Great Divide Stage 7

Pie Town to Grants

Strava: 113.5 km, 493m, 4:40, 244 shifts, 52.5 kph max

Three of us ended up sleeping inside at the Bunkhouse last night. We woke up early when others came in looking for their coffee fix or the bathroom. We packed up and rode to the Gathering Place for breakfast at 7:30, right when Starr was opening. She served us classic breakfasts like omelets, pancakes, bacon and eggs. Delicious and of course we bought three pies to go for lunch.

We rolled out Pie Town at 8:30 and headed north on a dirt road that was pretty smooth. Within one km I had to replace my other shifter battery (WTF??) and we got to talk to the Canadian couple we met yesterday hiking. They seemed in a good mood but walking that long long road did not look fun to me. We talked with them about types of hikers and bikers: seekers, people trying to escape something, and those “with fuck all else to do”, that last one added by Andrew. As we rode on we pondered which we were.

We stopped for first lunch at 11:00 at the junction with route 117, after just over 50 km. We had two pies, so tasty! Then we rode the paved alternate route the rest of the day.

Cutting pie #1, Apple, Chili & Pine nuts

After 25 km of nice cruising by sandstone formations, we stopped at La Ventana Arch. We rode the little trail to a viewpoint and shared our last pie there. It’s a beautiful spot and we were just loving the clear sky and relatively cool temps.

Wytze’s video of riding by sandstone formations

We continued on, the whole way on pavement with our Superman, Wytze, leading. The wind varied, generally side, so we mostly echelon drafted. This is a diagonal pattern with Wytze near the center line and each of us behind and to the right of the one ahead. There was very little traffic so this worked perfectly the whole way. Obviously it’s no good on a busy road. We reminisced about getting pulled over by the cops in Spain for this in 2023.

We crossed route 40, stopped for drinks and snacks, then continued the last 9 km to Grants. This part of route 117 was tracing the path of historic Route 66. We made it about 8.5 km but noticed the Junkyard on 66 Brewery and just had to stop. The place was so classic with classic cars and stacks of parts, dozens of old car radios, a pool table etc. They didn’t make an IPA so Andrew and I had a guest beer, Alien IPA, that was great. We had some snacks and enjoyed the stop.

Snacks on offer at the Phillips 66 on Route 66

Our motel, the Leisure Lodge, was just down the road and we checked in. It’s a classic old motel, another one of Andrew’s goals for the trip accomplished. Old or not they had a great shower. Then we warmed up the leftover pizza from Pie Town for a snack. Livin’ large!

We rode to dinner around 6, headed for the Teppanyaki place “downtown”, but it didn’t exist. El Cafecito Mexican restaurant did though and served us up a giant dinner of various dishes, plainer than we’re used to in California but filling. Very friendly staff let us park inside – we heard you have to be careful about bikes here. I have to say that Grants is a bit of a disappointment so far after Silver City. Riding through the neighborhoods… It does not look thriving.

We rode back and watched a pretty wild movie in our room, No Country for Old Men. All in all a great day, ending the first week of our adventure. And tomorrow is a rest day! I believe I will sleep well.

Great Divide Stages 5 & 6

Geronimo Trail Camp to Valle Tio Vinces CG

Strava: 125.7 km, 1426m, 8:09, 274 shifts, 48 kph max

Valle Tio Vinces to Pie Town

Strava: 48.3 km, 490m, 2:31, 134 shifts, 48.2 kph max

We had planned to split the 170+ km distance more like 90 + 80, but in the end pushed on that first day to make the second day quick and easy.

We got up early in our cabin, cooked breakfast and took off at 6:30, temperature 3° C. A climb warmed us up and we continued on, with the first stop at the Beaverhead Work Camp where we loaded up on water for a dry camp. I could feel the extra 3+ kg.

Right when we got a bit over the 85 km midpoint the scenery changed and we were in a barren, flat, windy land. So we kept going. At 110 km we topped off our water at a church but camping did not look good. The map showed a Forest Service campground with great reviews so we cranked out another 400m climb in 15 km, arriving after 5pm.

It was beautiful and deserted although a CDT hiker came in while we were cooking dinner. He went to bed right away and I heard his fast footsteps the next morning, before 6am. I am in awe of the people who do this on foot.

Since we were going to easily get to Pie Town and provisions the next day, we ate all of our food, two dinners and tomorrow’s lunch. It was a feast. I was more tired than the previous days though. We all retired early. I read for 30 minutes until 8pm then my legs started cramping. An electrolyte tablet cured that and I fell deep asleep.

