Three Cheers For My Riding Partners!

By Hachita we were six strong as a group. From Deming, Lordsburg, and Silver City (?) we converged on the Antelope Wells border crossing on May 23rd. Howard and Judi, the tandem team, arrived about an hour after we departed the border, but joined us in Hachita at Sam Hughes' home. By sheer good luck we escaped the intense Chihauhaun Desert heat. We anticipated temperatures as high as 104 degrees, instead we rode in 50 degree weather that felt much cooler due to the rain and the quartering wind.

Our refugee tent city on Sam Hughes' lawn in Hachita, NM



I met Cas in person for the first time when I picked him up at the Albuquerque airport. I had some impressions from our telephone conversations and emails, but he was somewhat reserved in those contacts. In person he very talkative and very pleasant. I quickly learned that he was also a very efficient camper and a very solid climber. He was the only one of the group not pulling a BOB trailer. He was also the only one of the group with extensive GDMBR experience. Four years ago he rode from Helena, Montana to Kremmling, Colorado before a family emergency forced him to end his ride. Now he was back to eat the whole tamale.

Cas setting up camp at Rocky Canyon in the Gila National Forest



Cas at Homestead Canyon, which is about a mile south of NM 117 near El Malpais National Monument

Dave was one of the first people to answer my ad for companions on the Adventure Cycling web site. He had the honor of the first flat of the trip. His experience and training really showed on the route. I have to admit that I was envious of his Fisher Paragon 29'er as he tore up the trail and flattened out the climbs. He was easily able to make the daily mileage that I calculated we had to make to reach Banff by the end of July.

Dave and Cas fixing Dave's flat from a Mesquite thorn in the morning of Day 2 in Hachita

Dave at our camp along the road between Separ and Silver City on Day 2

Naran was by far the most communicative member of the group prior to the trip. He was much newer to the mountain bikecamping skills needed on the GDMBR, but his enthusiasm more than compensated. He spared no expense on the necessary equipment and quickly learned the necessary skills. He also had a lot of invaluable contacts along the route through his membership in the Lions Club.

Naran headed for the Mimbres Cafe for breakfast on Day 4

Naran at Homestead Canyon on Day 9

Howard and Judi were amazing in every way. As a tandem team on the GDMBR, as campers, and as a couple. They were the least communicative members of the group prior to the trip, but immediately befriended us all.

Still smiling after climbing out of Rocky Canyon and Black Canyon on the way to Beaverhead Work Center on Day 5

At Homestead Canyon on their way around El Malpais on the main route

Their teamwork and efficiency usually left them with time each day for quiet personal reflection. This was near San Gregorio Reservoir in the Jemez Mountains east of Cuba, NM.

It was a great pleasure to ride with each of you. Thanks so much! Let's keep in touch.

SkyWarn Spotter Training

I signed up to do SkyWarn Spotter training through the National Weather Service several months ago. The first available training was during my GDMBR trip. However, another training was available today. I have always had an amateur level of interest in the weather; especially if I am out in it.

Today's SkyWarn Spotter training focused on severe thunderstorms, lightning, flooding, and tornadoes. Even though it was classified as an introductory to intermediate level of training on these specific topics, I learned a lot of useful information that I can use wherever I am - at home or in the field.

I almost always listen to the local NOAA weather station to make my riding decisions. Overall it is the most accurate and useful weather related information available. It was fun to meet the persons behind the voices on the radio.

It is amazing how much some training can increase your level of awareness. On my way home from the training I could not help but notice the types of clouds and the impending garden variety thunderstorm. I arrived home just in time to shut down the swamp cooler on the roof (a lightning attractor) and secure the sunshade curtains on the back deck.

We have not had much rain this year, so every drop of moisture is welcome. I did not think we got all that much rain, but my wife told me that we filled several 60 gallon rain barrels.

As the Tour Divide and GDR racers head for New Mexico, it looks like some of them may get a quick course in flash flooding and severe thunderstorms. The bottom line is: MUD! Sticky, icky, wheel-stopping, drive train as well as bearing destroying MUD!!! I hope I am wrong, but it looks like our annual "monsoon season" might be arriving a little early this year.

If you are interested in learning more about weather, then you may want to look at Jetstream. It is a free online weather school sponsored by the National Weather Service (NSW). If you want online access to information from a NWS Forecast Office, then click here, and then type in a city or zip code in the box on the upper left. If you want to analyze the data yourself, then try downloading your own gridded data from the Digitial Forecast Database. Enjoy!

Why Did You Quit?

