August 25 and 26

Today was going to be a pavement day and a lot of downhill. Don and I decided that this would be a good day to have breakfast at the Boxcar restaurant which opened by 7. We arrived just as they opened and had French toast with fruit. Great way to start the morning. We headed south out of the town of Chama enjoying the downhill when all of a sudden my peddles weren’t engaging the hub. I was just freewheeling. This is going to be problematic . Don and I took the wheel off and called Jim Clark for some technical advice. He said that sounded bad and would call a bike mechanic. Meanwhile the 5 other bikers came by and their advice was this was not a field fix. Shortly afterwards we got a call from the mechanic who said the same. Looks like we need to go to a bike shop, the closest one is in Sante Fe. Sante Fe is about 100 miles from where we are now. After calling a couple of possible logistic helps and not coming up with any solutions, I said let’s try hitch hiking. Don looked at me with quite the skeptical look. Two loaded bikes, two people and fear of Covid. Since he couldn’t come up with any other solutions, I stuck out my thumb. Within 5 minutes an unloaded pick up truck stopped and rolled down his window. I told him of our dilemma and he (Jeff) replied I am going to Sante Fe let’s load up your bikes. So within 30 minutes of breaking down we were on our way to Sante Fe. On the drive we called a bike shop, they replied that they could do it in 3 or 4 days. They suggested another bike shop which we called and the owner Bailey of Sincere Cycle said sure bring it in and I will see if I can fix it this afternoon. Jeff dropped us off at the bike shop and said call me tonight, I most likely can drop you off where I picked you up. Bailey who has raced the Route twice recommended a nearby restaurant and hotel. We left Don’s bike at the shop as well and headed off to the restaurant. Before going to eat, there was a REI store across the street. Don had been having leakage problems with his thermarest and decided to buy a replacement. This was a good move. This little side trip is becoming fruitful! Off to the restaurant we went.

This was a treat! Along with the warm chocolate cake which was called Birthday Cake. So Don got his birthday cake !

On the way to the hotel we saw the new way that some cities are doing weed control;

We headed to the Sage motel for numerous showers and a bath. Finally the water was clean. We didn’t realize how dusty we had become.

Bailey called later in the afternoon and told us that the bike was fixed. We are still in awe of how this day unfolded.

We were still mostly full from our lunch but decided to walk to nearby Whole Foods for some fruit and veggies.

Joe called and said that he would stop by our hotel tomorrow at 10 to pick us up. We couldn’t have had better logistics! Time to sleep in sheets! The next morning, the hotel provided breakfast.

It was time to get our bikes ready and wait for Jeff to arrive. He had purchased a log splitter so we had some creative packing to do which included putting Don’s bike on the front of his truck attached to a cattle guard. The ride back to Chama went quickly as we shared life stories.

Jeff earns the title of Trail Angel. This has been a very grateful two days.

We made it back to Chama to have lunch at the Boxcar with Jeff. During our lunch a thunderstorm with lots of rain happened. Don and I decided that we would just go back to Rio Chama RV park and get back on the route tomorrow. Jeff dropped us of at the RV park where we spent the afternoon under a pavilion and we settled in for the night with plans of going to Abiquiu tomorrow.

Campsite Rio Chama RV Park

Mile traveled 0 by bike 110 by car

August 27

It was a quiet night at the RV park and with Don having a new thermarest, a great rest was had by all. We left at 6:30 and encountered a dense fog as we headed down hill. Glad our lights work well. Eventually the fog lifted and we took in the surrounding views. New Mexico has had a lot of rain this summer and the flowers are results of it.

The pavement took us past many rock formations. It was hard to focus on the road and want to look around at the same time. Sometimes we just had to stop to safely look at the scenery.

We pulled in to the day use area of the Echo Amphitheater.

One could camp here, but we just had lunch , filled up our water and looked at maps.

One of the things we did while eating lunch was to check out routes for the next couple of days. We have decided to take pavement between Abiquiu and Cuba. We had been told about this section from several of the northbound bikers. One couple was adamant that we should only do it if we wanted to hike our bikes. It also had been raining some the last couple of days. With those thoughts we opted to take route 96 to Cuba and not go to Abiquiu . There was a campground near the turn off to Cuba near a reservoir. There was still a lot of daylight left so we peddled past it.

The water level has gone down quite a bit, even though it has been a rainy summer.

There were only a couple of small towns on this stretch of highway to Cuba. It was a hot day and we had plenty of water, but we would not turn down a cold drink. We had read that Coyote, the first town had a small store and we had our hopes up until we saw the closed sign. We talked to a man who was trimming grass alongside the road. He told us that this store had closed this summer, but the next town of Galena had a store, Galena was 14 miles away with quite a few climbs. We took a break after the town of Coyote when we saw a shade tree. Looking up we saw a water bottle stuck in a tree that hadn’t been opened, it tasted so good! Now it is on to Galena. It always help when you think that there is a reward of a cold drink or ice cream waiting for you so just keep peddling! We saw the town of Galena and peddled slowly thru it, not seeing anything that resembled a store nor was there anyone to ask. Oh well Amor Fati. Several miles after the town we saw a store front advertising the coldest drinks sold here. It was hard to tell if the store was opened or closed, but we figured it was worth checking out. It was indeed opened. The owner was at the door with her German shepherd. She said tell me what you want and I will bring it to you. She raises German shepherds for police and others. There was no way we were getting close to that door as we were greeted by growls from the dog. She told us to go sit on a nearby step and enjoy our drinks and ice cream. At least the day had begun to cool off as we once again loaded up to head down the road. There were a lot of no trespassing signs and private property notices that made it difficult to find a spot to camp, As the night was quickly approaching we finally found a spot to stealth camp. We ate a meal then with only the stars shining we set up our tent. The coyotes serenaded us to sleep and we put out the do not disturb sign. It worked! This was our longest mileage yet.

