I decided to join the family in their bi-weekly shopping trip to Albuquerque. Another delay but concluded that a replacement tyre was the correct course of action.

Photos on route

I finally got riding around 3pm so Grants was out of reach but was now confident that I was well prepared for the next 400 miles (the next bike shop on route)!!

My camp was by the side of the launderette within a wired compound – in the middle of nowhere. No worries escape between 9pm & 7am.

The launderette

The decision to take the Chaco Alternate route south from Cuba to Grants was only taken this morning. Although it is officially the dry season here, the ground is still wet from recent storms & further rain from the Pacific hurricanes is forecast. The guidebook advises against the wilderness route in such cases & with good reason. The roads become impassable & bikes become mired in mud. In the past, riders have abandoned their bikes to walk out.

For the locals, this rain after a prolonged drought, is a godsend, to me it’s very disappointing.

I Packed, & enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Cafe Cuba, I set off.

Shots of the ride –

In my journey, further north, metalled roads were generally adopted by sponsors to look after & keep free of debris. But not here. Rubbish litters the verges, including broken glass bottles & even offcuts of barbed wire. 20 miles in & a flat rear tyre – too big to plug. Crystal Trujillo pulled over, phoned her husband, Hugh, who came out with his pickup. The tyre was not in the best of health which was a worry. For now, all I could do was stick a tyre boot, fit an old fashioned inner tube & consider my options. Hugh had brought me into the Navajo Reservation and I was standing on a high mesa with almost uninterrupted panoramic views of the surrounding desert. As soon as I had arrived, their four adopted “well behaved” children were with me, keen to help. I accepted Crystal’s offer of dinner & a bed, pleased with the company in this wilderness. I spent the rest of the day & evening chatting. Daughter, Lamisha, had made chocolate cookies for desert – they were absolutely delicious!

Another exceptional, hardworking family where religion & generosity are central. They are Trail Angels for the Divide hikers, placing water along the trail & providing accommodation where needed. They don’t normally encounter bikers – I may be their first.

Crystal, replenishing the water for the Trail Hikers.

Hugh is a native Navajo & is in his ancestral area surrounded by family dwellings – such places are referred to as camps. He drives trucks between MN & TX & if his son, Shiloh, is lucky enough, will accompany him on the 3 day trip. Hugh is aware that the Navajo traditions & culture are at risk & is keen to pass them on the next generation. He teaches his children the native language & skills such hunting with slingshot. On the sling shot, he gave me an impressive demonstration.

Crystal was brought up as a Mennonite in Maryland, east USA but changed to a more open religion. She first came to this area as a student with a friend to work in the local Navajo school. Back then, before TV was readably available, most Navajo communities spoke only Navajo & Hugh was the interpreter. They met up on his birthday & as they say, the rest is history. Crystal’s occupation as a teacher ended following the adoption of the four Navajo children & home schools them & manages the house. Quite a handful!

Crystal, Hugh, Lamisha, Shiloh, Michael & Cody

Thanks to Hugh & Crystal, & to the guys below for making my stay so awesome!! All individuals & very special people.

Cody age 5, lots of smiles & hugs. Despite his many health issues is warm hearted, & manages to get himself the centre of attention.

Michael age 7, the cheeky one, could eat for Britain but incredibly skinny. Always keen to help & join in.

Shiloh age 8, the big brother – smart, inquisitive & full of fun. This guy will go places! – is the blood brother of Cody & is great with him.

Lamisha age 11, the smart big sister to them all!! A little studious & with signs of the challenging teenager coming through – lovely personality.

Shiloh & Lamisha are both incredibly bright & outgoing & my offer will remain to take care of them should a visit to the U.K be possible.

Today, Im the owner of new cycle shoes!

The risk of riding on in shoes held together with duck tape was too high. My challenge was how to get to the nearest cycle shop in Albuquerque, 82 miles away! Google had listed car hire places in Cuba but was found not to be the case. In my search however, I came across Jonathan Smelser & his dad, Worthington (Worth) Smelser (2nd person met on this trip with Worthington

as a Christian name!) They were heading for Albuquerque to collect medication & kindly agreed to take me along. Other than the inside of the Trek shop & a diner, l missed out on seeing the city, nor was I able to meet up with Heidi & Kelly – sorry for that.