As we swelter in mid to high ninety degree heat in Albuquerque, many people I meet here are wondering why I am not still on my "big trip?" When I tell them about the the miles of snow and mud, and the strong winds that nearly blew my off Brazos Ridge they don't seem to be able to conjure up a picture of that in their minds. They ask: "How long have you been home?" Perhaps I am referring to some events in the distant past, because these far-fetched stories just don't match up with the present reality.

In any case, I pulled a few pictures from my photo albums to remind myself why I decided to not continue on the GDMBR this year. If it were just a few miles of the whole route, then so what? I suppose relative to the total length of the 2700 miles of the GDMBR it is just a few miles, but with a load it simply is not fun. With the severe winds it became very dangerous. Many miles of roads are washed out, and even experienced racers are getting lost in sections that they have traveled through at least once or twice before. How about the caved in tunnel or the hundreds of big downfalls to climb over and move a load through? The pictures below are trivial in comparison to other places on the route this year.

I guess it is just a matter of how much fun you can stand. As for me, I had all the fun I could stand on the GDMBR for this year just in New Mexico.



These were small snow banks, but by the time you climb over and through a few dozen of them, and slosh around in the soft, wet snow, the mud, and the icy cold melted water you begin to wonder what you have gotten in to. We had no warning. At best our information was inaccurate. In at least one case I think we were outright lied to about the conditions ahead. Once you were in it, you just hoped you would make it through the mess in one day, because turning around was not a good option either. It was too far to ride back around the Cruces Basin Wilderness.





For a while you could sometimes work your way around to a lower section of the snow bank, but then it became a solid barrier of snow and downfalls. There was no way around, so you had to plow your way through it as you crawled up to 11,000 foot elevation.




Near the top you were fully exposed to the gale force winds. The mud was worse than the snow to get through.



Then I got to a point where I had no idea where the road was located, but I knew I had a turn coming up fairly soon. I definitely did not want to miss the turn that would take me down the other side of the mountain off the windy ridge.





With the GPS I found the turn down the mountain, and lived happily ever after - at least so far.

Where Are The Shifters?

This might be funny or just plain pathetic depending on your point of view. For me I thought it was comical. This morning I decided to go on a club ride. I have not been on a club ride in months. While training for the GDMBR I rode my mountain bike everywhere almost exclusively. As with many cycling clubs, if you are slow than you get dumped in a hurry. The club I belong to has that characteristic too.

So I decided to pull my lightweight aluminum/carbon bike with the lightweight wheels down out of the rafters where it has been hanging for nearly a year. Although I got up at 6 am and the ride does not start until 8 am I found myself in chase mode and without having eaten any breakfast. It is about a 2.5 mile mildly uphill ride to the starting point so I jumped on this lightweight wonder bike and started tearing up the pavement.

Before too many revolutions of the cranks I was ready to shift. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no recollection of where the shifters where located so I started looking around for the shifters. It had been so long since I was on this bike I did not remember that I had STI shifters. After a few seconds of dismay and disbelief I remembered that they where integrated with the brake levers. So now the question was: how the heck to do they work? After a couple of quick experiments I was shifting through the gears like old times.

With hardly any effort I cruised uphill at 18 mph. I essentially did the ride to the starting point in half the usual time and I clearly set a new personal record. After riding over 700 miles on the GDMBR, the inclines that I use to think were significant were not even worth the effort to shift down for. After hauling over a hundred pounds of bike, trailer, and gear up and down 15% rocky, sandy, muddy, rutted grades for three weeks I don't think my heart rate rose much above resting throughout the entire ride today.

As I buzzed down the pavement on a several mile 5% downhill at 34 mph I thought about riding down Forest Service roads that had been converted to running creek beds by the melting snow in northern New Mexico. Today it felt like I was doing nothing strenuous. In fact, it would not even have been a good warm up on the GDMBR. All the training that I did to prepare for my GDMBR trip had not even come close to preparing me for the realities of the route. The dreaded Black and Rocky Canyons in the Gila National Forest were now distant sweet memories.

As I had hoped, my friend Rick was waiting for the group on Guadalupe Trail. Since he injured his back on one of our infamous training rides last summer, we have not ridden together very much since. Actually, that is not quite correct, because I did ride with him for 10-15 miles last September when I was on my El Malpais shakedown. The club happened to also be doing a 60 mile out and back ride on NM 117 that day.

There was so much to share and new adventures to plan. He wants to ride the Santa Fe Trail and had collected all the information to do it, but everyone who expressed an interest had decided against a self-supported tour. I believe that it takes a different breed of cat to be interested in self-supported bicycle touring.

After a foot long chicken breast sub with the works at Subway for brunch we ended up at his house pouring over the maps and information that he had collected. Some parts of the route I liked and other parts I expressed concern about the amount of truck traffic on those roads. I shared my experiences about cycling across Kansas and listened to his ideas and plans. I have all the equipment, I am trained up, and I have another 5 weeks before I have to report back to work.