Campsite 15 miles north of Cuba

Miles peddled 89

August 28

We were up early and ready to head to Cuba, where we were looking forward to having a cooked breakfast. It was fifteen miles to Cuba, but once again the day started out with mostly downhill. When we arrived to Cuba most of the restaurants had closed signs.

I had checked the various restaurants on line and we were looking for the one that was open called the Cuba Cafe. It served breakfast so we parked our bikes and headed right in. This restaurant got a 10 for service and food. This definitely felt like your hometown place to eat. Most of the people eating at the restaurant knew each other. This was Don’s plate of food. We ended our meal with fresh baked peach pie and ice cream.

We are enjoying discovering all the different cafes.

After doing a little grocery shopping and filling our water bottles , it was time to make some miles. Our route today is going to be mainly thru Navajo land. There is a campsite about 45 miles from here at the Chaco trading center. If we are feeling strong we might continue on. The road begins fairly flat but before long there is an up followed by a down then more of the same. To make it more tiring the wind begins to blow and our progress is slowed.

I think these were the only trees we saw today.

There is a nice store about 30 miles from Cuba that we stopped at to get cold ice tea and ice cream and sit in some shade by the store. As we were enjoying our treats a biker rides in and introduces himself as John. He is going to the Chaco Trading Center for the night. He took the gravel from Abiquiu to Cuba and after hearing his stories we are glad that we took the pavement. We tell him that we will most likely see him at the trading center tonight. He is soon off and we watch him disappear in the distance.

The Chaco Trading center offers free camping, bathrooms and laundry. They also have a store that is fairly well supplied. They say for security reasons they lock the gate into the property at 8 and unlock it at 7. By the time we get there the wind is still blowing and we are ready to call it a day. John has set up his tent and we soon join him by setting up our tent.

Not the most scenic but we appreciate being able to camp here,

I head into the store and buy strawberries, bananas, oranges and grapes. There is also yogurt what a treat! We decide to have a fruit salad for dinner and share some with John. It is always fun to meet other riders and hear their stories. John works for the World Wildlife Foundation and travels the world for this organization. He has so many interesting stories to share. He started several weeks before us, but has taken some time off to visit friends. If it works out we may try to do some traveling together over the next couple of days, especially when we go thru the gila wilderness area.( if it opens up) The clouds are building tonight and there maybe a storm moving thru.

Shortly after we got into our tent the wind started blowing and we heard thunder. The storm cell passed quickly without dropping much rain. Another good day! My bike worked great and Don’s sleeping pad is the best!

Campsite Chaco Trading Center

Miles peddled 58

August 29

Guess the security fence worked as we didn’t hear or see anyone. At the magic hour of 7 the gate was unlocked and fresh coffee was served to the bikers. We grabbed a little more fresh fruit and were on our way. We follow John for a little way and then off he goes with a much faster cadence than us. The road today is similar to yesterday however the wind is not a factor.

The day continues to warm up and we continually look for any shade. It is not too bad when one is moving, but stopping just makes one realize how hot it is today. After a morning of mostly up we come to a down hill which will bring us mostly to Grants, our next town.

We cross a stretch of road that is covered with large grasshoppers that are mostly mating. The grass hoppers are about 3 inches in length. Too bad they don’t sound too appealing for eating. There would be lots of protein.

At one point there is a sign warning to slow down due to hazardous driving conditions. We are not sure why until we see another sign that warns of dusty conditions caused by mining trucks. We are passing by a massive coal mining area. Fortunately it is Sunday and most trucks aren’t working. The only shade on the trail so far is a large underpass. We contemplated staying here but it was too early for a break.

Shade! At least we slowed down and took a big drink of of water.

It was a good decision to stay at the Chaco Trading Center Last night. There were few if any places to pitch a tent. One thing is obvious that this area has had a fair bit of rain. The fields are covered with wildflowers.

The rain has added so much color to the area.

When we arrive to Grants we stop at the first convenience store. There is John sitting and taking a break in the shade. We all go inside and start buying some cold drinks followed by ice cream. The store clerk tells us that we can get ice water at the soda fountain, if we bring our own cup. No problem as we drink and then drink some more. We all decide to head to the recommended RV Park, but when we go to check in we are told that they don’t have tent camping anymore. He suggests going to the KOA campground about 500 yards away. We do and are greeted by some of the most friendly people we have met. After checking in they give each of us a freshly made cookie and show us the tent sites and where the showers and laundry is located. They also have a service of providing cooked meals One orders off of their menu and they will bring the meal to you or one can eat inside their building. Sounds like a plan to us and we all three order the turkey dinner with pie and ice cream for dessert. We each do laundry, take showers and then enjoy our meal.

We are enjoying talking to John. The food is great as well.

After dinner, we discuss the route for tomorrow and decide we will do pavement for at least half of it as we have been told there is a lot of peanut butter mud on the first part of the gravel road. One biker had to push his bike for 11 miles in the grass beside the road and still got mud in his drive train. Not something we want to experience. We decide to all bike together which will be fun. This is the first time on the trip that Don and I will be biking with another person. We look forward to learning more about John and the adventures that he has been doing.

Campsite. Grants KOA

Miles Peddled 68