From the car I could see Albuquerque had grown considerably since my visit in 1970’s & not necessarily for the better. Back then it was much smaller & was possible to drive through in 15 mins. The charm of the Old Town’s pueblo buildings (dating back to 1706) was apparent it had a feel of a pioneer town. Today, the old town is lost in the the urban sprawl which continues up the slopes of the Sandia Mountains, the city’s stunning backdrop. As with the rest of NM, Albuquerque sits in a high desert & NM’s place of wealth & opportunity. Major employers like Intel (chip manufacturers) help see to that. However, all is not good here. The city is running out of water & climate change is worsening the situation; population is decreasing – people are moving out of state all together, predominantly for Colorado & drugs & crime are a big problems.

Worth is an 80 year old, retired civil/structural engineer, has retained his sharp mind. Jon is from his second marriage with a family from his first. He told me the tragic story of one of his son’s, a successful construction engineering. A popular person, with many friends – some on the “edge”. A couple of weeks after mentioning to Worth that he was in trouble, his son disappeared- and is now officially registered as dead. The family believe he may be alive, living with a new identity, unable to contact anyone from the past. All this happened only 2 yrs ago so is very raw and the case is still open. Worth also has convincing views on recent history & current affairs. His conclusion of 9/11 is that the twin towers were designed to withstand a plane collision & collapsed due to explosions.

Jon is a smart 23yrs old, still pondering on choice of degree. He had two distractions. His faith – he is a devout Christian, and the family business – a large acreage of land just outside Cuba, part is leased out for fracking, part for rearing cattle & part is leased for water abstraction.

Worth & son Jon – nearby their reservoir

Back at my motel & prepared for tomorrow’s ride & rested.

Last night it rained & clouds had a lot more to offer, fortunately it stopped long enough to pack up.

The morning’s ride was through forest with occasional glimpses of the wider surroundings

Shots long the way

Yes NM does have lots of mountains & forests!

Soon after the above shot, it rained again, heavily & for the next 20 miles through to my destination.

Cuba NM is an unimpressive place but will provide me a shower, bed, food supplies & an opportunity to check out my wounds. Also need to find a way to get new bike shoes.

Abiquiu Inn

The route out of Abiquiu quickly became a climb up a sandy road through an area of town where the less fortunate live – a million miles from the Inn. Chased by dogs, on one occasion I had need to give a short squirt of bear spray to fend off one dog snapping at my ankle.

Shots of the initial climb

Finally – high point 29 miles in!

Todays ride included a 29mile climb back up into forests & 10,200ft.

The main feature of today’s ride were the roads. For me they were often very challenging – ruts, sandy, rocky, bouldery & on occasions far too difficult for me to ride. Because of the difficulty, the Divide book had set the day’s ride at only 29 miles. I managed 42miles – achieved only by riding until dusk.

Shots taken at dusk – immediately above, for just a few seconds the sun lit the road bright gold

Pulled off the road set up camp & used my earplugs to lessen the noise from the rain on the tent.

Today, a few things went wrong. I now have two cycle boots falling apart, my head torch stopped working, the Rohloff gear shifter fell away (leaving me thinking it broken), and, allowing a few spills, ok am now nursing a painful leg. – maybe I should have taken the road?

A rest day today. An opportunity to recover, post blogs, call home & reorganize pack for the longer hauls. Last night I checked in to the Abiquiu Inn, an impressive establishment where I was warmly greeted by the front desk. who showed keen interest in my journey & adventures. It was only in the restaurant where my lack of appropriate attire was to matter. Here I received a lukewarm reception & poor service – disappointing but not the end of the world.

My tour of Abiquiu was brief. It is tiny, consisting of a town square contains a Catholic church, library & a few old houses. All the traditional pueblo style.

Town Square – Church

Town Square- dwelling

Town Square- Library

On my trip to the supermarket, I met Joao riding into town & we headed back to the inn for drinks – sadly, being Sunday, alcohol was off the menu so chatted over glasses of lemonade. The Divide is a big commitment for anyone, behind which, is at least one big reason. For me it was a couple: my lifetime passion for America, the people & places on the Divide’s remote route on east side of the Rockies would be a new experience; another is my need for adventure; and finally, to see if I could revive my ageing & recently neglected body back to a level of fitness necessary to complete such a mammoth ride.

