Gila National Forest

BETH writes - I have ridden 2300 miles with little bike trouble and had hoped the last five days would remain that way. I learned today that in all great adventures there are always tests and today I had another test! The first 30 miles were easy today even though it started to rain about 2 hours into the ride. I wish I could say the same about the last 17. At mile 30 wet and muddy, my bike stopped shifting in the rear so I had 2 of my 27 gears that were useable. The rain continued and I began to climb for the first time in many days. The roads went from hard pack to .5 inch of sticky clay mud that stuck and clogged in every thing. The rain continued and the going got worse. I was climbing the mountains in the Gila National Forest which climb and descend between 7,000 and 8,000 ft many times over. My Mom and Fran had gone ahead to set up camp and it was beginning to get late. About 10 minutes after Mom and Fran had left me, I rode through a huge mud hole and my deraileur got so clogged that it got shot into my spokes. UGGGGH! Since dark was setting in, it was pouring and my bike and myself were covered in mud, I was not going to repair my bike on the spot. I removed my deraileur tucked it around my seat post and I was walking. As dark set in I saw four Elk and three Deer and began to get worried I was never going to reach the campground. My mom had taken my BOB trailer for the day to give me a break, so I could not set up camp early or get warm clothes. I just had to keep walking. Fortunately, mother's tuition set in and my Mother had gotten worried so she came back with the warm car and we put my bike on the back and went down the mountain 4 miles to the campground. After a late dinner and a wet tent I was warm and in my sleeping bag.
JAN writes - After breakfast we drove about 1 1/2 hours to where Beth quit riding yesterday. On the way we stopped at a very strange site we spotted yesterday. In the middle of nowhere were huge satellite dishes - we learned there were 29. Each was 83 feet in diameter. It is called VLA (stands for very large array). Theses dishes are sending signals into outer space. Amazing what our government spends money on! Fran lives in Florida and was very impressed with the Gila National Forest. She found it hard to believe she was in New Mexico. It looked like we were in Virginia Mountains! Over the course of the day we saw a road runner, pronghorns, elk, a black bear, numerous hummingbirds, and deer. Beth got a late start to riding today and unfortunately the rains began about 2PM and didn't stop until after dark. The dirt roads turned to a slimmy mixture (like a mixture of Elmer's Glue and peanut butter) and the glop stuck to the tires and made for very slow going. Beth's bike and her body were coated with mud! Fran and I went ahead to set up the tent about 7:30PM in a primitive camping spot and when Beth didn't show up by dark, I went to look for her. Her bike had broken about 5 miles from us. The heavy mud made it so her wheels wouldn't even turn. I found her by headlights, walking her bike in the pouring rain. She was very cold, to say the least! Not fun for her! We ate a late, wet MRE meal and crawled into our soggy tent. Luckily it stopped raining shortly after going to bed and the tent was almost dry by morning!

Into the Gila National Forest

BETH writes - Today was once again a great day. The habitats that I traveled through were amazingly diverse from grasslands plains to dense Ponderosa pine forest and even rolling hills that resemble Vermont with different vegetation. The forty mile ride was fairly easy with one Continental Divide crossing. Mom took my trailer for the last 20 miles today so that I could make better time and go with her to pick up my Aunt Fran, who was flying into Albuquergue this evening. I entered the Gila National Forest half way through the day where I would ride for the following two days. I have heard great things about the Gila and I now know why. I rode through a beautiful canyon and into Collins Park which is a huge grassy area with mountains on all sides. I once again managed to out ride the thunderstorms and was glad I was not in a tent because it rained for most of the afternoon and evening. 40 miles of riding and 4+ hours in the car to get my Aunt made for a long day, but we were dry and in a soft bed and had a hot shower for the first time in four days.
JAN writes - This morning we were literally floating on our air matresses in a wet tent when we awoke. It had stopped raining, but it had rained so hard and so long that our old tent was soaked from above and below. We put up a clothes line and spent a couple of hours attempting to dry things before we packed up and headed out. The day was cool and partly cloudy. About 1/2 way through today's ride Beth decided she would come to Albuquerque later with me to pick up her aunt, who would finish the ride with us. She rode 40 miles - thru high plains, a lovely canyon and into the Gila National Forest. We headed to Albuquerque, but stopped in Magdalena, NH and got a motel room. We didn't want to meet Fran after 4 days without a shower! Her plane was right on time, but the 1 1/2 hour drive to and from Magdelina in an electrical storm made for a very late night. I was glad I wasn't leaving Beth out in the electrical storms alone all night!

