Sept 1

There was a steady hum of the neighbors generator all night. They weren’t that close to us, so it must have been really loud to them. Fortunately a small stream helped to quiet the sound.It was a chilly morning when we started out just a little past daylight.

So far the road is great and even flat, however we know that is not going to last. Before long we will be begin to do a lot of climbing. A signs warns that vehicles with trailers should not attempt this road.

This area has had fires in the recent years. New growth is returning.

I ended up walking for most of the steep parts. We all have gotten stronger, but sometimes rocky and steep roads require walking.

Once we made it to the top we were in for some serious down hill.The road continued mostly down all the way to Colins Park. We had made it around the closure and were thankful for all the information that we had gotten to stay on the gravel. We had missed the rain by at least five days and the roads were beginning to harden again.

The fields were filled with tiny pink flowers.

We are back in a no shade zone. So covering up is our fashion.

Don also has his rain pants on for mosquito control. They seemed to be mostly absent today for which we are quite thankful.

Once we got to Colins Park the road was in decent condition.

It was a good day for conversation as we peddled along.

We even crossed the divide. If there hadn’t been a sign we wouldn’t have noticed.

Taking a stretch break and passing by all of the pot holes still filled with rain.

On the map that we are carrying, it notes that the road deteriorates. We totally agree when for awhile we aren’t even sure we are on the road.

It seems like we are going thru a farmers field.

In places the road is so rutted that one has to push their bike carefully.

I wish I would have counted all the cattle guards we crossed on this route. They were oh so common.

We are always amazed at the terrain we get to see on these back roads.

The road alternates between good to not so good.

This stretch took us thru some rocky canyons

John heard some water and stopped to check it out, Soon we were filling our water bottles from a small stream in the rocks.

We are planning to check out the Beaverhead Ranger Station for possible camping tonight. It has been a relatively long day with quite the varied terrain.

After having to wade thru a stream we are ready to get to camp and get out of our wet shoes. John leads the way

When we arrive to the ranger station, there is a sign for water. The station is closed but we ask a person there if it is possible to camp. He gives us the okay and this is home for the night. It has water, a vault toilet and an outlet for charging electronics. The basics are covered. We cook up dinner and converse about tomorrow. It is still unknown if the road will be open. We haven’t seen any signs so we are planning that the closure order has been lifted. The road has been closed since June.

Great place to camp except for the pop machine which is shut off. A cold Dr, Pepper would taste good! Normally we don’t drink soda, but on this trip we made an exception.

Campsite Beaverhead Ranger Station

Miles peddled 45

Sept 2

We were up early and had breakfast. Before leaving we do an inventory of our food. There is enough but I thing the word of the day will be Hunger. There is a store at the end of the ride today and if we keep a steady pace we should make it. We were on our bikes by 7. Today is going to be one that has a lot of elevation. The days are getting quite a bit shorter as the seasons change and we head south. We went about 8 miles when we saw a saw horse with a big road closed sign. The saw horse had been moved to the side but the directives were not to go on this road. It stated that the road had been closed since June due to fires and flooding. A substantial fine would be given if caught on the route. The date of Dec. was given as when the road would be opened. Before we left the world of cell service we had gotten information that on Sept. 2nd the road would be opened. We paused with a conversation between the three of us and decided that we were all in to move forward. There was a guest ranch a couple of miles away and we figured that they would have the most current info. We headed down to a stream bed which had obviously overflowed its banks. There was a lot of road re construction that looked quite recent. We had to push our bikes thru about a foot of water. We were glad that we hadn’t needed to go on this section earlier. We would have definitely been on pavement. There are signs of fire in the area.

The first part of the route the fire was minimal.

A lot of work has gone into making this route drivable. Several large pick up trucks pass us so we are feeling that this road is indeed open. Being from Alaska, we figured that hunters would want this area accessible

When we arrive to the guest ranch John goes in and talks to one of the owners. The road was just opened today and they had finished some of the road work that we had gone over this morning. As far as getting any food here the answer was NO. The chef hadn’t been able to get there for weeks nor did they have any extra food. Glad to know the road is legally opened, but realized our food bags are not going to get any fuller. One of the workers told us that we are going to have some rough road ahead and to stay out of the mud. Good advice! We are also excited that we are first ones legally to ride our bikes on this road since it was closed.

We see more effects of the fire. Some areas are completely burned and then the next valley will be hardly touched.

