When you are on a bicycle there are many moments, some great, some not so great. Then there are the moments that are perfection. One of those happened this morning. A perfect sunrise welcomed a clear crisp morning, perfect riding weather. The road from Tonto Basin along Roosevelt Lake was lightly travelled at the hour we left and the combination of a softly rolling terrain, the glimmering lake and the desert landscape made for a dream like experience. The miles just glided by with me in a state of biker’s bliss. Even the prospect of a 5 mile 7% grade climb ahead was enough to break the spell.
A Bicyclist’s ViewRoosevelt DamThe Long Climb Ahead
Eventually the big hill came but we have seen big hills before and while the climb is tough, so are we. On the other side was a nice, downhill speed run to some more rolling countryside. The only downer was hitting the town of Globe and a return to heavy traffic with rude drivers. I decided to make a side trip to the Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park and some ruins from the Saledo Polychrome culture. It was the best thing about Globe. Tonight we camp at the Apache casino campground. All bets are off for me.
We Did Not Need Our Brakes Coming Up!Toughest Climb of the DayBesh Ba Gowah
The road from Globe to Safford was mostly uneventful except for one really great thing: The prevailing winds finally prevailed and we were blessed with a 17 mph tail wind all the way between the two towns. A little rain did fall but for those of us on the road early we hardly got our helmets wet. One large cloud was hanging up on Mount Graham and stayed there for the hour or two that it was in view.
Hanging Cloud on Mt. Graham
Best part of the day was a visit by my Uncle Roy and Aunt Karen. The found me on route and decided to take me out to dinner. With the threat of fisticuffs by Uncle Roy I stood down and let them pay for my pasta and beer feast. The only thing wrong with the entire visit was that it was far too short. I can never see enough of these two great and interesting relatives. (Note to self: must get back here with Chris sometime soon!)
A chilly morning and a steadily climbing 80+ mile ride was on the menu today. Yesterday’s tailwind was just a fond memory as what wind we had tended to blow into our faces. The climbs while long, were gradual and there was a great view of snow topped Mt. Graham as we left town.
Hello New Mexico
Highlight of the day was crossing into New Mexico and crossing another state off our list. I even had a drive by of our support van to replenish my water supply. The highway goes through some beautiful high desert countryside but is littered with a ridiculous number of broken beer bottles. If there were a ten cent deposit on each one, a person could collect enough for retirement on this long highway.
Another big climbing day but one with a perk; we cross the Continental Divide. Lordsburg is just above 4000 feet over sea level and we started to climb immediately to over 5280 feet. In one sense we are now all members of a bicycling, Mile High Club. Note: this club is nothing like the one rumoured to exist for people flying. To join you only need to have bicycled at better than 5280 feet above sea level. No partner needed. We stayed above a mile all day long and at one point crossed the Great Divide where I along with Bill and Barb Samose and our sweep Kelly decided to have lunch on the side of the road.
After the divide there were a number of rolling hills all staying above the magic 5280 foot elevation. Our final stop was at Silver City, New Mexico and still up where the air is rare.
Today we had a choice of three different routes of various distances and difficulty. The most difficult was a 90 miler that ended with the Gila Cliff Dwellings; The easiest a 25 miler direct shot to our next campground. In between was a 50 mile journey to Robert’s Lake. All ended up at the same place. While my mind wanted to do the 50 miler, my heart (quite literally) recommended the more direct route. Along the way I met Karl the Magnificent.
Karl the Magnificant
Karl was a cross country rider that my travelling companions, Annette, Jim and I met along the way. He was headed in the opposite direction towards San Diego. He was from Sweden and doing a self supported ride by himself. What made him magnificent in my eyes was that he had started his journey in Key West, Florida a brief 3 week ago! His average ride was around 130 miles a day with his longest day chewing up a glorious 160 miles! He expected to reach the Pacific within a week or less. Just when my travelling companions and I were beginning to think we were made of steel, along came Karl to show us what real steel looks like. Ah, to be young again.
Santa Rita MineAnother Load of OreBuilding an Artificial Tunnel
Another feature of the shorter route was a view of the giant Santa Rita pit mine. Here they were creating an artificial tunnel across the highway to allow them to link up operations on both sides of the road without having to cross traffic. The mine is immense and claims to be the oldest operating pit mine in the USA. Just the tires on their ore haulers dwarfed our bicycles.
There is also an interesting history of a mining strike at the nearby Empire Zinc Mine back in 1951. After many months of the strike a court issued an injunction against the miners picketing the site. However, that injunction did not apply to the Ladies Auxiliary of Mine Worker’s Local 890. Withstanding threats of violence and other hardships, these women persevered and brought the mine owners to the table to negotiate a successful agreement.
It did not take very long to cover the short distance today so the six of us who took that route had time to relax and wait for the ACA van carrying our tents and street clothing. During that wait the step-mom of one of out leaders paid us her third visit of the trip bringing us gifts of beer, tortillas, wine and other goodies. I would like to say that we kept the beer cold and waited for our fellow riders on the longer route to get in before cracking open a cold one. Yes, I would like to be able to say that.
“Sooner” BeerDragon Bike
We had one rider who opted to follow the 90 mile route to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. He got an early start leaving before sunrise. Kevin is the real adventurer of our group and decided to make his trip alone when no one else felt like making this epic trek up and down the numerous, steep climbs to this national park. Unfortunately he ran low on battery power having used his headlight as a safety beacon on the long winding road to the dwellings. A few of us rode along with tour leader Kelly to backtrack his route to make sure he was O.K. We met him coming uphill from the park where he had spent a little too much time enjoying the cliff dwellings and he feared he would be travelling light-less in the dark well before reaching the campsite. He accepted our offer of a ride back to camp in the ACA van having accomplished the most epic ride so far in our trip.