To Valle Vences Campground

BETH writes - Ok, so Mom had every right to be worried in the Pie Town campground, but it was not people who cost either Mom nor I our sleep. Between the thunderstorms, the donkey calling, the coyotes, the owl above our tent, the highway traffic and the best of all - around 4:30 am Mom got up for a minute and when she laid back down she rolled on the car keys setting off the car alarm which took forever (or though it seemed) to turn off, we did not sleep much. After a great breakfast and two pieces of pie to go. Mom and I were off for the 30 miles to Valle Vences Campground. Early in the morning it had poured, but when I started to ride the sky looked like it was clearing. Wrong!! Once again I spent the day dodging lightning and thunderstorms. I am sensing a pattern. I spent the ride flirting with the Divide - crossing it three times through Pinion Pine and then into a Ponderosa forest. Since it had rained so late this morning the roads were still sticky with mud. The mud is not like New Hampshire mud - it sticks to the tires and creates a huge drag, especially when you have three tires. I had to stop a few times to clear the mud and a rock from between my trailer wheel and the fender. After arriving early in the campground, making cell calls, because amazingly we have cell coverage from the fire tower above us, we set up our wet tent. The we drove to Mangas Mountain Lookout just above us - at 9500 ft. Thousands of miles from home the lookout was the same, with a view that was different from NH, but not what I expected for New Mexico. There were tree-covered mountains in every direction. The only clues we had that we were indeed in NM was that many of them had the characteristic round shape and flap top of extinct volcanos. The sky had cleared just enough for us to have a view and then the clouds rolled in again. We may spend another very wet night in New Mexico, at least the rain keeps temperatures cool!
JAN writes - We had a rough and noisy night. The donkey at a nearby site was braying, an owl sat above the tent and hooted for about 1/2 hour, the coyotes were active and we heard them howling several times, and somewhere toward morning I rolled on the car keys and set the car alarm off. It took me awhile to realize I'd done it and find the keys and shut off the alarm. At about 6AM it poured. We went to the Pie Town Cafe for a breakfast burrito (and pie to go) in hopes that the tent would dry, but we ended up packing up a soggy tent and were on the road by 9:30AM. Cool and threatening rain all day. As usual, I went about 5 miles ahead and waited for Beth to catch me. We drove through beautiful countryside - 3 continental divide crossings. Beth peddled only 30 miles today so we ended up in the Apache National Forest at an area set up for camping with your horse. No water for people, but stock pens and water tanks. We were below the peak of Mangas Mountain with a fire tower and a cell tower, so we had amazing coverage in the middle of nowhere. We had not passed or seen a sole all day and had the campground all to ourselves. We set up the tent and almost immediately had a brief electrical storm. As soon as it cleared we drove to the top of Mangas Mountain and climbed the fire tower and were treated to an incredible view. At the top of the 9,500 ft. high mt. we also saw zillions of lady bugs, horned lizards and moose scat. It looked like we were in the Smokey Mountains, not New Mexico! While eating supper at the site, a herd of elk began to walk past - we counted at least 30 of them, but there were more to come. We decided to walk toward them to get pictures and realized that they were making a noise - like playing "Marco, Polo". Really funny, little grunts and squeaks. The thunder drove us back to the campsite and it started to pour and it didn't stop for hours & hours. By morning we were floating on our air mattresses!

