Grants, NM to Quemado, NM
Distance - 87 miles, Av speed - 9.8 mph
As planned, we meet Harry et al in Dennys at 6.30am. However, by this time, they have decided to take a rest day in Grants, although Vicky and Ann are making plans to go back and ride one of the Continental Divide Crossings missed because of the route change. Harry and Jim have decided they are going to spend the day like “two old ladies” by the pool. We feel sorry that they still got up at 6.30 on their day off! They have heard from Phil – he made it to Pie Town OK but will probably take the pavement option to Silver City.
We bid them goodbye and hit the road. Today, we are going to take the El Malpais (the badlands) Alternate route for the first 37 miles, as this seems to go through some interesting country. There are thunderstorms predicted for later in the day so we will get to the turn off to the junction for the dirt Pie Town road and decide whether we can make it when we get there.
The ride through El Malpais is gorgeous – there are steep cliffs on one side of the road and lava beds on the other side of the road and lots of rock formations, such as La Ventana natural arch. There is very little traffic.
We stop for lunch at the turn off to Pie Town, and see the dust from a car hurtling down the dirt road towards us. We hail the car down, to ask what the road conditions are like. The lady inside looks stressed and in a real hurry. She says the road has just about dried out after the last rain, but it is going to rain later on and she had to drive her dogs out to her friend and get back again before the rain came as otherwise her car would get stuck in the mud for sure.
By now, there are dark, brooding clouds gathering overhead – it looks a cert it is going to rain so we decide reluctantly not to take the dirt road but to continue on the pavement to Quemado. We are gutted to be missing Pie Town!
About an hour later, the heavens open and we are, in the words of our dear friend Poptart Bill, absolutely hammered with hailstones and rain! It is so bad, we have to get off the bikes and shelter under the tarp. That said, at least it is all over in about 10 minutes, and soon we can get going again. The tarp is the one thing we have hardly used on the trip, just as a picnic table cover, so it is good that finally it has its moment of glory, and glory it is!
At the road junction where we turn to Quemado, Numb Stuff spies a closed gas station and figures we can sit up there for a break. However, he fails to notice that the road up to the station is dirt and as soon as his bike hits the dirt, the mud sticks to his tires like cake frosting, and his crank and gears clog up. Yep, that’s why you don’t cycle New Mexico dirt roads when they’re wet! If you think about it, they use this mud to make adobe houses and bricks…… doesn’t bode well for bikes.
Numb Stuff cleans off his bike as best he can, then we polish off the final few miles to Quemado. Again, we hit a huge rainstorm and have to abandon the bikes by the side of the road and take shelter below a small tree, taking the tarp with us. It is raining so hard, we can barely see, but we try our best to look out for snakes as we climb down the side of the road to the tree. We obviously disturb a skunk, as within seconds we smell his pungent odor.
Once back on the road, we almost run over a rattlesnake – this one is as big as the dead one we saw at Jay’s bar, but looks alive! Luckily he looks quite sluggish, as it is quite cold, he has probably slithered onto the pavement looking for a bit of warmth. Again, it brings home the need to keep your eyes open and on the road! Sorry no photos, but neither of us wanted to get too close to this baby!
As Quemado is not on the Adventure Cycling maps, we are not too sure what is there. The first thing we pass is a ranger station so at least we know we have a camping option, even if it’s a damp one. However, further on is a scrumptious new motel with a café attached! The rooms are wonderful, but the café just offers the usual greasy burgers etc so we cook up a Mountain House dinner in our rooms and just go to the café for apple and blueberry pie a la mode.
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