Beating the Storm

According to many GDR riders, the route out of Abiquiu is one of the toughest segments of the entire trip.  With this in mind, we scheduled an intentionally short day of only twenty-something odd miles.

Leaving the comfort of the Old Abiquiu B&B was difficult (especially knowing that the weather forecast called for showers over the next two days), but we eventually forced ourselves out the door and onto our bikes.  Down the road just a mile from the B&B was Bode’s, an all-in-one convenience store, gas station, deli, grocery store, voter registration location, community gathering place, bake sale site and energy drink oasis.  We stocked up on groceries and water for the next few days while talking to Bode himself, the owner of the mercantile, and GDR motorbiker.  Having completed the GDR earlier this summer on his motorbike (in just 13 days), Bode shared with us what we could expect for the remaining few hundred miles.  The next two days will be rough, he said, and we should keep an eye on the weather in order to avoid being stuck (literally) out on some of New Mexico’s famed dirt roads. 

Loaded with goodies, we departed through Abiquiu’s historic pueblo and south on Polvadera Road along Abiquiu Creek.  Being the home of Georgia O’Keefe, we did manage to sneak a peak at some of her early work, which was prominently diplayed on the way out of town.

According to the locals, there is a bumper crop of Pinon Nuts this year, an occurence only seen about once every seven years.  Because of that, the mountains were filled with people harvesting the nuts to either sell or roast themselves.

After working our way up the steep mesa the trail conditions deteriorated and the sky darkened with heavy clouds.  As it began to rain, we set up the tarp and tents, settling in for a long, rainy night.  Hopefully, the rockiness of the trail will prevent too much mud from accumulating.  Otherwise, we could have to wait this out for another day in camp.