Yesterday we cycled our last miles in the vast, diverse Gila National Forest. Check out more info about it here: https://www.nationalforests.org/forest/gila-national-forest/ But we actually have returned to the Gila River here in AZ.

Started out of Lordsburg at 715am – 47 degrees, dust-filled skies had cleared and winds were slight out of N/NW. When I was taking my bike down in the motel elevator this morning, a fellow guest asked how far I had gone yesterday in the wind. I said we made it almost 30 miles. He said that was great. He said it was a super tough day with the crazy wind. I asked if he had been hiking – lots of Continental Divide through-hikers here. He said, “no, he was driving!” 🤣 So I guess if it was hard for him driving, it must have been hard for me cycling!

On a single highway all day today – hwy 70. Straight with a decent shoulder (until Graham County, AZ line) and decent drivers (until one huge semi decided to turn right into a Safford gas station literally right in front of us!). Thanks Tom for pulling when the N/NW & W headwinds picked up at times. 75.7 miles and 1247’. It was so nice to just ride and through interesting, albeit desolate and dry, terrain. Good bye New Mexico; hello Arizona and the Pacific time zone. 😊

New Mexico stats for short visit: 222.4 miles, 10,182’ elevation

On to Arizona:

• nickname: The Grand Canyon State
• bird: cactus wren
• flower: saguaro cactus blossom
• motto: “Ditat Deus” Latin for “God enriches”

Yesterday afternoon as we drove north to the Gila Cliff Dwellings, we crossed the continental divide for the first time. This has always been a big moment for me on previous TransAm bicycle rides. This continental divide crossing was at about 6600’ – much lower than the 8200+’ Emory Pass we had cycled over earlier in the day. Of course, the crossing was in the car so we didn’t stop for a photo opp.

Today at 7am and a temp of 45 degrees, Jody drove us back south to the junction of hwys 35 & 152 from where we cycled yesterday. We cycled on west through Hanover seeing the massive 100+ year old Santa Rita open pit copper mine and later the bustling town of Silver City. Hilly and beautiful mountain road on a Sunday morning. After a fabulous cappuccino and yummy quiche in Silver City, we decided to cycle on and see how the 20+mph S/SW head wind with gusts above 40mph would feel. We all called it a ride after a few miles down Hwy 90 in the tiny hamlet of Tyrone (yes, again Hwy 90 and again gusty dangerous wind!) Short day at 27.8 miles 2228’ All other conditions were exceptional – road surface, Sunday morning, cool temps, bikes and bodies functioning well. But sadly no need to push on in these winds. Tomorrow is another opportunity to cycle. Thanks Jody for the pick up! We drove to our destination of Lordsburg with even bigger winds and increasingly dust-filled skies, and are hoping if the winds are less tomorrow as forecast, we will drive back to Tyrone and cycle what we missed and then some! Stay tuned!

Started at 7am this morning at an elevation of 5280’ in Hillsboro where we spent a quiet night cooking in. Started climbing west on hwy 152 to Emory Pass at 8228’, the highest point on the Southern Tier. It was a chilly start at 52 degrees, but we were climbing up the Percha Creek drainage. For a point of comparison for my cycling friends, Larch Mountain in the Columbia River Gorge is approx. 3100’ in 14 miles. We cycled 16.6miles to the summit – 2900’ above Hillsboro. Then we had some rollers down the west side of the Black Mtns to finally reach the Mimbres River Valley. The geology and variety of rocks was amazing. Turned north again up that valley to our Airbnb where Jody met us. 46.2 miles 4160’ for a big gorgeous day made more challenging with some N & NW wind.

We changed clothes quickly so we could drive the curvy mountain roads north to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument which closed at 4pm. We made it a bit after 2pm to take in the Visitors Center and hike the one mile loop trail to see the dwellings. You can add 180’ elevation gain for the stairs and uphill we did (!) to the 800 year old cave dwellings of the Mogollon people. Incredibly well preserved cave ruins. Then back to our airbnb for a yummy home cooked dinner since this area of NM is very remote and doesn’t have many services.

More north and west wind forecast today so we left a little earlier at 7. Didn’t get to visit any of the sights in Las Cruces, NM’s second biggest city, so will have to return for a visit. Continued to follow the very dry Rio Grande north today crossing it several times to the very large Caballo Reservoir. So many beautiful mountains around Las Cruces/Mesilla and headed north. Beautiful river valley road lined with miles and miles of pecan orchards (mostly flood irrigated in very clay soil) and some vineyards, onion fields and must have been chiles growing somewhere. The cute town of Hatch, NM has a 🌶️ festival every year, and there are 🌶️ and produce processing facilities everywhere.

Then we turned west at the Caballo Reservoir and headed into the mountains and to old NM mining towns. The west wind had picked up as forecast and was quite gusty, too. After a second strong gust almost knocked me over, I turned around and took refuge a hundred yards back in the only shade for miles next to a tourist information sign and texted Jody for a pick up. The guys continued on with some climbing and then a big downhill which was slow due to the wind into this very tiny old mining town of Hillsboro.