At the same time, my mother-in-law is dying. She is at the point where she is refusing to eat, and my wife needs my support. My choice is clear - family over fun. If she passes soon and my wife is doing well, then maybe something a little less lengthy is possible this summer. I will keep training, because I enjoy the level of fitness I reached on the GDMBR. I will keep planning, because I enjoy (some say too much) that process too. In any case, I may not remember where the shifters are located, but I clearly remember my duty to my family. It is all good.

Captions For The Trip Pictures

I should have gotten up early to ride before the heat builds up, but I was a lazy bones and slept in. Right now I am working on editing and writing captions for the pictures in the Picasa Albums located on the left sidebar. I think I will have them all done by tonight, so check them out when you get a chance. I will also post the story of each day with more details as time permits, and I will continue to post more installments about what worked and what did not work.

How about those Tour Divide and GDR racers? They are tearing it up!

The Food Issue

I know there are people who don't cook when they backpack or bikecamp, and that approach makes sense if there are sources of food during the day. If you travel lightly, then you can go faster, further and make it to the next watering hole more easily. This year in New Mexico I went to the other extreme, but even carrying food, cooking gear, fuel, and water I still lost almost a pound per day.

I really liked the slower pace, because I stopped to look at everything, to talk to people, and to take a gazillon pictures. I think I saw more wildlife too. For future reference I looked for springs in New Mexico even if I did not need water. If I had room for the Waypoints on my GPS I would probably load Geocache Waypoints too, and stop to hunt for them. Everyday was a new adventure and that took some of the hard grind of the trip. I knew that I had to average 40 miles per day to make the whole GDMBR in the time frame that I had available, but when I could not keep that pace day after day in the conditions I encountered, I was willing to redefine my goals.

In Mimbres I sold some of my food to another member of the group, because I needed to reduce my load for the climbing we were about to encounter in the Gila N.F. I tried to always have one extra day's supply in case of an injury or a major mechanical problems. By Cuba I fine tuned the load even more, and I ran out of food the night before I got to Abiquiu. I calculated the calories correctly, but even freeze dried food weight adds up to a significant load. I used far less propane/butane with the MSR Pocket Rocket stove and 1 L Primus ETAPower pot than I did last winter. One 220 g can lasted three weeks. I had projected using two 220 g cans per week based on the cold, windy conditions using the big Primus ETAPower pot and stove.

Last night I finally repacked and inventoried my freeze dried food supply for the trip. If there is an emergency, then I am ready to eat well for a couple of months. I will use some of it backpacking and bikecamping over the course of the next year, but the question remains as to whether I will go through the extraordinary amount of hassle to to prepare post office drop boxes for the rest of the GDMBR next year?



Another year of training and preparation are not going to hurt. I have completed about a quarter of the GDMBR, and it was not the easiest section in terms of logistics. So, I will think about my strategies for next year. Right now I definitely want to reduce the load and improve my climbing speed, but I am not sure that the food is the right place to address that issue.

On a positive note, I was never disappointed with the Mountain House freeze dried food. It always tasted good. I do wonder whether it had the advertised calories, but I was burning so many calories day and night that I my digestion could not keep up. In El Rito I bought a jar of peanut butter and used that to supplement and to replace the gel packs. I also bought some raisins, but I think they came over on the Mayflower. They were very dry and very potent. Overall, there were not many places to resupply in New Mexico, but I do not think that is true to the north (except in Wyoming).

At my wife's suggestion, after Grants, I flipped breakfast and lunch around. Instead of stopping to heat up water for lunch I ate a Mountain House ProPak meal in the morning and then ate granola for lunch. She also traded out the Clif Bars for Pemmican Bars that had almost twice the calories. Those simple changes helped, because I did not lose weight quite so fast.

At one point it was suggested that I not worry about the weight loss, because I would make it up quickly once I got to Banff. That is a point of view to consider, but for now I think I will go make some breakfast...

What Worked, What Did Not Work (Part 1)

Now that I finally accepted the fact that I am not going to do more of the GDMBR this summer I am starting to chill out. After a good night's rest I thought I would go for a little ride up Bear Canyon this morning, but then I got whammed with a wicked migraine headache. Usually I only get them when I am not exercising enough, and with a week off from the strenuous exertion of the GDMBR my body is slipping into slouch mode.

Two pills and three hours of sleep later I am groggy, but overall feeling much better. It could be a reaction to the old trail mix I was munching on yesterday as I reassembled my bike and trailer, or maybe it is just "after the battle" syndrome. In any case, I need to set some new goals for the summer and continue training and planning for next summer.