Joao is a gentle man in his mid 40’s, who has recently come out of a long term relationship. Understandably he wants distance between that part of his life & his future. The Divide is providing him the place to achieve this. Here, he is totally free, has the opportunity to reestablish his identity, & be with new, good friends – and have a great adventure to boot!

We both are certain that, more than anything else, the ride is about the people we meet, it is what makes the ride awesome!!

My evening was spent tweaking my bike packing to accommodate additional water & carbs. The weather forecast is a big concern. There is a real risk that a Pacific tropical storm will cause heavy rain on Tuesday thro Friday & catch me at 10,000ft in the wilds. I have an opportunity to travel by road but would miss out on a major part of the Divide. The accuracy of the forecast & quality of track will undoubtedly determine my progress & success at getting to my next town, Cuba NM.

The hotel receptionist informed me of two new bike shelters being established in the area at Coyote Valley Casita & LaMesa, along the GDMBR ready for the 2019 session – Contacts +1 505 919 9385 or +1 505 901 3124. Check them out if you are thinking of riding next year.

My thanks to Jenifer & Joel Subblett for the breakfast – just what I needed! Look forward to hearing from you.

I set off before the two ladies but with intentions of meeting up on route or in Abiquiu. From here they had offered to drop me at the bike shop in Santa Fe, 45 miles away.

Todays ride was in two parts. The morning was undulating around 9000ft

Morning ride in NM mountains

Old pioneers homestead. – the area has been occupied since the later 1800s, this basic, isolated home is likely to be less than 120 years old.

Attractive ranch above located on the treacherous road, many miles from absolutely anywhere!

Last serious climb of the day along FR44, out of Vallecitos up through smouldering forests

The afternoon was a descent to NM “lowlands” – a rugged landscape of buttes & desert.

Looking south, first sight of NM beyond the forests – on the horizon, the outline of the mountains to be encountered on my next ride day – to be the last before the gradual loss in elevation & Grants

Pretty soon in the descent, it is very clear you are no longer in Colorado! With it, my first realisation as to how far I’ve travelled.

First stop – a cold Dr Pepper in the village of El Rito. Very Mexican with a great little restaurant & galleries selling local art. Very touristy & quite a shock after so much isolation.

Photos of final descent to Abiquiu

Reminder that NM is part of USA but very much Mexican is spirit – Easy to overlook if you travel to the major cities

Heidi & Kelley arrived early evening & I informed them I would skip Sante Fe in the hope that my duct-taped shoe would hold out. Another sad goodbye. I’m hoping to stay in touch & may well see Heidi’s sister in UK – she will be very welcome!

The evening was spent with Scott Harris, professional steel guitar player & his partner. Both had lost loved ones in recent years & were working on rebuilding their lives. Both had withdrawn from “normal” work to focus on what they saw as most important.

Check out Scott’s group – Chris Arellano y Nuevo Americana

Another cold night but kept warm by wearing every item of clothing I carried- now everything smells!

Camp mentioned in the guide 1 mile off route, with great views over the Basin. Sadly I didn’t quite make it – instead I wild camped near the turning

Early on, I met Heidi & Kelly, two ladies riding the Divide from Horca to Abiquiu. We chatted on bikes & journey before parting – our paths would cross many times over the next two days.

Shots cycling high in the wild northern NM mountains. Route undulates as passed through forest & desolate open scapes

Despite the few miles covered it wan’t an easy day. Back in Horca, a local had warned me that these dirt road were poor. In plain English, he meant treacherous! This plus a headwind & poor diet made for a very hard day.

Water was a concern for the first time. Today, it should have been plentiful but the NM drought meant dry streams & the two valleys that had water had too many cattle around – so my purified water was kept as last resort only. Even in the campground, water-pumps were turned off. Nearby campers, Jenifer & Joel Subblett, filled my water bottles & invited me to breakfast the following morning!

