(Tues, 3/11/25; 54 miles, 946 feet of climb)
Well, this day did quite not go as I expected. It was actually one of my more difficult days of the trip. (My second-longest time in the saddle!)
If you looked out the window, you would’ve seen sunshine. If you looked at the thermometer, you would’ve seen 72°F. If you looked at the map, you would’ve seen downhill for 25 miles and then flat for 25 miles. What’s not to love?
I’ll tell you what’s not to love: THE WIND.
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The day started out fine. For the third morning in a row, I was prevented from an early start. Unlike the previous two mornings, it was not sub-freezing temperatures that caused me to wait. It was the 8:15 breakfast at Black Range Lodge.
But it was worth the wait: Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruits, coffee, juice, homemade bread with Nutella, and Raisin Bran. I also got to meet some new guests, including two young guys from Ohio.
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As expected, the first eight miles today from Kingston to Hillsboro were still descending Emory Pass. So I bundled up and just held on. Exhilarating!
When I got to Hillsboro, I removed all my warm clothes for the more normal part of the day. That’s where I ran into John from Bellingham, Washington. He is riding from Tucson to El Paso.
According to the ACA maps, it is all downhill from Kingston to the Caballo Reservoir on the Rio Grand, 25 miles away. So John and I were surprised by a few long UPHILLS out of Hillsboro. In fact, one was a couple of miles long at a 7-8% grade! So yes, I was back to walking.
When we finally got over the last hill, then it was smooth sailing to the Caballo Reservoir. I wanted to get some drone footage biking near the reservoir, but thought I should get some when I was still ten miles away as a backup, just in case it was too windy later on.
Talk about foreshadowing.
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I got to the Lakeview RV Park store (the first gas station for 70 miles) on Caballo at around 12:30. By the time I left there about 1:00, the winds were really picking up. They were about 21 mph out of the southwest, as I headed straight south.
Later they were 24 mph with gusts up to 35. Riding against ferocious winds like that was miserable. I was actually in granny gear going 5-6 mph on level ground!
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I wasn’t sure if I could make it to Hatch. I had been emailing with Celeste, the owner of a B&B that is in an old Spanish church built in the 1860s. I told her that I wasn’t sure if I’d make it or not, and asked what the deadline would be to make a decision.
She emailed me back and said she’d be gone at the dentist, and she gave me the code to get in! She said if I made it, just go in, and she’d bill me later.
That was awfully kind of her to trust me like that. Later that night when I met her, she brought her grown son who just did a 250-mile bike-packing trip. So she understands the needs of bikers.
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The day dragged on, one pedal revolution at a time. Fortunately, the road turned a bit southeast at times, which made the wind more of a crosswind.
I finally made it to Hatch (the “Chile Capital of the World”) at 5 pm. I saw on Google several Mexican restaurants that all had high ratings. But every single one of them was closed! So I settled for Subway…I guess that’s better than trail mix and Clif bars.
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I arrived at Historic St. Francis de Sales at about 6 pm. The code that Celeste emailed me worked! I was quite relieved to have shelter from the wind and a place to sleep. My room is in what used to be the Rectory (where the priests lived).
When Celeste returned from the dentist, she gave me a tour of the other room and the church sanctuary. It was decommissioned in 1963, but is still used for events and ceremonies.
Celeste said that these winds were the worst she’s seen in five years! In fact, she heard on the radio that winds Friday might hit 60 mph!!
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So I might be tweaking my plan. Originally, I was going to ride from Hatch to Las Cruces, 40 miles, and then Las Cruces to El Paso, 51 miles.
But here’s the forecast: Tomorrow, Wednesday, the winds are 20-30 mph straight out of the west. Thursday, they’re 25-35 mph, with gusts much higher, from the SOUTHwest. The route from Hatch to El Paso goes mostly south and a little southeast.
So in other words, tomorrow, Wednesday, should be all crosswinds. But Thursday is dreaded headwinds, and higher velocity at that.
So… My new plan is that if I can ride PAST Las Cruces tomorrow all the way to Anthony, that would leave only 20 miles to get to El Paso on Thursday on the day of hellacious headwinds.
That would mean riding 65 miles tomorrow, against some pretty stiff crosswinds. But I’m going to try to be riding before sunrise and see if I can do that.
If I can make 65 miles tomorrow, that would be the last big effort of the entire trip. The 20 miles from Anthony to El Paso should be pretty easy if I leave early again on Thursday.
If all that works out, then I could pack up the bike Friday, catch a 6 am flight home Saturday, and get to go to church with Beth on Sunday.
If I have to stop in Las Cruces tomorrow after only 40 miles, then I doubt I could get to El Paso on Thursday. And if Friday is as bad as they’re saying on the radio, I might even be forced to take a rest day.
So making 65 miles tomorrow might be the difference between getting Saturday or Monday or even Tuesday.
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TRANSLATIONS/BACKGROUND: “CANTBIRD” = CA-AZ-NM-TX Bike Ride, my own nickname for the 1000 miles on the western half of the Southern Tier Bicycle Route, from San Diego to El Paso, using maps from ACA (Adventure Cycling Association). (I did the 1500-mile eastern half in March 2024, which I called GUMBIRD [Gulf of Mexico Bike Ride].)
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LINKS:
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