GDMBR Section 5 Salida to Grants, New Mexico
This section includes some of the toughest days of the trip, taking in the highest parts of the route to get from Colorado into New Mexico, and then across some very rough and high terrain in northern New Mexico.
We were pretty whacked by the time we got to Salida and one rest day became two! Bruce went ahead – we caught him up at Del Norte about halfway through this section so we could go over Indiana pass and into New Mexico more or less together. Salida was a very pleasant place to stop and we found a good motel, the Loyal Duke ( clearly not named after Prince Harry!) with a Mexican restaurant around the corner, making it a bit harder to leave. My only complaint about Salida was I thought I could smarten up and get a haircut: no chance, all booked up! But it had some cool coffee and ice cream places and looked a great place for a short holiday. We even had one of the very few decent meals of the trip, our first restaurant since Flagg Ranch in Wyoming – a Mexican at the Casa Calaca next to the motel.
Day 39 GDMBR 11 September 2022 – Salida to Tomichi Creek, Sargents
42 miles 4175 ft ascent
Across the continental divided westwards, over the high (10842 ft) but well-graded Marshall pass to Sargents, a remotish small rural settlement set in drier looking terrain. It has a great gas station stop, with a large cafe/bar, shop, and simple camping. The ride was very pleasant, winding at a constant angle up through forests with wonderful views across the valley to the distant peaks, and passing above a gorgeous-looking campground by a lake. A few 4WD vehicles were making the crossing too, but not so many to be any problem. After a fast descent through aspens and an open valley with several beaver dams, we arrived in Sargents with plenty time to relax, scoff good food at the gas station and, bizarrely, watch the deceased queens procession through the streets of Edinburgh, with full British pageantry.
While we were there a huge motorcade of massive motor trikes and flash cars came by: on a road trip from Quebec. The campsite was mainly full of dirt bikers from far and wide, saying the area is great. for it
The night was pretty cold – the first time we got ice on the tent.
Day 40 GDMBR 12th September 2022 – Sargents to Wild camp north of Del Norte, below Carnero Pass
68 Miles 3600 ft ascent
Quite a long day, aided by good terrain mostly on decent gravel and moderate climbing. By the time we got to Luders Creek Campground in the hills between Sargents and Del Norte, we realised we could hoof it downhill a long way in the late afternoon/evening sunshine, and glad we did.
The route mainly was up a long, wide open, and deserted valley climbing back up to the continental divide into the Rio Grande National Forest, and then winds though smaller hills and the Carnero pass towards Del Norte, the last town in Colorado. I was quite thrilled to see we had got to the hills where the mighty Rio Grande starts: it felt like we were really getting well on our way.
Towards the Rio Grande National Forest, south of Sargents
The scenery was again incredibly varied: wide vistas almost like southern Montana around Lima, wooded hills of the Rio Grande forest, and then a sense of the real south with golden valleys surrounded by Cliff-edged Mesas: the only things missing were cowboys and Indians chasing around these hills! It felt again like we were in a perfect film location.
Day 41 GDMBR 13the September 2022 – Carnero Pass to Del Norte
45 miles 2400 ft ascent
An easier day, climbing the last but up to the Carnero pass and winding down the other side past an unusual volcanic rock gorge, to a homely cafe at La Garita, then off road altogether though sandy desert to Del Norte.
Del Norte was a good-looking town, with just one main road but good food and a decent RV site for camping. About an hour from town, the heavens opened and for the first time, we got full waterproofs on, head to toe.
We met up with Bruce at the Colorado Grill and Taphouse, which was as good as it sounds! He had stopped a night, I think, to let us catch up so we could head over the next tough section together, Glad he did, as the next section into new Mexico was hard going. Arrived in good time so we had plenty time to dry out and chill in the bar.
Day 42 GDMBR 14th Sept 2022 – Del Norte to Platoro, over the Indiana Pass.
48 miles, 6100 ft ascent, 4100 ft descent
Perhaps the most infamous section of the route: over the Indiana pass and the highest point of the GDMBR at 11958 ft. Huge height gain and once you get to the top, there’s a lot more up and down before getting out of the mountains to the ramshackle, tiny Paltoro and its welcome creature comforts.
The forest road up to India pass is a long gradual slog- not too steep, just like a British forestry commission gravel track, but never-ending. It finally pops out into grassy mountain terrain which, as it had started to blow a hooley and rain, felt just like a bad day out in Scotland! Togged up again for the weather, we had to stop to fix our brakes and then climb around a horrific environmental disaster of a disused mine ( the guidebook said don’t drink any water near here! so we carried a lot, despite the rain!) After the mine the gravel road finally turns left and starts the descent, only to get to Platoro there is a final steep pass to get over, quite a sting in the tail, but worth the effort- otherwise, it would have been a cold camp at Stunner Campground with dubious water.
