Tour Divide 2023

So... today is the last "regular" riding day on the GDMBR! Unfortunately, we're dealing with record heat here in the desert southwest --and our potential safety stops between Silver City and the border are temporarily closed (Jeffrey Sharp's bike ranch has had their water run out!).  So we're playing it safe, and ending our ride here...  If your curious  how hot it's getting-- here's what CNN is saying ;-) https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/14/weather/heat-wave-phoenix-california-las-vegas-climate/index.html.  For today, we got unbelievably lucky... Part the residue of design, part pure dumb luck!  First, we started REALLY early. We were up at 4:15 and on the road before 5:00 and with just a hint of light on the Eastern horizon.  Not that there's a lot to see in this part of New Mexico, so we didn't miss much... Just some yucca and scruffy dry grass among the mesquite and juniper that's covering the long low hills.  Today's

Finally, an easy day that actually turned out to be easy:-). Wibke and I got a good early start from our campsite in Apache Creek, and we're on the road by about 6:30am.  Just as we're finishing this thing, I'm finally mastering the art of setting up and breaking camp!  We started with 13 miles of mostly downhill to the town of Reserve, during which we saw numerous elk along the road. They're a whole lot bigger than our eastern white tail deer, so I sure wouldn't want to hit one! Once in Reserve, we had a great breakfast at Ella's Cafe, and once properly caffeinated and carbon loaded, we set off for the remaining 36 miles to Glenwood, where we had a reservation for a cabin.  Most of the ride continued to descend out of the mountains and down into the Sonora Desert.  After one last climb up to about 6500', we dropped down to below 5000' for the first time since northern Montana.  So, while our

After yesterday's long slog along the GDMBR's gravel to Pie Town, last night we decided to consider a slightly longer route today, but sticking to paved highway instead of unpredictable gravel. Whether peanut butter mud or peanut butter powder, neither was something we wanted to experience at this stage of our journey! So after a pretty good night's rest at the Toaster House, we set off for Apache Creek along US 60 at about 7:00am.  Today we were not too worried about heat, as we would begin riding at about 7500' under oddly overcast  skies, and then climb to more than 8200' at Jewett's Gap, so for most of the ride we would see comfortable temperatures.  The wind was another thing though...but we apparently got lucky on that count for once!  The daily breeze didn't really kick up until after we got to Quemado and headed south.  Starting as a quartering tailwind, by the time we were descending along the San Francisco River, we had a full on tailwi

So... After massive effort to get to Grants in one day instead of two, we elected to take a rest day in Grants.  That consisted mostly of doing laundry, taking a swim in the motel pool, and reading.  The main goal was to rest & recharge, and frankly, Grants didn't really offer a whole lot of options anyway- so rest we did :-) Today, however, was a known "big" day- 70 miles across desert, with almost the entire route climbing gradually. More importantly, the final 35 miles were on gravel roads known for their "peanut butter mud.". Given the weather (sunny & hot), mud was unlikely, so we set off at first light with beating the heat high on our agenda.  The first 35 miles were all through the El Malpais National Monument, a stunning set of contrasting landscapes. On the east side of the main road are towering sandstone cliffs- similar to those seen across the desert south west; on the west side of the road, li

So... Now things are starting to get interesting in terms of strategy and tactics.  Up to this point, our concerns about weather have been focused on wind and precipitation, and then crafting our ride times and clothing accordingly. Now sun and extreme temperature is getting stirred into the mix, and it definitely complicates how we plan and approach the daily ride. Yesterday was a good case in point. We left our motel Cuba at 5:45 am to get breakfast at a great little diner when they opened at 6:00, and we were on the road at about 6:45, with the intention of riding about 60-70 miles to get us half-way to Grants, which was about 120 miles south across desert and tableland.   The first 45 miles went perfectly as planned, with two small stores providing some welcome respite from the building heat, and opportunity to top off water supply and get a cold Gatorade & a sandwich.  After that, there were no services at all on the route, so we