We had a very rocky and steep section before lunch as we headed to Black Canyon campground. The down hill was steep and very rocky. Taking it slow and in control was required.( at least for us)

Check out the road in the photo. We will arrive there by doing a lot of switch backs.

The road meanders through burnt forests.

One of the dangers of these burnt forests is when the wind blows, the trees will fall. There are several warnings to this effect as we head through the Gila.

This Gila is known for its elevation gain in a short period of time. It also is known as one of the harder sections of the route as well as one of the scenic ones. We are thankful to be riding thru it today.

We arrive to the closed campground which has had a lot of flood damage. There are two men there who are scouting for game. We pull out some of our last food and begin to make a meal out of what is in the bottom of our food bags. Before we start eating one of the young men walk over to us with a Costco size package of cheese and meat. He asks if we would like some. We take some with big smiles on our faces and then he says go ahead and take it all, we have more food and I am sure you could use the calories. Little did he know that our word for today was hunger….well not anymore as we devour the entire package. Guess we can save our last meal for tonight just in case we don’t make it to the store. We had a fun conversation learning about their lives, what nice men to encounter today. They also shared Don’s favorite drink Topo Chico. With full bellies we are ready to move on, however they warn us that the next canyon is called Rocky Canyon and the flood has done a lot of damage. It may not be a fast section.

Duh is on the left and Vinh is on the right.

Vinh’s father fought with the Americans in the Vietnam War. When the Americans left he was sent to a reeducation camp for 6 years. Finally he was able to be sent to the US with his family. Vinh has no desire to go back to Vietnam as The USA is his home. Duh was a serious road bike racer until covid when his biking competitions were put on hold. He became a golfer instead and spends a lot of his time golfing. Quite the enjoyable afternoon talking to them.

It is on to the last major canyon, but before we get to it there are numerous up and downs. This has been quite the day and it is not over yet. We are so thankful for the meat and cheese that was given to us. We can tell it has made a huge difference in our energy level.

The road thru the Rocky Canyon has been completely rebuilt. There are numerous stream crossing, but non are challenging. we can get across most of them by riding.

There are plenty of rocks to make riding challenging.

Finally we are out of the canyon and heading up the hill to where the downhill will take us to the pavement.

Great gravel and the down hill is fun as well. We only need to brake occasionally. According to our map we will be going mostly downhill on the pavement to Lake Roberts as well.

I lead out and keep a good pace looking forward to some store goodies. The last couple of miles actually has some hills so it will be tight if we can make it to the store. We pass several campgrounds, but prefer to get to the store. Alas it was not a good move as the store was closed. We decided after arriving to town we would check to see if perhaps a motel or cabin was available. We struck out there and with tired bodies we headed a mile and half back to a campground. Not looking forward to doing more hills. The campground was quite full when we finally got there. We met Russel, a biker who had arrived there an hour ago. He will share a site with us if we can’t find an empty spot. We ride around and find there is one vacant spot which we quickly take and set up our tents. Now for the lack luster food or lack or food. We actually had a little thanks to our trail angels who fed us at lunch. When I went to the bathroom, I met some campers who were set up across from us. They were grilling lots of food so I causally asked if they had any left overs we would be happy to have some. ( of course not that we needed any) as we were cooking up our small dinner, several of the women from the camp approached and handed us a bag of food. Russell had walked over then and we all thanked them. More trail angels to appreciate ! It was a long day from sun rise to sunset. Tomorrow we plan to go to the store which doesn’t open till 9 so it will be a peaceful morning. There was close to 6000 feet elevation today, no wonder our bodies are tired.

Campsite Mesa Campground on Lake Roberts.

Miles peddled 55

Sept 3

It is a lazy morning and getting up early is not required. Our bodies appreciate the rest. We thank the campers across the road that gave us some food and head to the Roberts Lake Store. On the way John sees a dead bird on the road and shows it to us.

He figures that it is most likely a Poorwill,a nocturnal insect eater. It has great camouflage for hiding out during the day. Most likely when it was hunting insects it was hit by a car. John shows us the whiskers around its mouth, called rictal bristles that help sense prey and probably funnel it into the mouth.

We arrive to the store and check out the contents. Its supplies are running low as it will be closing soon. They do have a lot of sugar type snacks that for us will be a treat. We will be in SilverCity later today and be able to eat out and purchase food at the grocery store.