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At Platoro we stopped at the first cafe, only to find it shut. A blessing in disguise as its got a dodgy reputation, and we got to the Golden Nugget RV site/shop/cafe just as it was closing. The guys there as just brilliant: stayed open a bit longer, cooked whatever they could rustle up, and in the morning we had a great breakfast. They may be closing/selling up soon, which would be a huge pity. Probably the warmest people we met on the trip. The section over from Del Norte is high and often has bad weather, and these people just knew how to welcome bedraggled cyclists and walkers.
Day 43 GDMBR 15th September 2022 – Platoro, Colorado to wild camp at Lagunitas, New Mexico
53 miles, 4300 ft ascent
Another long day- starts well with a fast ride down the valley from Platoro on decent gravel, with a stop for coffee and snacks at, I think, Rocky mountain lodge. We gave the cafe stop at end of the valley a miss but it looks ok, just wanted to crack on up the steep, paved highway 17 that hops south over the Cumbres pass to New Mexico.
Once over the pass, we descended briefly on gravel into the top end of a broad valley where the historic Cumbres and Toltec steam railway runs. We waited a while to try to see it pass, but ran out of patience and carried on, only to hear it toot its whistle behind us as we piled down the track!
The downhill was all too brief, and an entry sign into New Mexico marked the start of our initiation in New Mexico gravel riding. Steep, rough and knackering all the way to the well hidden campsite – for once very glad of our sat nav as we nearly gave up: the promise of water at the campground kept us going as there was no water anywhere else after leaving the little valley by the border signpost.
Along the way, we met Gregg from Sheffield, UK on his way to Patagonia. I didn’t have the heart to suggest he was well off-route! He was doing a massive trip, loaded well up – a mixture of road and gravel so doing some of the great divide for added fun. We were to meet up again later on the journey- great guy.
The terrain here proved typical of much of the new Mexico high ridges/plateaux. A mix of short pine trees and grassland, with never-ending ups and downs on very rough tracks. At this time of year quite well occupied by hunters in ATVs. One section, to reach the ridge overlooking the immense Cruces Basin was sheer hell, but quite short.
We met a young woman at the campground doing the great divide alone on foot – impressive!! Filtered water from the stream below the murky lake. In the middle of the night, we were woken up by eerie animal screams and didn’t know what it was at first. We found out from hunters that it was Elk calling, like Scottish deer groaning in the rutting season but these things made a scary squeal, as if they were being tortured!
Day 44 GDMBR 16 th September 2022 – Lagunitas to Honeywell Lake
36 miles 2800 ft ascent
We took an easier day today, stopping at Hopewell lake as otherwise, it would have been another monster day to get to Abiquiu. Bruce shot ahead early in as he was meeting his family there. He nearly made it- got picked up just before, so he could enjoy a couple of days there on a ranch while we slow coaches caught him up! An enjoyable ride with a fair amount of downhill and open grassy terrain.
Disappointed to find the national forest campground devoid of water, so I had a long trip to the lake to filter water. The campsite hosts kindly did give us some bottled water they reserved for hiker bikers. Gregg from Sheffield caught us up later in the day and shared our pitch. We were running low on food and tucked into our last packet of noodles( no shops since Del Norte apart from snacks etc at Platoro) but Gregg calmly pulled out a chopping board, proper pans, and some real veg/springs onions to make himself a real dinner! Now that’s proper long term cycle touring for you…
Day 45 GDMBR 17th September 2022 – Hopewell Lake to Abiquiu
55 miles, 2400 ft ascent, 6300 ft descent
A good day – longish distance ending with a long ride down rough forest roads to the plains around Abiquiu and civilisation. It is still a good amount of climbing as nothing is flat until off the plateau.
Totally waterless day again. We passed a stream about 2/3 of the way, above Canon Plaza, but did not fill up as there was meant to be a small shop there… but it was closed! We had missed it by a few weeks! So we arrived in this remote tiny hamlet, with hardly any food left and no water- so we asked a guy in his garden to fill up in his house, which he was very happy to do. We didn’t have the heart to ask for any food, so as soon as we left the hamlet we scoffed the last few nuts and an energy bar each on the roadside before tackling the final corner of Carson National Forest, through pretty wooded mountains northeast of Abiquiu.
We left the short section of the paved road at Vallecitos, home of the most run-down car repair shop we saw in the whole trip, called something rude that I wish I could remember, something like Asshole Repairs!
Riding into Abiquiu was great fun – we had proper Mexican food in a cafe at El Rito and the change in scenery from high wooded hills to cliff-sided desert showed we really had got to the far south. Oddly, all the way down the long hill to El Rito we passed signs for a wedding and then a long fleet of fancy 4-by-4s full of finely dressed wedding guests!
At Abiquiu we headed stright for the grocery store and ice cream parlor. the store was great, but the ice cream place closed!