After nine hours of peaceful sleep, you just have to feel great! There was a little ice so maybe it was 0° in the night. I slept warm in my quilt with no extra warm clothes needed. Breakfast was the last of our oats plus two packages of granola with milk and blueberries. We packed up and set off at 7:30.

There was one climb, then the most gorgeous downhill. Smooth and the perfect angle where you can go fast but never touch the brakes. And somehow no washboard! Kilometers just fly by. We were up over 2500m for the first time, fresh with lots of big Ponderosa Pines.

It was a beautiful and easy cruise all the way to Pie Town. Just before arriving we spent some time talking to a couple hiking the CDT, day 18 vs our day 6 (different routes though). In town, we pulled in to the first place we saw called The Gathering Place. What a place it is! Pies of all types, and a full menu of breakfast and lunch. We arrived around 10:30 so everything was available. I had a veggie burger with onion rings, Daniel had a “Josh Special” and we shared pies and ice cream. And drinks.

Fortified, we rode over to “The Bunkhouse”, a self-serve “hostel”. You can sleep inside or in your tent. Lots of snacks and drinks and even cold beer. It’s $20, payable via a machine, enter the amount and wave your phone or card. Laundry included the most amazing feature I’ve ever seen: borrow clothes! Yes you can wash your cycling clothes and your regular clothes and don’t have to walk around naked. Full kitchen stocked with lots of food and great shower. We hung out with other bikers and hikers for a while, some staying at the other place in town.

You never know where biking can take you…

After laundry and a long chat with the Swiss owner of the Bunkhouse, we cycled to the closer restaurant. Two had chicken pot pie with pie and salad and two had giant veggie pizzas with salad. We got four pieces of pie to go for good measure. The place was so classic. And we accomplished one of our major goals for the trip! Andrew said he was hoping to see “open carry” somewhere, sometime on this trip. The guy carrying two pistols had a ton of bullets on his gunbelt. He was very pleased when Wytze asked if he could take his picture. We couldn’t eat all the pizza (a pair of 14″ homemade veggie ones, quite hearty) so we brought them to the Bunkhouse along with four pieces of pie for later.

It sure was nice to relax in the Bunkhouse after dinner. We booked two nights in the upcoming town of Grants, thus committing to going the whole way tomorrow. The normal route is supposed to be difficult now due to lack of water so we’ll take the shorter alternative route which will let us avoid another dry camp.

Later in the evening, for second dinner, we shared our take-out quiche from lunch and four pieces of pie: pecan, peach, blueberry and coconut. A great end to a great day. For a town with only 166 people, Pie Town was a highlight of our trip so far.

Great Divide Stage 4

Lake Roberts to Geronimo Trail Camp

Strava 73.4 km, 1455m, 5:35, 205 shifts, 49.6 kph max

We thought we had an easier stage today and check in time at our cabin was 4pm so we got up late. It was a little cold last night with some ice on my bike this morning. Breakfast was freeze dried peaches, a banana and some turbinado sugar in eight servings of oatmeal. We let it sit under a sleeping bag to get just right. Delicious! We shared a 🥝, packed up and took off just before 9.

The first 12 km was on a paved road, up and down, pretty and relatively easy. We met the guys from the campground at the turnoff. The rest of the day was on dirt. We headed uphill steeply, something like a 9 km climb up 350m. We had a snack at the top and went on. There were lots more of these climbs and I was overjoyed that my granny gear 52 was working even though the bike thinks it’s in second gear. I cranked it long and hard (1:28, the only gear I used today for over an hour)!

The inevitable descents were absolutely wonderful although you have to really pay attention on the tricky, sometimes slippery curves. There were many straight sections where we could cruise at 40 kph or more, with usually one path somewhere on the road free of washboard bumps.

We had lunch just over halfway: one tortilla each with honey and pepper jack cheese. Just enough and super tasty. As we got to 3/4 done and beyond, the pace slowed. The last couple of climbs were brutal in the sun, about 10% grade… Andrew was heard to comment at the top of the last one, “I’m done!” And he meant it. Luckily we had just one last four km downhill run, super nice.

We turned at the ranch sign and spied their coolers right away, drinks and snacks for cyclists. We each pounded large Gatorade bottles. 90% of mine went down in one breath. We took some Clif bars and left $40 in their box. We checked in and the cabin is quite nice. They are off the grid so the shower and power comes from the sun.

Everything is better after your first shower in two days, especially if you sweated copiously. We all did laundry and relaxed. They have Starlink Internet. If you want the full treatment here, meals and horse riding etc, it’s $600 per person per day! We had tried to add dinner but their chef had the day off so we have to make our food last to Pie Town, two days and 170+ km away. With the extra Clif Bars I think we’ll make it.

