City about 9:30 AM and decided to get some classic American breakfast at Denny's before heading to my friends Ethan & Megan's house where I will stay. From here I have less than 125 miles to go to the Mexico border at Antelope Wells, NM. My next email will have the exciting conclusion!
The numbers so far:
- 2,329.4 miles
- 29 Continental Divide crossings
- 0 times actually riding in the rain