Just for chuckles yesterday while I was reassembling my bike I weighed my wheels - tire, tubes, sealant, cassette, rotors, and all - yesterday and discovered that my rear wheel was 6 pounds and the front one was 4 pounds. It was little wonder I struggle on the uphills. They were very reliable wheels, but that weight was a bit excessive for the amount of climbing on the GDMBR. Assembled, but unloaded, the whole bike weighed 35 pounds. I really appreciated the reliability and at times the full suspension, but I will be rethinking the weight issue; particularly the rotating weight.

Another issue was that with the BOB trailer I was unable to stand up on the uphills to use different muscle groups and relieve pressure on my butt. Without the trailer I could stand whenever I wanted, but with it I found it impossible to stand while climbing. That situation gave me a significant disadvantage, because my butt was glued to the saddle for the many, many long climbs. So I was forced to either slowly spin my way up or walk. The walking was as much to get some circulation to the butt as to stretch out the legs. In any case, I was a slow climber, and I need to work on that problem.

The Schwalbe Marathon XR tires were great on everything except sand. With the tubes installed I ran them at 50 psi to avoid pinch flats. Without the tubes I maintained the tire pressure between 30 - 40 psi, and they did better in the sandy/silty stretches. However, with the tubes and 50 psi it was hellish coming down the miles of sand on Polvadera Mesa south of Abiquiu, New Mexico. My front wheel would wash one way and the rear in the opposite direction.

Several times I nearly crashed, and then finally fatigued and did go over the bars on a relatively easy, but sandy section. I later learned that Cas, who was also using Schwalbe Marathon XR tires, also crashed in the same sandy section. On the other hand, they did great in the rocky sections, and of course on the pavement and packed sections too.




The front wheel washed out in the sand coming down (nobo) Polvadera Mesa south of Abiquiu. It wasn't even technical, but I was tired after 15 miles of rocks and then sand.

The Schwalbe Marathon XR tires did not hold up as tubeless tires. The casing broke in two places on the rear and did not look super great on the front when I changed them out after Grants. However, in all fairness, I did use those tires tubeless for several months as training tires and they easily had fifty thorn, cacti needle, and goathead punctures in each one before I started the GDMBR. I put about 4 ounces of fresh Stan's sealant in each one just prior to the ride, and there was always a slight amount weeping through the holes in the tires.

I first noticed a slight bulge in the rear tire when I awoke at Beaverhead Work Center in the Gila N.F. However, they never gave me any trouble, and they held air fine until the rear tire casing broke through. At that point there was no sealant left in the rear tire. I put a tube in it and made it all the way to Grants, New Mexico (about 90 miles) without any further problems. I think there is still a lot of commuter miles left on those tires with a boot and a tube.




I was bivied next to my bike at the Beaverhead Work Center in the Gila N.F. In the morning when I sat up is when I first noticed this slight bulge in my rear tire.




It held up until about 20 miles south of Pie Town. I had just blown down an eight mile stretch at speeds over 30 mph, but fortunately right here I was climbing a slight grade when it flatted out. It had been so long since I had a flat with the tubeless system that for a second or two I did not even acknowledge the infamous symptoms of a flat. I was unable to get it to hold air, so I put a tube in and rode on.

Logistically New Mexico was every bit as much of a bear as I expected. I did find a lot more water, than was advertised. At the same time the quality of the water was often repulsive to the uninitiated. Twice I filtered and treated water that had dead animals floating in them. Usually there were great clumps of algae growing and lots of bugs and little critters swimming around (extra protein).



Baby squirrels floating around in the main windmill tank just north of La Jolla Canyon south of the Plains of Agustin!



Yummy for the tummy algae near the Valle Tio Vences Campground 30 miles south of Pie Town.

When we got to our first "spring," Meason Spring in the Gila N.F., one of the group rode right past it, another asked if we needed to use a filter (before looking), and another started reading the instructions that came with his filter.




The word "spring" conjures up images of fresh, clear, cold water flowing out of the side of a mountain. That is so innocent and sweet, but in New Mexico the word "spring" or "ojo" can be anything from a cow piss mud hole to some sort of trough full of warm filthy water. A good, field serviceable, water filter is essential. Using a chemical backup is smart too; especially when you are filtering from a source with dead animals or coyote poop floating around in it. If you think "third-world," then you will have a clearer picture of the water situation on much of the GDMBR in New Mexico south of Grants.




This is the upper San Lucas Spring which is about 5 miles north of San Mateo Spring near Mt Taylor (north of Grants). Due to the steep terrain it was difficult to find even with the GPS, but here is a picture of a "spring" that you could put in a dictionary.