I heard some snoring while I was writing this post, while Daniel spent time in the bathtub trying to find the holes in his sleeping pad. Later, we cooked dinner outside. After a careful inventory we decided we could share three dinners for “two” instead of just two like last night. Dessert was a scone, a mint chocolate cookie and a big bar of Swiss chocolate from Daniel.

Great Divide Stage 3

Through Silver City to Lake Roberts

Strava 74.6 km, 1272m, 4:24, 273 shifts, 71.28 kph max

We got up early again and headed to Silver City for breakfast, some bike shopping and lots of groceries. It was up and down and I had one of my shifters die part way through. I installed a fresh battery and was good to go. A gasket was not installed properly (I think). In town we found a nice café that had scones, giant cookies and quiche with squash.

After breakfast we went shopping for some camping meals, at the local outdoor shop and the local bike shop. Wytze bought a jacket and another water bottle holder for his bike. We bought some bike snacks then went over to the food coop. All of these places were within a few blocks. We bought a bunch of food for lunches and breakfasts plus fruit and yogurt we ate across the street. $130 just at the coop!

Packing all that wasn’t easy but soon we headed out of town. It was a hot climb up to the Continental Divide where it started raining. A wind gust blew my bike over and it landed on the rear derailleur 😭 but with a little bending it works, although it’s off a gear. No more bike shops for a long time unfortunately.

We started down a beautiful descent through trees on a little road but soon got pummeled by a massive rain. Now it was quite cold even in jackets so we took shelter at a place with cabins, the owner was very nice and chatted with us while we waited and ate more.

When the sun came out and the whole feeling changed. We cruised up and down, jackets on when the rain came, off when the sun came out. It was nice riding through the mountain air up at 2300m, fresh plants, big trees and very little traffic. We pulled into the general store/cabins at Lake Roberts, and sure enough they were closed as advertised. But they were restocking and were friendly enough to offer a 🍺! We also had a soda each, very tasty.

First beers since we started, and only by luck!

They let us use the WiFi which turned out to be key: the reservation I had made for a cabin for tomorrow night back in Silver City required payment in advance which I was able to do by phone and email. WiFi calling FTW.

That taken care of we headed over a final hill to the lake itself and camped at the Forest Service campground. Fresh water (absolutely key) and an outhouse and space for our tents. We paid the small fee, met the campground hosts and I chatted with a couple of guys riding just New Mexico, South to North like us. No internet but I could text Katie by satellite with my Garmin InReach.

Cooking dinner at Lake Roberts Upper End USFS Campground

We cleaned up, washed some laundry, set up tents and Daniel and Wytze swam in the lake. We fired up dinner at 6:30, a test of freeze dried food. There is a great variation in “serving” size. The ones we shared are 1490 calories but other two-serving packages are only 800 or even 600. With a little bread and cheese and a kiwi for dessert it was pretty ok.

Great Divide Stage 2

Hachita to Ridge Park Campground on route 90

Strava: 102 km, 863m, 6:08, 139 shifts, 46.4 kph max

After a decent sleep, we got up around 5, ate a big breakfast and packed up. The weather had changed quite a bit, with the road wet, cool with some rain in the air. We headed north with gorgeous views in all directions. We stopped for pictures at our first Continental Divide crossing. Before the rain started we were treated to some amazing lightning and super loud thunder. Once it was maybe a quarter second between them!

The first 30 km today was paved and it wasn’t really cold so the rain just made us wet and cool. It let up as we finished the paved section and headed west on a gravel frontage road along Interstate 10. We rode with our tandem camping partners, Brad and Kristen. Soon we got to the one town of the day, Separ. It has just one building, the Continental Divide Trading Post. We bought lots of snacks and drinks but skipped fireworks. We took a break eating outside, very nice.

We headed north on dirt roads, and soon the rain started up again. Daniel has low clearance in front and had a little trouble but the tandem was completely shut down by the sandy mud. They had to take a break to wait for drier conditions. We persevered and loved the varied weather and views. I got to try out my new rain jacket which worked great, the first time I’ve had a hood while riding. Up and down, about 70 km of dirt. We stopped for lunch at noon but had already been riding for four and a half hours.

There was a fair amount of climbing but nothing steep. Finally at 95 km we popped out onto state highway 90, paved and smooth. We took it a little way to a campground and checked in. It felt good to have a 100 km day under our belts and it was only 2:20.

I was very happy to see trees with shade in the tent area. We set up, had showers and did the daily laundry – we each have only one set of cycling clothes.

