GDT Day 42 - Cuba to Designated Hunters Camp

Wed Sept. 14, 2016
 Cuba to Designated Hunters camp

Start - ~6900'
High pt  ~6900'
Lo pt. ~6000'
End Elv ~6350'
Climbing ~700'??

Miles ~47.5
Total time ~6:30
Ride time 4:45
Day with BOB 40

Really travelling through the classic Southwestern landscapes now, all day during the ride I was greeted by colorful mesas, cliffs and arroyos to ride around. The are also many volcanic plugs standing tall on the 2nd half of the day.

I woke up earlier than the alarm, and plugged away on my blogs waiting for the post office to open. I have a care package waiting for me to help bridge the route until Grants. In it are backpacker meals, oatmeal, energy bars and gels, tea, and hydration tablets. I could probably get most of this locally  (not the lightweight and simple to prepare backer meals), but it would be over a weeks worth, and I am on the road for 3 days to Grants. I pick up my package and get some fesh fruit from the market before getting a bite at the Cuban Cafe across from the motel. Another breakfast burro, and the heat of the green chile is just about perfect for my northern European and Minnesota heritage. A little sweat but the taste buds are not in shock and I really enjoy breaking my fast. Head back and pack up, a later than normal departure but the 47 miles today are mostly flat, the real concern is wet weather and the gumbo clay of the scaped desert roads along the route.
 Did I mention that it was wet this morning in Cuba? A shower must have come through close to dawn to feed my anxiety. Weather forecast has it as cloudy today with a small chance of rain, and then sunny for next several days. With that drying trend, I stay the course and head toward the back country route, gumbo be damned. I have 10 miles of US 550 first however. It followed the Rio Puerco down, though I have a modest headwind. It is getting drier as I go, reassuring me that it was an isolated shower, and gumbo is not on the biking menu today. I start on the dirt road, it is scraped and dry and smooth, where there are not tire ruts from the last storm it is quite enjoyable as i am winding my way through side canyons and around arroyos as I slowly climb to gain a mesa top.

I love mud roads, when they are not muddy that is. The dry clay is smooth and fast, with low rolling resistence. I make good time and the easy road gives me time to look around and enjoy the scenery. The landscapes I see are an appetizer for the soul, the clouds however cause pause. A patch of clouds off in the distance are dark grey, and they are clearly raining, and dammed if the route doesn't  point me right at them. I think I have a good chance to skirt there rain on the west as they move east, fortunately. More cruising as I catch up to the wake of the storms path.

And gumbo is back on the menu boys!

At first it is just a little bit sticking to the tires, and at first I even smile as the back wheel spins and slide around. However in a remarkably short distance, I am gumbo-ed up and can't even stay on the bike.

So the I push

And then I drag....... what a drag that is.

I gain a little higher spot and see that the trailer tire is indeed immobilized, front derailleur is packed by the rear wheel, and both wheels look like 29ners instead of 650s.

Scrape scape scrape,
push and then push a little more

'Til I hit a drier spot after a few hundred yards. Then I can ride and begin the spackling phase of cleaning. As I gain speed, gumbo flies farther, and I have some larger freckles now.
I get hit by rain again, but fortunately this is on a 4 mile section of pavement mid ride.

Exiting the pavement I approach Cabezon Peak, a large plug that will be my neighbor for much of the afternoon.
I fill up on water off route at the Homstake deep artesian well, and begin a short but steep climb to the recommended campsite, which looks very underutilized, though I see plenty of hunters passing by. On the way up a rancher in his dually is coming down and stops to chat. He asks alot of questions, about my starting point, next destination, awareness. He is really looking out for folks  like me, making sure I am prepared for what is ahead, which is dry, empty, and a long way from any help. Friendly fellow and I appreciate his concern and checking.
The sunset on the mesas enlighten the horizon as I make camp, dinner and prepare for rest.

GDT Day 41 -Polvadera Mesa to Cuba

Tues Sept. 13, 2016
 Polvadera Mesa campsite to Cuba

Start - ~9900'
High pt  ~10350' top of the mesa
Lo pt. ~7000'
End Elv ~7000'
Climbing ~1400'??