Using my Garmin eTrek Vista HCx and the Garmin MapSource USA Topo maps I found many "springs" that I never would have found otherwise. The only one that was a bust was Luterio Spring in the Jemez Mountains. It should be renamed "Moses' Spring," because the GPS Waypoint led me to a couple of big boulders in a meadow. I guess you are suppose to say a prayer and whack the rocks with your tire pump to make water gush out. I did find another source of water about 100 feet away, but it was so neglected and overgrown with bushes that it was not a good source for water. The cattle had beaten the area up pretty badly, and I waited until the next morning to get water somewhere else.

In the Carson N.F. north of El Rito, New Mexico, using the GPS I found a spring next to a bone dry creek bed. It was only when I dismounted and walked about 50 feet did I see the "spring" in the shade. It was actually in plain view, but totally blended into the landscape. It even had a little gutter carrying the water to a long metal trough. So, even with my trained eye I almost missed it



Can you see the "spring" across the bone dry creek bed and in the shade?

I had to actually walk over there to find it, and it was in plain view only 50 feet away!



That is a good start on what worked and what didn't work for me in New Mexico. Stay tuned for more ...

Humpty Dumpty

From screws, nuts, bearings, and seals back to a whole bike and BOB trailer again.



I was very pleased about how well everything withstood the abuse from the New Mexico part of the GDMBR. All that extra preparation really paid off with very few minor mechanical problems.




The front shock had too much negative pressure and was held down by it. My headset had loosened up some too. The great mechanics at Albuquerque Bikeworks quickly diagnosed and cured the problem. I had stopped by there yesterday to get a box to ship my bike to Helena.



The BOB trailer checked out with a clean bill of health. It took its fair share of the abuse too.

All Is Well That Ends Well

After reading Tour Divide racer Reuben Kline's report of significant snow pack on a pass near the Idaho-Wyoming border I decided to pull the plug on my trip. Today needed to be the day to start shipping, but with my very recent snow-mud experience in northern New Mexico I have no delusions about what this first-hand report means. If it takes a young warrior 5 hours to do what he expected to accomplish in 2, then an old teamster with a load like myself might not get through at all. That would leave me stranded. If I survived, then my wife would kill me. It is a no win situation.

The snow is bad news, but by the time I would get there then there would probably be a lot of mud too. I dealt with that back in March on my Ignacio Chavez Grant shakedown, and I dealt with it crossing Brazos Ridge last week. No thank you!




Before I read Reuben's report I was researching options such as the cost of driving up to Montana and back and also the cost of renting a car to drive. Just the fuel costs would be between $500 - $600 round trip. If I rented a car and dropped it off in Helena it was going to be between $1200 - $1500 total with the fuel. I can have plenty of fun in New Mexico for that much money, and I won't get stranded in the snow and mud.

So after I dropped my wife off at her workshop at UNM this morning I went downtown to the Greyhound station to initiate a refund. The lady at the counter was ready for a confrontation about the 20% charge on the refund. Instead my response to everything she said was: "That's fine." Finally she said, "Why can't everyone be like you?" I think it might be because I am literate. I understood the fine print and took responsibility for the possible consequences of my choices. Her other customers looked a lot like many of my students, and they aren't about to take responsibility for anything. I'd love to be able to take a few of them out in some of these conditions where no one is going to enable them. Maybe even teach them how to be winners instead of lazy losers. Unfortunately, our society is not geared that way.

So, now I need to reassemble my bike and BOB trailer. I also need to do an inventory on my left over food and other supplies. All is well that ends well! Peace.

Extreme Makeover

This is what a mountain bike and BOB trailer look like completely broken down. I need to ship the bike, trailer, and camping gear tomorrow and Saturday, but I still don't have a physical address to ship to yet. I remain hopeful and optimistic. My latest idea is to ship everything to a General Delivery address at the main post office in Helena. I don't know if there is a limit to how much you can ship to yourself via General Delivery, but I may test the system soon.



As you can see, I have gone way beyond the normal breakdown for bike packing in case I have to use the General Delivery approach. I need to research that crazy idea tomorrow. I also need to reconfigure my food and supplies post office drop boxes, and get the first of them in the mail soon too.

I have a lot more to do to get out of here. Later ...

Helena Cyclists - I Need Your Help! Please!!!

I just purchased a Greyhound bus ticket to Helena. If I don't get bumped at any of the four transfer points, then I will arrive next Thursday at around 7:45 pm. The new baggage restrictions may prohibit me from bringing both my bike and BOB trailer. I don't mind paying the extra fees, but I was told that if there was not room on any of the connecting buses for me or my gear then tough luck! There is no way to make a reservation; you just have a ticket on a first come first seated basis.

