Section 5, Platoro CO to Pie Town, NM - D25

          07/04 Day 25 New Mexico  Cuba – Grants (120 miles)

Wheels down 4:30 am.

We were taking the more westerly Chaco Alternate, an approved TD route that has almost become a standard.  It was added since the main route is very often closed because of wildfire this time of year.  The alternate is likely not as pretty as the main route but paved and so, faster and has at least a couple of opportunities for services where the main route is completely remote. 

Along Hwy 197 we began to see some of the rock formations and mesas New Mexico is known for.  I’ve always loved the desert and here the look of it and smells were more like home.  However, instead of cows in the fields along the road there were horses and even an escapee running along the road.  Very cool. 

New Mexico sunrise

Occasionally, the pavement was interrupted by a construction zone.  As we came up to one such zone, there, like a mirage, a lone port-o-potty and alongside, no lie, a hand sanitizing station.  New Mexico treats its road workers a lot better than we do in Texas.  We are girls and of course we stopped.  I opened the door and on the seat of the pristine interior, was a hand-written note that said “Good Morning Sheilas” and a smiley face.  We just fell apart laughing.  This note provided us endless hours of contemplating who might have left it.  A random SPOT stalker?  We both had friends vacationing in New Mexico or Colorado for the summer (it’s what Texans do in the summer).  Was it one of them?  We decided to make an mtbcast call at the next payphone.  Too funny not to share. 

Much of New Mexico is very poor and this area is no exception.  We passed a motel but it was closed.  A gas station or 2 but closed.  Were chased by a few dogs but their hearts weren’t really in it.  We did get to a market/gas station that was open (Pueblo Pintado perhaps?); got some water and food and STB made our mtbcast call. 

Though less dramatic than earlier crossings, we crossed the CD 3 times today.  The day turned hot and windy.  Twice we used road tunnels for much needed shade breaks.  Coming over a rise, somewhere on pavement – before Milan I think, we saw a bar. 

Super wanting something cold, we stop and go in.  Typical bar – dark, smelly, pool table….we both order something to drink (no, not a beer).  The women working the bar (owner?) was friendly but I think the guy playing pool really just would have preferred us to leave.  He put money in the jukebox and out came blaring The Black Eyed Peas My Humps.  Yeah we left.  

The first tunnel we went through was in Butte.  It had ice in it.  We've ridden a long way.  

My Humps

On the edge of Milan, a few miles NW of Grants, we turn onto Route 66.  I had ridden parts of the iconic Route 66 while riding with Pac Tour’s southern route years ago.  It was nice to be in familiar territory.  Once in town, we ran into Luke, one of the S. Africans.  He waved us over to the Best Western where he and Marian were staying.  He was just giddy to know if we’d found the note he’d left in the port-o-potty.  Mystery solved.  We had left so early from Cuba and saw no-one else, we just assumed the S. Africans were behind us somewhere. 

We all had dinner in the hotel restaurant where the waitress was kind enough, since we were going to miss the breakfast bar in the morning, to bring us breakfast items to have in our rooms.  After dinner, STB and Luke went to the town Walmart for groceries.  We were not going to have access to much for the next couple of days.  I will not shop at Walmart.  Sticking to my guns, I stubbornly went to the nearby Shell station and bought cans of Beenie Weenies, Ritz crackers, energy bars, and what ever else I could find that fit my need to consume as little sugar as possible.  Being principled is hard work.

STB's Walmart haul

It is the 4^th of July and tomorrow, Pie Town.