Miles ~55.5
Total time ~7:45
Ride time 6:15
Day with BOB 39

A mostly sunny morning today, and the world is wet, and the air seems to sparkle in the sunshine. The dell next to campsite is emanating a mist that lingers, with long languid tendrils caressing treetops along its edges. The musical coyote is again singing in the morning, echoing through the dell and mountain side.
A short but rocky climb brings me to the apex of the day. While I will lose a net 3300 feet today, my route is actually very rolling at the 9000+ foot level, through a variety of healthy forestland, ecosystems and road quality. Shortly after I begin the descent, a very bad noise abruptly starts from my rear wheel and spokes. I  immediately brake, and see that my hanger has broken and the derailleur is hanging forlornly and twisted.  I am 50+ miles from my destination.......
(Add favorite expletive here)

Fortunately I have a spare ( 2 actually) and quickly change out the hangers. I did have a bit of a momentary fear that maybe multitool would not have a small enough allen wrench as I did not check that before the trip. I suspect the hanger was damaged by the trailer during a bad parking job in the rain yesterday. It held together while I slowly cranked up but could not handle the derailleur bouncing on the rough road.

Speaking of roads, the forest roads of yesterday and many portions today are among the roughest I have experienced yet. On one 2 mile section, it was as rough as I would do on a mountain bike ride sans trailer. The trailer really shines here, with its low center of gravity and narrow profile. I rode it all, and enjoyed the technical elements involved.

I am surprised at how green it is in these mountains, after a the prolonged wet spell. Been seeing many mushrooms and some extensive moss.
I transitioned frim the mountains to canyon mesa desert. I will be in desert for much of the next 3 days. Dramatic  changes the divides leads one on.

I am tired today, my 5th day in a row, with one of the toughest, longest and biggest climbs yesterday. The rain also put a damper on my outlook, but I enjoyed the sunny morning, and biking towards the lower lands and their broader blue skies. I have never been in these parts, and am also surprised that there is 80+ miles of mountains to ride through here. This deflates my Colorado mountain provencialism more than a bit  I have to admit.........

GDT Day 40 - Abiquiu to Polvadera Mesa

Mon Sept. 12, 2016
Old Abiquiu BB to Polvadera Mesa campsite

Start - ~6000'
High pt  ~9900'
Lo pt. 6000'
End Elv ~9900'
Climbing ~4400'

Miles ~27.5
Total time ~8:00
Ride time 5:10
Day with BOB 38

Mesas, sand, fire, lava, and rain

Up, up, up, down, up, up, up, up, up

Day started sunny and warm as I got up early to packup under a massive old cottonwood at the B&B.  Wonderful Wanda offers me very fresh and tasty coffee while I pack up, and it is most welcome. I want to hit the road for the big climb on challenging roads. It was not over sold in the guidebook as it is a relentless grinder up, up, and up.  Adding to the challenge, I am carrying over 2 gallons of water, as the route follows a high ridge for most of the 2 days to Cuba. BOB has put on some weight lately and I feel that gravity is holding him back a bit more than typical.

I start out following Abiquiu Creek and twist my way to the top of a low mesa. After I leave the creek, it is the last water I see today, at least flowing in banks. Even on that mesa plateau has some stiff little sections to negotiate.  This road is "all weather" gravel, and in some places I am again visualizing having my special conversation with the local road dept.
After crossing the low plateau, the national forest service road is steeper and less maintained. I am forced to my first hike a bike of the day to gain the ridge around the back side of Cerro Pelon. I am rewarded with a couple mile rocky down hill to the base of Polvadera mesa and am treated to some fine overlooks. The riding is getting a bit technical and I have to pay attention. The mesa is not flat, rather ramps upwards until it is lost in the forested flanks of its namesake peak.
So then I again start up, up, up for many miles. The road starts firm with some sand, for a while, then one strikes the lava sheets that are the bedrock of the area and of this slab of a mesa. I take numerous breaks, interspersed with sections of riding and pushing the bike up sections alternately too steep and sandy or too steep and rocky for me to negotiate with the BOB. I start having serious mental conversations about BOB'S recent weight issue. My solution? Dilution is the solution, as I drink plenty to not dehydrate.