I was also told that I may have to use GreyhoundXpress to ship my bike and trailer. The other Catch 22 is that GreyhoundXpress does not ship to Helena (the capital of Montana)! Too cool for school I guess?

I desperately need a physical address to UPS or FedEx my bike and BOB trailer to in Helena. Eric at at Great Divide Cyclery has offered to let me ship the bike there, but the BOB is equally critical to the trip. I am concerned about tying up space in the shop when the GDR racers are blowing through next week. Help!!

Thanks!

Based on the Tour Divide racers' reports I am going to head south. I should easily get to Rawlins, Wyoming by the end of July and hopefully down into Colorado. I have to be back in Albuquerque by August 6th.

I should add that I already have made a reservation at Budget Inn Express, which is very near the Greyhound bus station in Helena. The bus trip is 38-39 consecutive hours, so I expect to sleep like a log when I get in even if it is noisy. I just put in some ear plugs and let the coyotes howl and the wind blow. I even sleep through the rain, i.e., at Ojo Frio near Cabezon, NM.

Itch'n to Ride the GDMBR Again

Tonight I was suppose to be taking an inventory of my leftover food from the recently aborted great GDMBR adventure. Instead I was replanning a sobo trip from Helena, Montana to at least Rawlins, Wyoming. More later ...

Tour Divide Racer Reports

Today is my younger granddaughter's 2nd birthday and we just got home from taking everyone out for a birthday diner. My older granddaughter has been campaigning to sleep over for several days. My younger daughter is home from L.A. What more could proud parents want than to have the whole family together for a few days?

While everyone was taking turns taking baths and showers and getting ready for bed. I checked in on the Tour Divide Leaderboard and read some of the racers reports of pushing through miles of snow and over hundreds of down trees. Matthew Lee's report of seeing lots of bear tracks in the snow thrilled my wife the most. After that report it sure does not look like I will be continuing on the GDMBR this summer; especially since summer seems to be cancelled in northern Montana as well as in Colorado. My wife bookmarked the Tour Divide race web site on her computer. After a few more reports like today's and I will be lucky to be allowed to get back on the GDMBR for quite a while.

There is plenty to do at home and right here in New Mexico. This week I am going to enjoy my daughter's company. She asked me to take her on a hike; just not one of my "death marches." I have been working on the pictures I took of the New Mexico section of the GDMBR. I have thinned the pictures a lot and I am slowly working on captions. I am sure I will finish the GDMBR, but this doesn't look like a good summer to try to complete it. I have to report back to work on August 7th and I have some doctors appointments scheduled for the 6th. The weather continues to be wacky and it looks like it is going to continue to be weird for a while.

I am glad I made it off Brazos Ridge in northern New Mexico in one piece. The wind up there was absolutely brutal. Judging from the pictures on the Tour Divide web site of the route from past years the conditions are significantly worse in northern New Mexico this year. The "roads" are badly rutted and right now a lot of them are glorified creek beds. Mud abounds and the snow drifts seem endless. With the heavier load I carried as a touring bicyclist I was losing almost a pound a day. I could not eat enough to curb the weight loss. In retrospect the skin rash was a blessing in disguise.

I will continue to fill in the details of our trip through New Mexico and put captions with the pictures. I only have one drop shipment that I will have to pay to have returned to me. I will continue to prepare the drop boxes for another attempt next year. With 706 miles of experience on the GDMBR I have some comments on what went well and what did not; as well as what equipment worked and what failed. I will discuss those issues in future posts.

Friday the 13th

When I awoke the back and inside aspect of my knees itched and burned badly. I had some kind of rash that was spreading up my legs.




Nevertheless, I needed to attend to the Mule before I would be able to do any more climbing. The rear derailleur hanger was twisted even worse than I originally thought. So after breaking camp I replaced it.




If possible I wanted to get some pictures of the Cumbres Toltec coal-fired steam engine tourist train. So before eating breakfast I hurriedly rode to the tracks. There was mud on the tracks from bicycles and at least one motorcycle so I knew that it had not passed yet. However, I did not know whether it operated every day. When the Mule saw yet another huge snow drift completely blocking the road she wanted to stay on the tracks and commit suicide.




While I waited for the train I filtered some water from the side of the road and sat down to eat some breakfast. Then, in the distance, I heard the train's horn blasting through the cool mountain air. It looked like a toy train coming up the mountain from Chama, New Mexico. I got into position and fired away with my camera as happy tourists waved and took my picture. It wasn't the Amtrak, but I was ready to hop aboard as it sped by.













I pushed and shoved the Mule around two more huge snow banks that completely blocked the road. By now I was accustomed to pushing up 15-18% grades to maneuver around the drifts. Up near the highway I determined that the prevailing wind was blowing toward Horca, so that is the direction I rode. I was so sick of the wind that I would ride a 100 miles in the wrong direction as long as it was to my back and I was headed to a restaurant.