Russel who we met last night is from Hawaii. We share some of our adventures .

Once we leave Roberts Lake we will be taking pavement all the way to Silver City.The first part is slightly down and then we turn on to the road that will take us up to a pass that once again we will be crossing the Continental Divide. The road that takes us to the pass is narrow and steep. Signs alert vehicles that there will be bikes on the road. We are thankful for that as there is no shoulder. There is a road race here and the part that we are riding up hill on is called the Gila monster. John takes off and is out of sight as Don and I set a pace that we hope will get us to the top. Russel is behind us and comments that I will be walking some of this. As we set out we make a goal of not walking and we are successful. The elevation to the pass was 2200 feet. John is waiting for us and we do high fives. Maybe we are not ready for this trip to end.

Another new flower shares it beauty with us.

We won’t be seeing many more of these signs. More or less we have crossed the divide about 30 times

The downhill section to Silver City goes quickly and we soon find ourselves into the world of cars and traffic lights. Our first need is to find food and then shelter in that order. Using Yelp as a guide we check out some restaurants and to our dismay they are all closed. We decide to head down to the main part of town and when we see a restaurant with a busy parking lot we are in business. Soon we are filling our stomachs and drinking lots of lemonade. With our stomachs full, finding shelter is next. We make a call to several places and finally settle on the Drifter hotel. This is only the second hotel that Don and I have stayed in. We stop at the bike shop to buy some freeze dried meals and are told about Goat heads. We are told not to ride on the side of the roads, take short cuts in the grass and always watch out for the small yellow flower. Goat heads cause more flats than any other cause. Laundry, showers and a trip to the grocery store fill out the rest of the day. It feels good to be in sheets, the small pleasures of life. Tomorrow if all goes as planned we want to make it to the town of Hachita. If that happens we will only have one more day on the route. A little sadness sets in with this realization.

Campsite Drifter Hotel Silver City

Miles Peddled 28

Sept. 4

We have been in contact with Jeffrey Sharp who is the owner of the Bike Ranch in Hachita.He offers shuttle services and a place to stay the night before going to the border. it is 75 miles to his place so we decide to head out early. We have breakfast in our room and by 7 we are heading down the high way. Most of the route is pavement, but there is a couple of sections that will be our last gravel road. Starting early means there isn’t a lot of traffic which makes for a nicer ride. We have 18 miles on pavement before we see the Separ road. The flora of the area is becoming quite desert like. It is quite the contrast of the last couple of days when we were in the Gila Wilderness.

The plants look quite healthy due to all the rain.

I stop to take a photo of a flower that I am familiar with from Baja.

Datura or jimsonweed. It is a member of the nightshade family and poisonous.

We are delighted with the Separ Road surface. It has been dry so the road is in good edition. The road is rolling with not a lot of steep hills or downhills

So far the day is cool, but we can imagine what it is like when it is not.

Looking back one gets an idea of how far one can see. This is also true when one looks forward.

We have been watching the sides of the road for the goat head plant and see one that we can identify. Sometimes it is growing in the middle of the road so we weave back and forth to avoid it.

On the goat head plant are small very tough thorns. They can easily puncture your tire and if you have tubes you will get a flat. We all have tubeless tires and at one point when we crossed over a cattle guard we all picked up some thorns. We quickly pulled them out and watched as the sealant sealed the hole. Can’t recommend tubeless tires enough in this kind of terrain. We picked up the thorns right after passing one of the few ranches in this area called Thorn Ranch. I guess we found out how it got its name. Fortunately we were able to avoid any problems with the goad head. It is a good day of riding, no wind and great scenery,

We have all noticed this red and black beetle crossing the road. John lets one crawl on his glove.

Red and Black blister beetle. (Common in the southwest ),This beettle has a toxic substance that it emits when threatened. It is an irritant to human skin and can cause blisters.Good to know.

After about 20 miles we come to the end of the Separ road and cross under the interstate where we see the Separ trading post. At first we thought it might be closed, but as we got closer to check it out we saw it was a tourist stop with lots of what ever you want items . They welcomed us in and pointed to the bathrooms, cold drinks and prepared sandwiches. We purchased some food for lunch and headed outside to enjoy lunch at a picnic table in the shade. Then it was back to get more drinks and of course ice cream.