It was our coldest night of the trip followed by our greatest challenge. Tuesday morning brought us 23 degree temperatures along with a chilly breeze. Despite a relatively late 7:15 sunrise, most of us were up and out of our tents early anxious for our bodies to supply the warmth lacking in Mother Nature. Washrooms, the laundry room and the ACA van were all tapped for any warmth that could be had while getting ready for the road. Ahead lay Emory Pass, over 8200 feet above sea level and requiring nearly 4000 feet of climbing. We quickly shed layers of clothing as we started our assent.
The Challenge Ahead
It was a slow process with the road constantly dipping and turning as it followed the terrain. Frequently we had to loose the precious altitude we had gained through peddling to a long downhill glide as the road followed this mountain pass. What normally would have been enjoyable only brought to mind the fact that every downhill foot would have to be regained by muscle and bone.
The Climb BeginsThe Beauty of the ClimbTall Canyon WallsThe Joy of Accomplishment
The compensation came in the form of spectacularly beautiful scenery along the way. Deep, rock walled canyons, lush forested hillsides and outstanding vistas came at us around every turn. Even the devastation caused by the massive Silver Fire of 2013 only accented this treat for the eye and the spirit. Eventually the top was reached and we celebrated: We had conquered Emory Pass with muscle power alone.
My Climbing PartnersThe Way Down
Only a Small Part of the Burn Area
The ride down was swift but seat of your pants scary. Hairpin turns so sharp you sometimes expected to see your own tail light around the bend. Guard rails? None. Steep drop offs inches from the edge of the narrow road, plenty. Use of brakes, absolutely essential!
Hillsboro CafeThe Cafe: Another View
A short ride from the bottom was the little village of Hillsboro and home to the Hillsboro Cafe and some of the best bumbleberry pie to be found. The cafe is quaint and full of antiques along with their outstanding food. Every place you look there is something unique and interesting to occupy your curiosity. A perfect place to reward a biker’s passage through the mountains. Be sure to note the bear that ate Lucy as you drive through.
Another chilly start today but it quickly warmed up. Temperatures went from 33 degrees F. at wake up to nearly 80 degrees by the time we reached Las Cruces. My first stop along the way was at the not so grand Rio Grande. Here in New Mexico farm country it is not much more than an irrigation ditch. Every drop of water is used, used again and finally returned, much saltier, to its bed. Farming seems to be concentrated on chili peppers, pecan trees and pistachios.
Sparky’sMore Sparky’sChili Power!
The town of Hatch is devoted to the pepper and all the salsa that they go into. Processing plants and farms line the road leading into and out of the town. The town itself celebrates the chili pepper as well as some over the top collectibles at Sharky’s Restaurant. Unfortunately, Sharky is only open Thursday through Sunday so I could not try one of his award winning burgers.
We are at another KOA tonight in the city of Las Cruces. Nearby was the site of the Shalam Colony another attempt at utopia that did not make the grade. Here they adopted orphans and tried to indoctrinate them from an early age into living the Godly life along the road to a religious utopia. You can guess for yourself how that turned out.
It was nice to wake to above freezing temperatures this morning. No frozen fingers to thaw out on our coffee cups. Everyone was relaxed and seemed to take their time getting on the road. We all knew that The Bean was just a few miles away and in the perfect location for second breakfast.
Second Breakfast
The Bean is in the city of Mesilla, NM and is known for its great selection of coffees and other goodies. It is a must stop location for all cross country bicyclers. Since I was the last of the group to leave this morning, second breakfast was well underway by the time I arrived. I decided to have a blueberry and cream cheese turnover to go along with my latte.
My Choice
As previously mentioned, this area is known for its pecan farms. In fact it contains one of the world’s largest. It seemed to go forever with large, mature trees that created a tunnel over the highway. The next time you have some pecan pie,you might just be getting a taste of New Mexico.
Peacan Canopy
The town of Mesilla is also the place where William Bonnie a.k.a. Billy the Kid was brought to trial and sentenced to hang by neck until he was dead, dead, dead. The court building no longer stands but there is a sign and theme to the building that now occupies the spot.
Billy’s Last Stop Before the Noose
Finally, we crossed into Texas via some back roads that were so far back that no one bothered to erect a sign indicating that we had actually crossed into the lone star state. For this reason the expected photo memorializing the event will have to remain among the missing. Tonight we are up in the west Texas town of El Paso. I wonder where Rosa’s Cantina is?
After a nice night in a very clean America’s Best Value inn, it was back into the traffic and out of El Paso. I can’t say much about the scenery except that it was mostly dull and depressing with abandoned homes wasting away just outside the city limits. However, the mountains in Mexico, across the Rio Grande to the south were majestic. At least the traffic was light once we were out of the city.
Shade is where You Find It
The one thing lacking in this part of Texas is shade along the highway. The Pecan trees that line the highway in places are without leaf this time of the year as is nearly everything else. A innovative person will look for what shade he can find before settling down to lunch in this warm and bright part of the country. I found my shade under a bridge with a delightful breeze.
Ft. Hancock Hospitality
Lodging tonight is either camping in a church yard or spreading out inside the Fort Hancock Community Church. I found my own quiet spot in the vestibule where I could escape the 40 mph winds predicted for overnight.
Texas claims the distinction of being the largest of the lower 48 states. However, it is also one of the most desolate, at least in that section through which we are currently riding. Today’s ride was long, mostly straight, and paralleling Interstate 10. We were even on the interstate for a couple of brief periods where there was no frontage road. Paralleling an interstate highway gives you all the noise but none of the traffic or smoothness of paving. Allow me to just say that no one was sad to see this day’s ride end.
