Adventures

Day 28: Lightning Ride to Pie

Butte-a-full morning

Grants, NM (11 July 2019) The departure from the hotel in Grants was tentative. It wasn't certain the journey would continue given the pain experienced the day before. Even so, with Tegaderm applied to both cheeks, I gingerly rolled away from the hotel on route to the Mexican border. An interstate service station appeared thirty minutes into the ride and provided a moment to assess my chances of continuing. When focused on the pain, doubts increased but when sufficiently distracted by the pleasant air, smooth tarmac or clear sky, riding was tolerable. It was at this service station that I resolved to complete the Tour Divide -- come what may. The station also provided a last opportunity to top off supplies until Pie Town, some 70 miles away. Determined to continue and with my mind focused on smoothly rolling through a dramatic landscape, the pedaling became much easier. It felt good to roll away from the store and for the first time that morning, I was enjoying the ride under a mostly clear blue sky.

The air was warming quickly as the road probed across a dry open landscape where a series of tall buttes stood defiantly. Only one last problem remained, the contaminated water bladder. The backpack was put through the wash with the rest of my clothes the night before because it must somehow be the source of the insect repellent leaching into the bladder as I ride. Despite the washing, the chemical taste in the water was already delectable. That was finally it. The bladder was not to be used again. Instead small plastic water bottles would be carried in my backpack and refilled when extra water was available. Because of this, the water source at the Beaverhead work station in the Gila National Forest was all the more critical and every possible opportunity to top off water supplies was taken.

Buttes stand tall out of Grants

After taking a few pictures, the route was examined and a slightly ambitious plan began to form in my mind. The route on this day took us into the Gila where resources were scarce. From Pie Town to Silver City there is only the Gila National Park work station where reliable water and, if one is lucky, a soda might be obtained. It was about 242 miles from Grants to Silver City with 177 of those miles past Pie Town -- the last opportunity to take on substantial supplies. The terrain from Pie Town to Silver City looked to be more challenging than the miles from Grants to that point. With this mind, it was decided that if 125 miles were made on the route from Grants, my sights would be set on arriving in Silver City the next day. Having made this decision, it was also decided to not dwell on it. Past experience taught me that focusing on the destination, time or mileage served only to make the riding feel more arduous.

Jim and I take a snack break

It wasn't long before Jim was spotted up the road pedaling smoothly toward the promise of pie. We pedaled together for awhile, enjoying the day and the company. We stopped and enjoyed eating a snack. The supplies we consumed would need to be replenished in Pie Town for the 177 mile crossing of the Gila National Forest to Silver City. The vastness of the Gila meant that it was not uncommon for riders to take two full days to travel from Pie Town to Silver City. My crazy plan had me planning on two days from Grants. In my favor was the fact that many of the riders before us had done just that.

Clouds rolled in and at first provided a welcome relief from the sun. It didn't seem to take long for light fluffy clouds to build into massively tall thunderheads. As the clouds built overhead, the gravel road under wheel began to rise and fall in a series of rolling hills. I began to feel some urgency to get to Pie Town and rolled ahead of Jim. The smell of rain was in the air and gray streaks of rain could be seen falling in the distance. Then without warning, BLAM-POP, the flash and sound of lightning seemed to be simultaneous! From that moment forward, every rise was crested with vigor in attempt to avoid lingering at the high spots.

Toaster house exterior

No effort was spared on the ride to Pie Town under threatening skies. Fortunately, the scary lightning held off as did the rain. By the time Pie Town was reached the sky was cloudy but calm. Before heading to the cafe, I stopped at the toaster house to take a few pictures. The toaster house is perhaps the worst kept secret on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) and the Continental Divide Hiking Trail (CDT). It is a residence that some kind person has opened to hikers on the CDT, TD racers and GDMBR riders. It was reasonably well kept and I could easily see myself napping here. In fact, I popped quickly out of a soft comfy chair shortly after sitting for fear sleep would overtake me. Having satisfied my curiosity, I pedaled up the hill form the toaster house to Pie-O-Neer PIES on the highway in Pie Town.

