Day 29 - Cuba, NM to Grants, NM

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 made sure we were carrying a ton of water- about 7-8 liters each! When we reached the "hamlet" of Whitehorse ( about 6 houses & a water tank) at 65 miles at about 1:30pm, we began to think it was time to find a campsite - or at least someplace with some shade, as the temps were headed to the mid 90'sF!  Unfortunately, the land had little to give us...

Nothing much bigger than a sagebrush bush, or a straggling juniper, and the occasional rock formations that were typically well away from the road and behind barbed-wire cattle fencing.  We decided to ride a little further to another cluster of "ranches" (hardscrabble houses we'll off the road) named Hospah, where we saw signs advertising "propane and snacks" for sale.  While the propane sales appeared closed for Sunday, there was a small church with a covered awning over the front porch.  As Wibke looked about ready to melt, we decided to take some time to cool down and rest in the shade and then begin planning our next steps to get to Grants- another 50+ miles away.  A little reconnaissance revealed that the church also had an outdoor hose bib that was unlocked and with running water!  We probably had plenty on our bikes, but it was really nice to dump some of our 90F water in the bottles, and refill with 50-60F water from their well :-). We said a prayer of appreciation to the church congregation for leaving their water unlocked, and after sitting out the worst hours of afternoon heat, remounted our bikes at about 4:30pm.  The route at this point was bearing almost due south and a little east, so we began to benefit from a quarterimg tailwind - not a lot of help, but far better than battling a headwind, which we'd done for 30 miles or so in the late morning! After two long, but mercifully not too steep climbs up about 1000' of elevation, we were presented with a much needed gift - 30 miles of long, gradual downhill all the way into Grants.  Here we also got to see some of the most beautiful landscapes of the day as we raced downhill toward Grants trying in the dwindling daylight...

With our various tail and headlights lit like blinking Christmas trees, we eventually rolled into Grants at about 9:00pm in the last of the day's twilight, with Norma providing some much appreciated assistance in getting a hotel reservation after I failed several times to get my hotels.com app to work!  We finished the day eating chips & beer in our room at the Super 8 (not exactly 5 stars, but it sure felt like it!), as we were too exhausted to wonder across the road to the DQ that was open til 10pm.

 Yup- that's  a 6-pack of local IPA strapped on the top of the rear bag, Beverly Hillbillies style :-). Amazing what you can keep adding to your rig when you need too! A really long day, but it went surprisingly well given the circumstances:-). Today we are resting in Grants, and tomorrow brings a much more manageable 70 miles through some beautiful landscapes in the Malpais National Conservation Area to the legendary Pie Town, NM.  More then from the GDMBR - Cheers!