On my way up La Manga Pass a Race Across America rider caught and passed me. He was all twinkied up on his racing bike while I was spinning the Mule in my sandals between 6-7 mph. It was only a 5% grade on asphalt. Compared with the conditions I had been riding in I felt like I was cheating, but it was the official GDMBR. As he passed he told me that he was very impressed. I hope I inspired him to ride a little harder.

It was quite a contrast between us. I had not shaved or bathed in a week and I had the b.o. to prove it. He looked well groomed and his support vehicle, handlers, and mechanic were in a vehicle constantly nearby. On the other hand I had, I hoped, everything I needed to get from Mexico to Canada on the Mule, and I was completely self-supported. I was impressed too, because Race Across Ameria is an awesome race. I hope they have fun doing it.

About halfway to Horca I pulled into a saloon steakhouse. The stairs were broken and the railings were busted up. I looked down on the ground and there was an open knife. Although it seemed like a pretty good watering hole they were closed. Hungry and disappointed I continued up La Manga Pass and down the other side to Horca, Colorado. You may be as disappointed as me to learn that the reason the stairs and railings were broken was from the snow removal equipment. Nevertheless, I did pickup a nice tactical weapon in the parking lot.










Outside the Red Bear Restaurant and Store in Horca I found a payphone. I had not talked to my wife in a week. For 50 cents I had three precious minutes. I gave her the payphone number and she called me back. She was not pleased that I had not been with the group except for one night in the past week. Even though she is confident of my survival skills she was especially upset that I crossed Brazos Ridge under such adverse conditions by myself. I explained to her that we had bad information and did not know what we were getting into until it was too late to turn around.

Nevertheless, I was the one to pull the plug on the trip. The rash was spreading up towards my groin and I needed medical attention.

I also learned that three of the five passes that we needed to cross in Colorado were still officially closed. Again it sounded like a lot blarney had been passed on to us about crossing the passes earlier. So now it was turning into a road tour instead of a mountain bike tour through Colorado. Some years you just cannot get through the San Juan Mountains.

The Tour Divide racers have left Banff, Alberta, and next week the Great Divide Race (GDR) starts from Roosville, Montana. From what I saw and experienced I don't think the snow will be melted enough even in three weeks. It is still late winter/early spring conditions in the high country. Apparently summer was cancelled this year.

With the decision to go home made I went in to the Red Bear Restaurant to eat. I was now down 17 pounds in three weeks. I could not even come close to consuming enough calories for the amount of energy I spent each day. The proprietor had seen many hungry cyclists come through and it did not phase him when I said I would probably eat two or three meals while I waited for my wife to drive about 200 miles from Albuquerque. He knew it was absolutely true.

"For my first meal I'll start with the steak sandwich and fries." That was followed by a slice of cherry pie and vanilla ice cream and two or three glasses of Pepsi. I engaged a cowboy in a conversation about ranching as I drank three or four cups of coffee. "Now I am ready for the menu again." After a huge hamburger and another serving of fries chased down with a couple more glasses of Pepsi I wasn't quite as hungry as before.

It is about a 3-1/2 hour drive up from Albuquerque to Horca, and it was getting close to time to get the Mule ready to travel. Before long my wife arrived. She had already diagnosed my skin rash as Impetigo by our telephone conversation, but upon inspection she changed her "diagnosis." We got home around 10:30 last night. I shaved and showered and the burning and itching was almost unbearable. After trying some Tinactin we figured it might be a fungal infection, but on Monday I will try to get an appointment with my doctor.

So after three weeks and about 706 miles I am done for now. I may try to leap frog Colorado or even try a flip-flop by going north and riding sobo. For sure I agree that northern New Mexico should be done sobo, because it feels like I have done a tremendous amount of climbing this past week. I talked to one of the remaining group members this morning and they are probably going to take two weeks off and then start in Banff and head sobo. I might have the opportunity to join them, but I would not have time to complete the route this summer.

I need a few days to sort things out and get some medical treatment for my skin rash. I doubt if I am done with the GDMBR, but I am willing to be sensible about it. I prefer a little more relaxed pace so I can take lots of pictures. At the same time I am in pretty good physical shape, and it would be a shame to have to start all over again in the training process.

On the other hand, I am more interested in maintaining a healthy life-style than sacrificing my health to a silly goal. As much as possible I would prefer to enjoy the journey. I am not making any decisions for at least a couple of days.

The Grinch Stole Summer!