Toaster house interior

"Are you hiking or biking?" the kind woman asked the second I walked in the door. "I'm on the Tour Divide," I replied. She had a determined look in her eye and said, "Okay, lets get you fed and going again." I was promptly escorted to table and asked a series of questions regarding drinks, food and pie. A teenager was quickly assigned to look after my needs and I relaxed, accepting the sort of treatment I previously thought only Tour de France riders enjoyed.

Jim appeared and settled into his own festival of food. I felt great and even took some time to post to Instagram. After a few pictures were snapped and a BLT was packed for later, I was ready to roll off. However, Jim was looking to get air for a soft tire. It took us a moment to sort how to use the compressor out back and when we did, we didn't have an adapter that would make it work with our tires. Jim ended up using the pump off of my bike to fill the tire. When I think back, I have strong a feeling about how comedic this was but my memory is still sketchy. In fact, the few details mentioned above are thanks to Jim's recounting of it to me for this journal.

Pie thanks to Pie-O-NEER Pies and Salsa Cycles

Bloated with food and loaded with supplies we headed off into the Gila south of Pie Town, New Mexico. Jim and I agreed that he would keep going until he saw my dispersed camp on the assumption I would ride ahead. As the terrain rolled, we separated and my mind became focused on the rocks under wheel.

The climbs were satisfying and the downhills were fun. The road was rocky but not horribly rough. As the bike glided down a hill, a campground appeared in the distance. From the road above camp it was clear there were two parties camping and a pit toilet. The campsite with a pull-behind camper was without vehicle or people and the other campsite contained a tent, a pickup truck and a young man who sat alone at a picnic table. He was focused on the screen of a laptop with thin white wires streaming down from his ears. His back was to the road when I rolled past on the campground road to check for water. He was apparently startled because after I turned around he stood up with earbuds in hand. Ryan was camping alone in the Gila because he was a consultant working on an Owl study. He was sitting at the table listening to music and reading while waiting for darkness to fall to begin his scientific field work. My wife Pat has shared with me several stories of human encounters while being alone in the field doing research so I understood why he was so attentive to my arrival. We talked a bit about field work and research. He offered me a bottle of water which I gladly accepted. I left filled with nostalgia for graduate school and appreciative that young people such as Ryan are continuing to pursue knowledge of nature and biology. On the Tour Divide each rider is a member of an exclusive club so it was a particular joy to be reminded that no matter what, I would always be a member of the greater community of scientists, including wonderful young people such as Ryan.

Pie Town

The sun was getting close to the horizon and true to plan, the number of miles covered was ignored. So despite my plan to cover at least 125 miles that day, it was without regard for how far I've traveled when the hunt for a good place to camp began. The route crossed a highway and began to rise. The rocky road rolled through grazing land. The sun was just setting and the road started to rise toward a tree-covered plateau. Preferring to camp in the open, I rolled up to a shelf of the climb and stopped to set up camp. A check of eTrax revealed 121 miles were traveled from Grants. Not exactly, 125 or more planned but close enough. It would have been better to have fewer miles to Silver City the next day but I felt committed. Just then my InReach rang out with a text message from Pat saying, "looks like you'll be done day after tomorrow!" Okay, I thought, I'm doing this.

The Pie-O-Neer Pie people took good care of us

Jim rolled up as planned and we both finished making camp with a long view of the valley behind us and darking sky overhead. Before we could get our tents secured, a strong wind suddendly appeared causing my tent to flap around but as suddenly it appeared the wind was gone. The light calm breeze returned and continued into the night.

It was a great day. Overall the weather was great. Clouds kept the worst of the heat at bay and a bit of lightning provided a boost to the pedaling. Being alone and traveling through wilderness to a dispersed campsite always provided a wonderful bikepacking experience. As I laid in my tent looking at the stars, it started to sink in -- I could finish the Tour Divide the day after tomorrow.

Evening approaches somewhere in the Gila National Forest

Elevation Profile for Day 28

On to Day 29