Pie Town, New Mexico

Pie Town has a cafe -The Daily Pie - and a free campground - Jackson Park. Most "campers" live in the park - aren't temporary visitors. Facilities are lacking for tenters! No gas, no motels in town.
BETH writes - Today was the day I had been waiting for since we reached New Mexico. At the day's end, after 31 miles of riding, we would be in the ever famous Pie Town. Guess what they are famous for - my favorite!!! The ride was fairly easy on dirt roads through Pinion Pine and grasslands. I had one divide crossing which, compared to all the others, was cake, or should I say pie. Mom and reached Pie Town early to a open cafe, lunch and PIE!!! I had apple, of course, and it was worth every bit of the 2200 miles to get here, for it. Although, the pie was not the most interesting part of the day. Pie Town has a free campground which is the home to many very interesting people, for at least parts of the year. As we rode in there was a wagon and donkey to the left, a man in his car to the right and various campers scattered around. The "Mule Man" was a hoot and a half. He is a Nez-Pirece Native who has traveled by donkey and wagon for the last 41 years teaching people about the use of many wild plants found in the southwest. He is now 85 years old with his bladder bag hanging on the outside and spends the summer in Pie Town awaiting their annual Pie Festival in September. The next character we met was Edith, an elderly women from Wisconsin. She was beautiful and the people in town call her the pink lady because she has a pink hat, nails and shirt. This poor women lost her husband in 1968 and all of her three kids by 1997 and spends her life traveling by RV and staying in free campgrounds. She was also here awaiting the Pie Festival. Finally, there was John and his dog Alice. John is in "limbo" and lives out of his car. He is an interesting fellow how has two sons and is good with computers. So the story goes on with warnings about others who "live" in the camp ground. Needless to say, Mom was worried and so we went to bed with our Bear Spray and Hammer!
JAN writes - Today seemed long, but we only went 31 miles. The dirt road was rough and it seemed very uninteresting. We were in high desert, with mountain ranges off in the distance. The last 10 miles were on paved roads. We arrived in Pie Town, NM in time for a late lunch and pie at the Town Cafe. It was a busy place!!! We were able to camp at the free town campground, Jackson Park. We soon realized that we were the only temporary campers in the place. Everyone else was living there. An interesting cast of characters, including a Nez Pierce Indian with his donkey. We sat in the car during the normal afternoon shower. We are both getting a lot of reading in!

Cebolla Wilderness - South from Grants, NM

BETH writes - Today was exhausting, but extremely fun. I was again on pavement for most of the 47 miles I rode today because of flood warnings on the other roads. By taking the alternate route Mom and I were able to further explore more of the El Malpais National Monument. I would ride a few miles and then we would stop at various pull offs and go exploring. The first stop was a overlook on sandstone bluffs looking down on the lava flows from the various volcanos - miles and miles of lava! The sandstone was worn away in many places and held pools of water, which had a great amount of life including tadpoles, blood worms, and a interesting type of bivalve (small clam like creature). Most of the day I rode along these huge and beautiful sandstone cliffs. I even spotted a cliff that looked like a Bull Dog head - very cool! The second stop was at the La Ventanna Natural Arch - "the window" is the largest natural arch in New Mexico formed from wind and rain wearing away the rock. (see pics) Stop number three was the best. We hiked on the lava flows for over a mile looking at the 15 foot deep cracks, lava tubes, sink holes, lava flows and huge walls of lava. We definitely felt like we were walking on the moon except for the small junipers and cacti that littered the lava where their seeds could take root. We had to rush our exploration because of the lightning that was moving in all around us. I had 4 miles to where we were going to camp and those miles were adreniline filled!! The lightning was impressive, but way too close for comfort(still several miles away) and the thunder was enough to blow your socks off. I quickly reached Mom, the Jeep and our camping spot to sit safely in the car and watch a better light show than the Forth of July! WoW!!!!!
JAN writes - Today was really fun. We were driving along the El Malpais (which means Badlands in Spanish) National Monument and Wilderness. We made several stops and hiked or explored. The ranger station had interpretive information and exhibits, including binders of wildflower samples put together by a volunteer. That helped us identify several of the flowers we'd been seeing. We climbed to the top of sandstone cliffs overlooking the lava flow that filled the entire valley. We hiked to the 125 ft high natural arch - La Ventenna. That means, "The window". We also hiked over 1 mile on the lava flow. It was amazing to see how small plants and trees were spouting and growing in the lava! There were crevasses that were at least 15 feet deep in the lava. The flow went on for miles and miles and miles, so one can't even imagine how much was spewed out of the volcanoes. The thunderheads were threatening, so we stopped to camp in the (see pic) Cebolla Wilderness area, not a formal camp ground, but a primitive site area. Challenging road to get into & out of that area! We sat in the car, with it pointed at the storms and had an amazing light show for hours. You could see for miles, so we saw storms coming in the distance. Incredibly, we only got occasional sprinkles.