On the plus side, we met Bruce and his family at the shop. He had learned how to shout “Oi!” from us and did so at full volume across the car park when he saw us! As a birthday treat (on the 19th) we booked a renovated old RV for two nights, just east of the town. It was a great place to lounge around, luxury compared to our tent, with outdoor showers and a picnic spot by the river.
For my birthday we relaxed by the river and went for a posh-ish meal at the Abiquie Inn, an overpriced but smart motel nearby.
Day 46 GDMBR 19th September 2022 – Abiquiu to wild camp in Sante Fe National Forest, north east of Cuba.
approx 44 miles 6000 ft ascent
I have a habit of staying away from it all on my Birthday but today was quite something. The section from Abiquiu to Cuba is another infamous climb and a long way. The general idea is to get to the top of the Polvadera Mesa/plateau, which is a rough and steep climb on a mixture of gravel, sand, and solid lava, and then roll through the hilly terrain until you are out of time/energy and drop. Some get to Cuba, most get part way.
Bruce went ahead early in the morning and we could follow his weaving tire tracks much of the way up the hill. It starts gently and gets steeper and steeper until finally, we hit a wooded ridge, where some hunters were camping. This is actually the rim of a really huge Caldera covered by trees. We still had enough energy to continue on the typically rolling/hilly terrain, not unlike forests back home in the Scottish borders until we heard another loud “Oi” from somewhere in the woods. Bruce was camped off the track in an area of fallen trees, so we gladly set up camp with him. Again we heard the disturbing calls of elk in the middle of the night.
Day 47 GDMBR 20th September 2022 – wild camp in Santa Fe national forest to Cuba, New Mexico
31 miles, 1800 ft ascent, 3900 ft descent
Finally, an easier day, rolling through the last of the hills of the volcanic ridge then down to a paved road that led to Cuba, a run-down one street town which nevertheless had decent food by our standards and motels.
Jane and I decided to camp at Theresas RV site and beauty salon- basically a rough patch of grass north of the town next to a small house where the lovely Theresa lives. She has a few RVs in her back garden and lets divide hiker/bikers camp. She also will cut your hair, so we both got ours done! We also got showered, a bit risky as the shower is in the corner of her old dining room where campers can read and charge their phones!
We got washed out by torrential rain and woke up with jane’s thermarest mat floating in water. So the next day we moved into a motel and waited a few days for it to stop raining. The government issued an alarming weather alert which landed by text on our phones telling everyone not to travel. In this area, the unpaved roads become totally impassable and cyclists sometime have to either abandon their bikes, camp in the mud, or get rescued if it rains, let alone rain this hard. We used a spare couple of days to catch up on travel planning and eventually moved on but took the road alternative to Grants. We got to know the Phillips 66 gas station quite well as it had a useful and tasty, cheap Mexican cafe inside.
Day 48 GDMBR 23 September 2022 – Cuba to Chaco filling station
45 Miles 1225 ft ascent
Easy day, taking the Chaco alternative on paved roads to Grants as we did not want to risk the mud roads so soon after the rain. It’s possible to go all the way to Grants (as Bruce did) in one day but it’s a bit of an iconic stop: on the Navaho Indian Reservation, super friendly, free and with a shop and Laundromatpaved that seems quite a community hub.
A young guy called Andrew caught us up just as the sunset. I think he had come a long way round by road from Abiquiu due to the rain.
Day 49 GDMBR 24 September 2022 -Chaco filling station to Grants
74 Miles, 2200 ft ascent
The distance today shows why it’s good to stop at the filling station, but it’s very fast riding on almost deserted paved roads, with occasional gradual rises. Andrew rode partway with Andrew and we all had a celebratory McDonalds on arrival at Grants! The end of another ACA map !!
Grants is a quite sizable town, on the old Route 66 but lined with empty motels complete with msahed windows, as its now bypassed by the interstate motorway, with the main motels and stores relocated to near the motorway junction.
Here we stayed in the Days Inn and suffered the tiniest ” included breakfast” I have had in my life. The picture below, a breakfast muffin with a pot of milk and a small coffee cup for scale!
We had a thorough falling out with WestJet and the flight booking agents MyTrip(Booking.com) here, as we discovered our flight home had been cancelled until the next year(!) yet were told we could not get any money back nor any alternative flight. They picked a fight with the wrong person, so we booked our own way home and by the end of the year had all our money back from our credit card company plus a few hundred pounds of compensation via the aviation authorities. The lesson is, don’t use Booking.com for flights…
- Jasper to Banff via Icefield Parkway
- Banff to Eureka, USA Border
- Eureka, USA Border, to Helena, Montana capital
- Helena, Montana to Colter Bay, Grand Tetons
- Colter Bay, Grand Tetons to Rawlins, Wyoming via Grand Basin
- Rawlins, Wyoming, to Salida, Colorado
- Salida, Colorado to Grants, New Mexico
- Grants, New Mexico to the Border via the Gila Wilderness
Jane and Dave Fenna's Tours 