On Thursday, June 12th I ascended to over 11,000 feet elevation to cross Brazos Ridge in northern New Mexico. I was about a half day behind what was left of our group. After dragging the Mule several miles through snow fields, over endless drifts, through mud bogs, streams, puddles, over downed trees, up roads transformed into muddy stream beds at 15% grade, the wind on top literally picked me, bike and trailer and all, up and threw me about ten feet off the road.

Fortunately I was not injured, but my rear derailleur was twisted into the spokes. I was prepared to rebuild the wheel if necessary, but not in that much wind. It was early afternoon so I punched the "Help" button on my SPOT. I know some of you philosophically disagree with the use of the SPOT, but if the wind kept up at that velocity I was going to be blown off the ridge. Fortunately that one gust was rare; although at one point I was shoved up a 5% rocky grade at 5 mph without pedaling.

Several times I left skid marks all the way across the road as I locked the brakes to keep from rolling right off the mountain. I would guess that the average wind speed was between 30-40 mph with gusts up around 60-70 mph. After twisting the derailleur out of the spokes into a middle gear I cancelled the "Help" message and sent an "I'm OK" message. I continued slogging along.

The GPS probably saved my life because there was no way to find the road or when to turn and head d0wn the mountain. The tracks of the two bikes that crossed yesterday vanished in a marsh and I did not find them again until I was passed the "unrideable rocky" section. After a while I tried to find a route around the snow banks, which were about 5-6 feet tall on top on the ridge. However that usually meant getting fairly close to the steep windswept edge of the ridge. But instead of trying to ride I pushed and remained ready to hit the deck on to the soggy ground to keep from being blown off the mountain.

From all the weaving and drifting the odometer readings no longer matched up to the map. However, by keeping one eye glancing at the the GPS I found my way over Brazos Ridge and down the other side.

I later learned that others claimed to have come across Brazos Ridge about four days ahead of me. I find it strange that they left no tracks in the snow or mud. Maybe there is more than one Brazos Ridge? A couple of weeks ago I met some motorcyclists that were doing the GDMBR sobo. They told me that they could not cross Indiana Pass, but they never mentioned any problems anywhere else. I have since learned that three out of the five major passes in the Colorado section of the GDMBR were closed. There sure as heck were not any tracks, except of the two bikes I was following on Brazos Ridge.

Much later in the day I saw where a motorcycle had gone up the road (that was transformed into a creek bed) from Apache Creek about a mile or so, but that is not even close to Brazos Ridge. Nevertheless, I will give them credit for being a highly skilled rider to get as far as they did before they turned around. It became very clear that help could never arrive, except on foot.

Here is a picture from early in the day when I thought I was pretty hot stuff for pushing over a few 2-3 foot drifts. Within an hour or so I was glad I decided to eat two breakfasts, because there was no way to stop an eat much in that strong, strong wind.



This next picture really does not indicate how hard it was to push the bike and trailer up this 15% muddy, rutted grade.



The further up the mountain the more frequent the snow drifts until it was all snow, mud, and streams of ice cold water. A couple of weeks ago I was complaining about burning feet, but that problem seemed to be completely resolved.



The snow and mud by itself would have been sufficient challenge, but with the gale force winds the task was multiplied many fold.



Obviously, I made it, and by the end of that day my technical riding skills had improved dramatically. I tore down the road, transformed into a creek bed, hauling the loaded trailer like it was a super highway. I crashed through snow drift after snow drift and muddy stream after stream as I raced down the mountain to hopefully a warmer, less windy environment. For two days I had been riding and climbing against strong winds, but finally I had gravity (and desperation) on my side.

The derailleur hanger was trashed, so I did not need to baby it. I just did not have any climbing gears, and I needed to keep the derailleur and chain from destroying the spokes. Fortunately, as I descended I discovered that someone had very recently been clearing the downed trees on the road, but there continued to be endless snowbank drifts to get over, through, or around. On the downhill side of every snowbank drift was slippery deep mud and often running water from the melting snow and ice.

From the fresh tracks there must have been someone on a motorcycle who made a good start on breaking a path through the drifts. It did not matter to me anymore as I flew down the mountain like K.C Jones on the Canon Ball Express train. I needed time to dry out, make camp and assess the damage, so with knees and elbows tucked in tightly to the midline I roared down the mountain. Before long I did not even feel the loaded BOB trailer adding to my momentum.

Arriving at Apache Creek a little after 5 was like arriving in heaven. The wind was still blowing, but nothing like it was up on Brazos Ridge. There was a rushing stream nearby to filter water to make dinner and clean up. I hastily set up camp. I went to bed at 7:30. At 11:30 a coyote was howling nearby, and even through the ear plugs he woke me up. I got out of the tent to mark my territory, and I told him how much I was looking forward to having coyote stew for breakfast. He left, and I went back to sleep.