Some lounging occurred then we made dinner, cooking up the second meal bought at the Dollar General in Columbus. The pot only holds two liters so first I put 8 servings of instant mashed potatoes and a can of tuna into a liter of boiling water. Stir and it’s ready! Andrew and I enjoyed that and agreed it was just the right amount. Later I repeated for Daniel and Wytze. No leftovers! Dessert was candied pecans. We worked on route plans for the next few days, then cleaned up.

It was forecast to rain in the night so we put on our rain flies. Our plan is to get up at 5:45 (luxury) then ride into Silver City for breakfast and shopping. Sure enough, as I wrote that the rain started!

From right, my tent, Andrew’s and Daniel’s

Great Divide Stage 1

Antelope Wells border station to Hachita

Strava: 74.4 km, 108m, 3:29, 19 shifts, 29.6 kph max

Finally, the big day! My sleep last night was almost comically bad, it was too hot and I was glad when the alarm went off at 5am. We had a big breakfast from our supplies plus the hotel food, packed up and took off about 6.

The 90 minute drive passed quickly, chatting with Philip who turns out to be the past and present Mayor of Columbus. He stopped in Hachita to show us the Community Center and the store, then we headed south for the last leg. He dropped us off where Brad and Kristen were assembling their gravel tandem. We said good bye, loaded up, posed at the famous border sign, looked at the wall a bit, then headed north. Just 4962 km to go.

It was just after 8am so the temperature was fine, we were all feeling good. Andrew and I led for the first hour then Daniel and Wytze took a turn. We stopped maybe around halfway for a peanut butter and honey sandwich break and met a solo rider, Philip, a Brit living in California.

How it looked near the start of the stage

Then back at it. The angle was really gentle, sometimes a little up or down. Sometimes a tiny headwind or tailwind. As we got closer to Hachita the heat was making itself known, about 36°C. Andrew was suffering a little so we cruised the last 10 km slower. We went right to the store and inhaled cold drinks and ice cream etc.

The Community Center was locked with no number to call but I called a local, the owner of the Hachita bike ranch, who gave me the number. A few texts later and we were good. 6 of us at the Community Center and Philip at the Bike Ranch (small place). The Center is great, spacious and much cooler than outside. Showers, toilets, a full kitchen with some food, and even cots and pads to sleep on.

Wytze went first in the shower then cooked us up some soup. Just like Bike Dreams! We all relaxed and figured a new route plan that avoids wild camping in this heat, we’ll see if that works.

We found an amazing thing: an old laptop that worked! It took a couple of hours but we successfully used it to load the western US and Canada detailed maps onto Wytze’s and Daniel’s Garmin bike computers. Amazing luck.

We went back to the shop later and bought more food for dinner. There was also quite a bit available in our kitchen that others had left. Wytze cooked found hamburgers and hotdogs while I made our pasta, served mixed with a can of tomato soup, grated cheese and dried basel. I had mine with sardines on top. And found pickles. Dessert was canned fruit and there were jokes about the cheese plates and wine that we didn’t have.

So that is day one out of many, accomplished pretty well. We’re sure there will be many higher and lower points in our future. I successfully avoided a nap and hope to sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow is the big day!

We had a full day in El Paso yesterday. We rode to a great Mexican breakfast place, then to a sporting goods store for stove fuel and a coffee shop to relax. The city isn’t the best for cycling but we had no problems.

We packed in the afternoon then ubered to a restaurant nearby where we met my local friends Chelsea and Victor. It was a long relaxed dinner and so great to learn more about their city, the culture and the area from locals. We all had Margaritas and dinner was great.

After a good sleep the rest of the team rode out in the morning for coffee while I had breakfast and cleaned up. Our ace shuttle driver, Philip, arrived at 9:45 in his big van. We loaded up and he pointed out sights as we drove through El Paso, right by the border. He told us about 10 people had already started cycling this year, more than usual because the snowpack is low in Colorado.

The road took us along the border for 90 minutes, passing a couple of tethered observation blimps and other border patrol installations. We saw a giant AI data center under construction too. Philip identified each section of wall by president. The Obama wall was 18′ high, the Bush wall 15-18′ and Trump wall was visibly taller at 30′. We didn’t see any of the Clinton wall.

Andrew’s shot showing Obama wall and Trump wall

We arrived at Columbus, New Mexico, a town of 1800, right by the border. The Los Milagros hotel seems nice and we arranged for an early shuttle to Antelope Wells for tomorrow. Philip had forgotten he was taking us onward but was at our disposal at any time.