Heidi Delasantos & Kelly Aldridge in camp

Before retiring, I spent a pleasant hour with Heidi & Kelly chatting & they kindly provided me some me some much needed carbs. Both keen mountain bikers, they had travelled up from Albuquerque to their “back yard” to do a 3 day ride along the Divide down to Abiquiu. As long time friends, had cycled together for many years & completed most of the Divide in small bites. Both enjoyed far more luxuries than me & so packed considerably heavier. Heidi was towing a trailer & Kelly, large side panniers. Though arguably unsuitable for the terrain we were riding, I was to discover they managed the load extremely well, all be it with a small amount of pushing.

The Ponderosa campground was for RVs but allowed Dividers to camp. Last night, by 8pm, we had pitched tents & showered, & it was already very cold. Keen to finding warmth, I entered the camps communal room, it had a log burner blazing away & a bible class in progress – hallelujah! I was welcome to stay & listened with interest on why Jesus may have healed some & allowed others to suffer or die. Afterwards, the lay preacher proposed I sleep here & that Keith, the owner, would not mind. – Fantastic idea! A warm nights sleep & I was able to dry my wet sleeping bag following the previous nights snow shower. I went to pass this on to Matt but his tent was dark & silent.

7am & someone entered to light the stove, & make coffee. The place gradually filled & enjoying a good chat. People were from all other parts of the state & as far a field as Texas & Tennessee. All here for the beauty & non tourist quiet this corner of Colorado has to offer. Some had returned for 20 yrs or more. I agree – yesterday’s ride equalled the best of the Divide & the campground has a unique, laid back, friendliness & everyone mixes. Lots of interest was given to our ride & Jerry Borcherding will be following my blog from here on – Welcome!

Jerry Borcherding, my new follower- welcome!

Some of the guys I shared coffee & a chat with. Chilled owner, Keith, does not get up unless he needs to!

Matt had established a highway route to shorten his ride by 2 days to ensure he catches his flight back. Though tempted to join him, I kept to the Divide route & travelled on alone.

I returned to the gift shop for breakfast & upload the last 3 days blogs. Unfortunately their slow WiFi meant uploading the blog with photos took 3 hrs! Also, one of my poor cycle shoes literally fell apart & a duct tape repair was needed. I’m hoping it will last until Grant, 8 days ride away!

La Manga Pass was my first climb before turning off onto dirt road.

In this area, over 100 years ago, a rancher, Alejandro Garcia, discovered gold. He drowned soon after without telling anyone where it was & remains so to this day.

14miles in to the day & I crossed from Colorado into New Mexico

I’m now in the state that will take me to the Mexico border. Still a long way to go but feel my goal is within reach. Plus, this far south, I do expect NM to provide me with ongoing sunshine & much warmer nights. Let’s see?!!

photos along the afternoons ride

The Divide route was along treacherous dirt & rock & bolder roads, through high wilderness (9500 to 10500ft) – no ATVs or 4 wheel drives here.

The Divide picks up the southern rim of the Cruces Basin – a huge depression which has its own unique ecology. Unfortunately a view of the rim was not reached until dusk so apologies for the poor shot.

I rode on until after dark before making camp, finishing beyond the high pass to leave tomorrow’s start with a pleasant downhill.

Interesting night. I had only the walls of a derelict home to protect me from the winds & lay my mat & sleeping bag on the floor / no tent. Besides being extremely cold at 11,000 (-10C) at 6:00am I woke to the sound of snow hitting my sleeping bag!!

Time to pack up & move but not before taking a few photos of this amazing place in the crisp, early morning light!

My Summitville home – my best bike shot yet, I think?

My bedroom

Summitville in the early morning light

Journeying on, I met up with Matthew from Canberra, Australia. He rejoined the the Divide yesterday after a 5wk break & enjoyed the company for the rest the day. Surprisingly we had a great deal in common, both project managers & similar outlooks. He, however, had been a keen cyclist for many years & cycled throughout Europe & USA, for me, it is all relatively new.

Our way down to Platoro (10,000ft) was interrupted

Shots of the descent

At Horca (translated in local Native Indian means crossroad – to get , from New Mexico to gold mines further north). We were welcomed by Donna & Harvey who run the mercantile/ Horca Gallery & Gifts. They provide us with drinks, Amish pies & pizza. Camp was at the Ponderosa Campground, one mile on.