Week 9: The End
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 57 & 58: Silver City rest day and to Antelope Wells
While I was spending an extra day hanging around Silver City with my friends Ethan & Megan, we worked out the logistics of me riding to the border and getting picked up by Ethan in his car. Since I was able to leave my gear at their house I decided to ride the whole remaining distance of 125 miles in one day.
On Tuesday I was all ready to go with a handful of snacks and several liters of water. The first 20 miles along the highway contained the only real uphill of the day which felt quite easy with my lightened bike. Afterwards I jumped on the last dirt road of the route for a 40 mile stretch through landscape which was quickly transitioning to the Chihuahuan Desert. The tall tree-like yucca plants quickly became the dominant plant life around me. Not a single vehicle passed by until I reached Separ along the interstate. From there it was 65 miles south to the border on seldom used two-lane paved highways.
At 45 miles to go I passed through the last town on the route, Hachita. I was starting to feel tired and the day was heating up, but the excitement of finishing kept me going. The Big and Little Hatchet Mountains loomed on either side of the highway as I progressed south and the sun beamed down with no shade in sight.
A couple border patrol vehicles were the only people around at first until I saw an approaching car pull over. It was John, a fellow cyclist I met a few days ago being shuttled back to Hachita by Jeffrey. John had just finished the route himself and said there were several other cyclists that finished earlier too. I saw several other vehicles along the way transporting cyclists all waving to me and some pulled over to offer water and snacks. It was an uplifting parade in the middle of the desert.
At 20 miles to go I started to notice a small rain shower spilling from a cloud to the south. It grew darker and started spitting lightning as I continued along. I started to worry a little since I was one of the tallest things around, making a good target. Ten miles later gusts of wind from the storm hit me head on and cut my speed in half. I realized then that the Great Divide gods were not going to let me have an easy finish.
I saw Ethan drive by and it eased my mind a little to know I wouldn't be waiting at the border in a storm. I pushed hard against the wind which was picking up dust clouds. The rain looked like it was nearly to the edge of the road, but all I could feel were a few drops. I came upon a small box turtle sitting on the wet pavement where it must have rained only moments before. With three miles left I could see the border crossing buildings and the storm seemed to be easing. A rainbow appeared. I was finally coming to the finish of an epic ride, possibly the hardest thing I've ever done.
I had Ethan take my picture at the Antelope Wells sign, we loaded the bike in the car, and then we started back toward Silver City, seeing a bison run across the road just a few miles from the border.
After spending a couple more days in Silver City, Alissa came to pick me up in the rental car and we drove over to Tucson. We stayed at an Airbnb with a pool which we made regular use of. It was a nice way to unwind after such a long, hard trip. Now we are currently waiting at the Amtrak station for our train back to Portland with a couple day stop in Santa Barbara, CA.
I want to thank everyone for following along with me by reading these emails and checking out the pictures on Instagram. It really kept me going to know that my friends and family were supporting my crazy bike ride and eagerly awaited my reports from the trail.
The final numbers:
- 2,457.2 miles
- 31 Continental Divide crossings
- 5 states
- 11,910' highest elevation
- 58 total days
- 46 riding days