Besides the benefit of missing the wind and some more climbing, my plea for a pickup caught Jody just as she was seated in the only tiny cafe in Hillsboro to enjoy a fresh piece of apple pie à la mode! Being the sensational support driver she is, she got my message, asked for the remainder of her pie and ice cream to go, hustled back the 7 miles to me (even though I did tell her not to hurry cuz I was comfortable in the shade with the coolish wind), and once loaded, offered the yummy dessert to me in the car …. like she had gotten it for me!! I inhaled it! Best pie on the trip! How could it not be! 😊 🥧 🍨

On 3 different roads today: 74.7 miles 2047’ for me. 81.7 miles & 2470’ for Tom & Steven. Steven booked us a cute Airbnb called the Sheriff Murphy house.

We didn’t think it was necessary to return to Van Horn, TX and cycle the 125 miles from Van Horn to El Paso, on and off Interstate 10. We just decided to keep going west!

Today was 65.3 miles, 1158’. On the face of it, we were looking for an easy ride after our rest days. But oh no, construction, route maneuvering and wind had other plans for us! Thankfully cloud cover kept the temps down; road surfaces were mostly good but occasionally horrible; west wind was 15mph+ with gusts higher; thankfully we did have many times we were headed north so not a headwind, but a crosswind, but still very challenging. Jody met us next to a pecan field (miles and miles and miles of them when we crossed the state line), filled our water bottles and suggested a re-route into Las Cruces which we took. We all feel beat up and are happy to have finished the whole day.

Did you ever think we’d get through Texas? All or parts of 16 cycling days. 897.1 miles. 33,275’ elevation gain

On to New Mexico for a short visit

• nickname: Land of Enchantment
• bird: Greater Roadrunner
• flower: yucca
• motto: Latin “crescit eundo” = “it grows as it goes”

Steven and Jody stayed in El Paso Tuesday/ Wednesday while Tom and I flew to Cabo San Lucas for my nephew Sean’s wedding to his lovely bride Alyssa. It was a crazy 24 hour visit to Cabo but so worth it! Lots of loving family and friends in a gorgeous location celebrating Sean & Alyssa.

And I thought you should get a granddaughter update! Anna, Aki and Miya (and dog Orla) have been doing well and enjoying Aki’s parent’s visit in Portland the past 2 weeks.

So many amazing county courthouses in TX and with 254 counties, can you say “admin bucks?!!”

Our penultimate cycling day in Texas! Today was wide open, flat and fast the first half of the day, then we turned due north the second half to encounter the wind. 74.9 miles, 520’. Huge Marfa Basin is loaded with potash and is also part of the much larger, oil producing region of the Permian Basin.

Quick change of clothes and a bite to eat in Van Horn then drove 1.5 hours into El Paso. Three nights here while Tom and I fly to Cabo (!) tomorrow for my nephew/Godson’s wedding. Yes, we promise to return on Wednesday night, Steven and Jody! Too bad, so sad (not!) that we missed cycling 125 miles into El Paso on and off Interstate 10!

Wanted to mention yesterday the community groundswell of support in this area against a border wall inside Big Bend NP – posters, postcard makings, gatherings….

Sundays, as I’ve mentioned, are typically great days to cycle. And this was one of those days. 57.7 miles, 1717’. Of course, other factors made today a memorable cycling day, too: rest day yesterday, E/SE tailwind, lovely cloud cover albeit a chilly start at 43 degrees and the super smooth asphalt at the Presidio County Line. Nice coffee stop in bustling town of Alpine with their weekend of Dark Sky Festival and Rock & Gem Show. Interesting mountains and geology, desert blooming cacti, live small desert fox scurrying to the bushes, roadkill: large cow elk, many deer, snake, javelina. It’s also been interesting the past few days to cycle from Del Rio at about 1000’ elevation on the Rio Grande to above 5000’ elevation of the high desert Basin & Range region.

Today our 8am start was cancelled due to high winds – it was an ok direction from N/NE but too strong and gusty especially on hwy 90 again all day with 70mph+ vehicles and semi-trucks. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the local Ferguson Motors Cafe & Coffee. And then drove to Marathon, our destination today; dropped off gear at Airbnb and on to Big Bend National Park. Even with dust-filled skies, it was worth the long day of driving. Amazing geology and dipped our toes in the Rio Grande.

Since Jody has been so great as our support driver, wanted to give a shout out to our son Peter who at 17 years old in 2015 was our first bicycling support driver. Definitely not easy to hang with one’s parents all summer long as a “rising senior” in high school, but he did do a great job and saw a big part of the middle section of the U.S. And hey, turned 18 in Fort Scott, KS! Thanks again, Peter, for supporting your parents during the long summer of our first TransAmerica bicycle ride! ❤️

Definitely gone from the verdant, river-, creek- and spring-filled land of the Hill country! Into the open, arid, flat high desert of western Texas. Lots of railroad tracks from the early companies in the 1800s building railroads and getting access to the CA gold rush …. of course way later than native Americans (4200 year old pictographs in the area), European & Mexican explorers and missionaries.

60 miles 2260’ for me to Langtry and 83.8 miles 3782’ for Tom and Steven to east of Dryden. Jody then drove us in to the town of Sanderson for the night. There was nowhere else to stay for many miles! Hwy 90 west and NW from Del Rio was smooth with wide shoulders and courteous, very fast traffic. Cloud cover most of the morning but the heated up to 90. A super helpful S/SE tailwind put us at 15.5 avg mph for the day. Only rough/chipseal section was about 15 miles in the middle of the ride. Very little civilization out here, but lots of Border Patrol agents in pick ups, a blimp, and communication/ satellite stations. Tried to see the Rio Grande in Langtry, but water level is very low so couldn’t see the water which was far away anyway, but the canyon is big.