A good portion of the road is broken slabs of lava, which are mostly rideable, but require techical negotiation, gearing and maneuvers. The going is not quick.
At one stop along the route I see the smoke from the 6 week old ground fire burning on the adjacent mesa, maybe 200 or 300 feet across the valley seperating the 2 mesas. I saw smoke from this fire yesterday and earlier last week and had been concerned. The smoke is nothing to worry about though as it light and I can  hardly smell it. It is the lightning started  6 week old Cuerno fire and is burning on the ground on Mesito del Canoncito Seco and is being managed to clear out fuel and underbrush. It is clear the ponderosa forest I'm riding through had a similar healthy fire not too many year ago as well.

As I progress up and up the mesa, the clouds follow their own progression. For a while I think that they will not coalesce,  bit alas, I am too optimistic. I again have to hide from the rain as lightning and thunder rumble around me at over 9,500 feet of elevation. It eventually slows down and I continue for an hour or so, desperately looking for a campsite. I find one just as the sun breaks through, with an amazing rainbow right at the site. Who am I to deny such a sign?
The site is in the open on the edge of a dell and both ends of the rainbow are on the dell. So close, so close, I could have gotten the pot o' gold!

The sun warms me as I set up camp and  cook dinner,  good enough to dry out much of my riding gear. But clouds to west head my way and rsin chases me into my tent after 3 beautiful hours of sunshine and warmth. It rains multiple times in the evening, but I am serenaded by a bulging elk during the breaks, and then a musical coyote, both voices enhanced by the local echos.

GDT Day 39 - Above Canon Plaza to Abiquiu

Sun Sept. 11, 2016
dispersed campsite above Canôn  Plaza to Abiquiu

Start - ~8375'
High pt  ~8375'
Lo pt. 6200'
End Elv ~6200'
Climbing 1000+'?

Miles ~39.2
Total time 5:00
Ride time 3:39
Day with BOB 37

Canon Plaza, Vallecito, El Rito. Villages along the way, small but full of history. In their decaying abandoned adobe small homes and buildings, in the ones still use and livelihood, to their people still going strong as evidenced by the library and community center in Vallecito (free wifi for all!). Today is Sunday morning, and most of the roads are quiet. The plethora of truck's filled with firewood are not evidenced yet to day. Ever since I crossed into New Mexico, I have been impressed with all of the firewood in full trucks, some old pickups look hardly up to the task. And the piles of firewood outside many of the homes is impressive,  inversely proportional to how impressive the home is. I do believe that the wood is the primary heat source for many a family in these rural parts. Or perhaps is a continuation the old tradional practice of locals collecting resources from the Spanish land grants.

Started the day in ponderosa forests which lasted until Vallecito. Down down down. To Canon Plaza, rolling down a picturesque little valley to Vallecito; up and up to the shoulder of Valle Grande Peak. Down down down to El Rito. Much of today was rough forest road, though had a smooth few miles gliding down valley to El Rito through pinon juniper forest.

At one point I looked up to see tall cliffs emerging on the east wall of the valley- they looked like tough tuff cliffs.

Tooling through El Rito, I see that the Farolito restaurant is open, and stop in for another fix of their excellent green chili.
Then a quite 14 mile  pedal down to the delightful adobe Old Abiquiu B&B, where the wonderful proprietess Wanda,  hosts bicyclists campers as well, right on the Chama River, with giant cottonwoods and crickets to greet one.

GDT Day 38 - Cisneros park to near Canon Plaza

Sat. Sept. 10, 2016
Cisneros Park to dispersed campsite above Canôn  Plaza

Start - ~9330'
High pt  ~10220'
Lo pt 8375'
End Elv ~8375'
Climbing 1500+'?

Miles ~26
Total time 5:45
Ride time 3:35
Day with BOB 36

Another blue bird morning, the skies are clear and blue. I have a short day so I wait for the sun, who is also sleeping in later of late. A trend mayhaps. There is a chilly headwind as I take off riding through rolling highlands of forests and parks.
Down down I go and reach Hwy 64 that heads to Taos. I am heading the other way and start the 5 mile climb to Hopewell Lake and more rolling highlands. I water up for today and tomorrow at the campground there and push on.
It becomes partly cloudy and the chill wind persists as I crest Burned Mountain and begin a long down hill. The roads are again rough forest service roads, and both of the shocks on my bike are appreciated on the down hill. I slow down anyway to enjoy this country, as I have a short day.

I roll through these highlands with many good views, and stop near Cisneros Park.
Great view of the Sangres, the Blanca group I think.