We had lunch at a friendly drive-in next door, beer and pizza for me. Then we walked to the Dollar General market. It’s big, maybe 40% food. We bought supplies for a couple of days. We plan to camp indoors at Hachita tomorrow then somewhere along the 125 km from Hachita to the next town, Silver City.

In the evening we were invited to join a meet and greet event at the hotel for a local candidate for Sheriff. They had lots of food and drink and the people were very friendly. We met a couple who are also starting the ride to Banff tomorrow, on a gravel tandem. They had to think a lot about how to pack and especially to carry enough water. Breakfast is at 5:30 tomorrow, then we drive 90 minutes to the famous starting border crossing at Antelope Wells. Exciting!

Safe in El Paso

For me it was a little hard this morning, saying goodbye to Katie for 8 weeks. But Andrew and I had a good time doing some final prep, then my old friend Scott drove us from Santa Cruz to San Jose airport. There was literally no waiting to check in and American Airlines didn’t bother to weigh our slightly overweight boxes, which just count as regular baggage.

The plane was on time, we had lunch and changed planes in Phoenix, then made it to El Paso a little after 6. It was amazing to see both our bike boxes come out on the regular baggage conveyor belt so quickly.

About when we flew over our cycling route

After we put the bikes together and loaded up, we pulled up the course I had made to the Airbnb and took off. It was an easy ride, mostly downhill for 5 km, under 15 minutes. The house is very spacious with four nice bedrooms and a modern kitchen. There are guitars, music albums and posters everywhere.

We unloaded our bikes and rode over to a nearby supermarket (the biggest one Andrew had ever seen) for dinner, breakfast and beer. Back at home as we ate we received some fun messages from the other guys as they arrived in El Paso. Daniel sent a video of two maintenance guys properly disposing of Andrew and my bike boxes from three hours before. Wytze later sent a photo of Daniel’s box captioned “Leaving your trash. Disgusting!”

Sometime after 10 pm they arrived together and the beer and snacks flowed as we caught up. So fun! We talked for a couple of hours then called it a night. So far so good!

Leaving tomorrow!

A few days ago, Andrew arrived from Perth, Australia making the upcoming trip seem even more imminent. We had a nice bike ride yesterday – Santa Cruz was showing off with absolutely perfect weather. Today we’ve packed our bikes and checked into the flight to El Paso tomorrow.

I spent last week planning and packing, testing and training. I made my final packing list, assembled everything then tried to pack it all onto the bike. That wasn’t so easy and some things like pants, a nice shirt, etc. didn’t end up making the cut. A week ago I loaded nearly every single item onto the bike, packed 4.5 liters of water, dinner, breakfast and a beer, and headed up into the hills in the evening. I found a nice camping spot and tested my new tent and all the other gear. Cooking worked well and my new pad and sleeping quilt were super comfortable. Fog dripped water from the trees onto my tent all night so that was a good test. Riding a 27 kg bike felt surprisingly reasonable. All in all it was a great test run.

Last weekend I did a local annual tour called Strawberry Fields Forever. I had never done the 100 mile version so signed up for that. My friend Steve decided to join and it was great riding the whole thing together. And I didn’t feel tired or sore the next day.

Riding Strawberry Fields Forever, 165 km, 2000m climbing

Here’s hoping that Daniel and Wytze make it from Europe with their bikes and Andrew and I have smooth travel tomorrow. The adventure begins!

I’m getting excited about riding!

We’ve had this plan in the works since I rode through Europe in 2023 with Andrew, Wytze and Daniel. I think it was pretty early on, like in the first week heading south from Paris that we starting thinking about the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route for 2026. But the idea always seemed pretty far off. We started working more seriously on planning late last year but still it seemed remote. Well, in 15 days, Andrew is flying in from Perth and a couple of days after that we’re flying to El Paso to meet the rest of the team. I rode today with a lot of my full setup, carrying sleeping bag, pad, tent, 4.5 liters of water, food, tools, clothes etc. I left behind electronics, toiletries and a little bit of camping gear.

Salsa Cutthroat in Cotoni Coast Dairies, in California Coast National Monument on May 3, 2026

Today’s little 50 km ride was fun with friends and didn’t have much climbing but we rode a lot of dirt roads and some semi-steep/bumpy single track. I was surprised at how easy it felt and how stable the bike was. No issues at all. I’m guessing the real thing will be a lot harder due to daily distance, weather and much more climbing! The Salsa is going into the shop for one more little tune-up, a new chain, and I need to get a box for the flight. I have a few more little gear items to get too but I think my packing list is complete now. Over the next week I’ll assemble everything for another shakedown cruise and try camping in my new tent.