Adventures

Day 26: Kindness and Slime in Cuba

The route included sand and slick rock

Abiquiu, NM (9 July 2019) The contaminated water bladder was soaked overnight and the backpack was washed out in the bathtub for for the 79 mile trip to Cuba. There were no services and no apparent sources of water on the route ahead. The bladder was contaminated nearly two weeks ago with insect repellent. As planned, it was rarely used but I expected to use it most on this part of the route. Along much of the route in New Mexico water sources and services are sparse. After the soak overnight, a rise and a fill, it thankfully seemed ready for service again.

Kept in the back of my mind, was the goal of reaching Cuba before the hardware store closed at 5:30 PM. It wasn't an entirely comfortable feeling, riding for time without sealant in my front tubeless tire. Yet I didn't dwell on this. As the bike rolled away from Abiquiu, another bright day welcomed bike and rider to the crossing of Santa Fe National Forest.

The Santa Fe National Forest consists of four vast sections and the one the route crossed was called the Coyote District. The Coyote district covers 265,100 acres and apparently contains striking red and yellow rocks which I totally failed to notice. From Abiquiu, the Tour Divide route climbed for 27 miles into the national forest and gained over 4,000 feet of elevation in the process. The average grade of 3% was deceptive because there were long steep sections often followed by flat sections or short descents.

The forest was dry but distinct impressions of recent rain were apparent from debris and washed out rocks along the route. At one point there was the distinct impression of a bike shoe -- the mud dried around the space left by the shoe like a cast. The climb was very engaging because of the long sections of slick rock. Like in Moab, the slick rock was grippy. Riding on slick rock was like riding on parking lot except the surface was seldom flat. The surface was mostly smooth and the recent rain cleaned the rock of dust and grit that might allow a tire to slip. This slick rock was different from what I've ridden in Moab because it contained huge cracks. It was as if Paul Bunyan took his ax to it. This grabbed my attention because a few of those cracks were large enough to grab a tire.

Miles of wonderful wilderness

All of my attention was focused on avoiding or lifting my wheel over cracks on the steep climb when a sound to my left got my attention. There ahead of me was a large elk calmly picking its way through the trees. The dry forest of short trees didn't seem like elk country to me but from behind, it would be impossible to mistake this animal for anything else.

Twenty-seven miles of mostly climbing followed by another 40 miles of rocky rolling terrain caused much of the day to escape me. The climbing was fun for the most part but it became apparent that I would arrive in Cuba after the hardware store closed. The remaining 14 miles were mostly downhill with a paved run to town on a highway.

The downhill was fast and at times rough. Having learned my lesson, due caution was exercised. Even so 40 mph was achieved with ease. Before the route leveled and turned on the highway the first motorist of the day was seen since entering the national forest. A woman on a small cylinder motorcycle came puttering up the climb. We shared broad smiles as I resumed my race to the hardware store.

The store was closed. It was dark inside but I stopped and pulled gently on the door all the same. I took a moment, removed my helmet and looked up and down the street. A few seconds later, a sound was heard around the corner of the building. I walked over to see a person getting in a car parked toward the rear. After inquiring about the hardware store he told me the owner was still inside and might be able to help me out. I thanked him and proceeded respectfully toward the rear door of the building. The owner spotted me immediately and came over to check on what I wanted. He welcomed me into the store and showed me the large bottles of slime he had for sealing car tires. His register was closed of course so I offered him a twenty for a 12 dollar bottle of sealant. He would not accept this but finally relented in accepting payment when I offered a ten. This tall gentle man did more for my peace of mind on the remaining days of the Tour Divide than either of us knew at the time.

Having successfully scored sealant, it was time to eat and find lodging. The crossing of nearly 80 miles of wilderness with only the supplies carried from Abiquiu made me feel accomplished. Earlier, after a couple of hours of use, the chemical taste returned to the water bladder. I managed to finish it and got what was needed for the day but the idea of using it again made me feel sick. In Cuba, Gatorade was purchased along with supplies for the next day. After soaking the bladder again, it was filled with Gatorade with the hope this would hide the foul taste and help me along the route, assuming I didn't go blind from chemical poisoning.

Sealant thanks to the kind owner of the hardware store

Jim and I caught up after dinner at the motor lodge. Riding the slick rock was fun but as Jim pointed out, there was just way too much of it. As we chatted I carefully injected sealant into the front tire and reinflated it with a hand pump. A short ride around the parking lot was all that was needed to get the sealant spread around the inside of the tire. At that moment I felt a great release of worry I wasn't fully aware I carried. The rest of trip would be just a bit lighter in spirit.

The remainder of the large bottle of sealant was placed carefully out by the road in the hopes that someone would see it and make use of it. I felt good and perhaps better prepared for the final days of the Tour Divide. The only thing out of place is the water bladder which will be needed for crossing the Gila. Tomorrow, however, it's paved roads most of the 120 miles to Grants. I'll start out with the Gatorade after rinsing the bladder out yet again in hopes of a better drinking experience tomorrow.

Elevation Profile for Day 26

On to Day 27