We have about 5 miles of gravel frontage road before we get back on the pavement and head to Hachita. This was not a fun stretch. On one side was busy interstate traffic and the road we were biking was major washboard. There really wasn’t a line to be found. Our tracks weaved to right to the middle and then to the left. I finally gave up and just took my time letting my tire go up and then down on the washboard ridges.

Slowly we advanced to the road that would take us to Hachita.

Happy to report that the pavement was slightly downhill and only 20 miles.

We pass another continental divide sign and wonder if this will be our last. Quite a bit lower than the ones in Colorado.

As we approach the town of Hachita we pass a biker. This is the first time we have seen him, his name is Brandon and he is planning on staying at the Bike Ranch as well, like us he has done the entire route. We all ride to the Hachita Store together and fill up on drinks and ice cream

A welcome sight and the last place to buy food before crossing into Mexico.

As we are enjoying our treats. Jeffrey Sharp pulls in and introduces himself. We sort out our plans for the next day and he encourages Don to figure out our Uhaul logistics for the following day. We had done some preliminary planning, but not knowing exactly when we were going to finish made it difficult to make exact reservations. Now we could come up with a plan. There was a phone and internet at the store so Don stays to do logistics while John and I head to the Bike Ranch. Happy to say Don came up with a plan and joins us a little later. There are two bikers at the ranch who just finished their trip today. We had never encountered them either. It was fun to hear their stories around the table as we ate tamales. We are here and tomorrow is the day we will complete our journey. Jeff will meet us at the border and transport us back here. The logistics of this trip are almost complete. We are blessed with a desert sunset and serenaded by coyotes.

Campsite Bike Ranch Hachita New Mexico

Miles peddled 75

Sept. 5

The morning feels like we are in a true desert environment. It is crisp and cool with the feeling that it is going to be hot once the sun rises. We are leaving some of our gear here so it will feel like a day ride.. It is a bit of a shock that we are peddling for the last time on this route. It will take some time to digest what we have experienced, but today we are going to enjoy this day! So off we go at 7 waving good by to Jeff and then we find ourselves heading south to the border. This is not a busy border crossing so only a few vehicles are on the road this morning. The two guys that finished their route yesterday told us to watch out for rattlesnakes and tarantulas. Early in the ride we saw both. First the rattlesnake appeared sunning itself on the road. John got closer than Don and I. The snake hissed then moved off the road.

We saw another live snake and then several that had been hit by cars. We are not going into the grass today.

The tarantula made several appearances as well.

The tarantula isn’t poisonous but the hairs on his body which the tarantula can release are toxic to the skin, plus his jaws can leave a painful bite. Guess we will just enjoy seeing them from our bikes.

We see a sign that alerts us to a buffalo herd in the area. Sure didn’t expect that. We didn’t see the herd, but it was interesting to know that they exist here.

The road is straight and level. We have 45 miles to do this morning. We are thankful that we are not biking into a headwind.

We each are introspective today as we realize that we almost have completed this journey.

A herd of antelope accompanies us for awhile as if saying good-by.

Then we seen the border fence, an ugly structure that meanders along the hills.

We take some made it to the border photos.

John has his passport so he does a quick trip to Mexico. Don and I just find a cold water fountain and wait for Jeff to meet us at the border sign. Shortly we see Jeff pulling a trailer and then realize that no more biking for us today. We drive back to Hachita where we will begin to organize our gear for a trip back to get our van, First though we stop at the store and buy some tamales for dinner tonight along with ice cream and chocolate syrup. In the afternoon we meet with two women who are doing a fascinating research on bats. They are Jeff’s friends and he figured that we would enjoy talking to them. Jeff has invited them to dinner so we will learn more about the research they are doing. I make brownies, John makes rice and Don cooks the tamales for dinner. Not enough time to talk about all their work, but we get a feel for what staying up all night to observe bats is like. Time to head off to our tent for one more night of sleep in the desert. No need to plan for a ride tomorrow. It is definitely a time of mixed emotions.

Campsite Hachita Bike Ranch

Miles Peddled 45

In the morning Jeff takes Don to Lordsburg to pick up the Uhaul, We are going to drop John off at the Albuquerque airport late afternoon. John boxes up his bike for the flight and I bag up our gear to haul in the Uhaul. Don returns and the gear is loaded and off we go North.

We thank Jeff for making the logistics at the end of our trip go smoothly.

Epilogue to follow