Day 54, 49 miles, Zuni, NM, to Chambers, AZ
Day 53, 35 miles, El Morro to Zuni, NM
Day 52, 70 miles, Acoma Pueblo (Sky City Casino) to El Morro, NM
Day 51, 71 miles, Albuquerque to Acoma Pueblo
Day 50, 0 Day in Albuquerque
Day 49, Nearo Day, 10 miles, from Trek bikeshop
Day 48, Nearo day, 8.5 miles, to Trek bikeshop
Day 47, 43 miles, Moriarty to Albuquerque, NM
I was warned. Way back in Gainesville, TX, Chris, from New Mexico, told me, “New Mexico is always windy, and hot. And watch out, the drivers are crazy.”
The drivers proved to be no more or less crazy than anywhere else. But he was right about the wind. And he didn’t mention the altitude.
Riding west from Santa Rosa to Moriarty, NM, I first started feeling the effects of climbing above 5,000 feet. It was subtle, an increased fatigue, a slight need to breathe faster during climbs, a little bit longer to recover.
I got to Albuquerque and spent a planned three-day break, staying first with my dear new friends Martie and Judy (pictured here with Martie and her cool RV Brooklyn),
and my wonderful cousin, Kathy, and her husband Pope.
Thank you all for sharing your awesome homes with me.
Albuquerque was a great break. I visited the Trek store for a quick bike tuneup, for the home stretch. And I got to play tourist for a day, taking the tram up Sandia Peak.
Heading west from Albuquerque on Route 66, I got my kicks, but I also struggled against the wind, heat, increasing altitude, and rough road. At one point, I cut the day short when the headwinds were gusting to 25mph and a huge dust storm loomed ahead; and stayed at Sky City Casino in Acoma Pueblo, Navajo Reservation. (I didn’t gamble; I figured I’m gambling enough on this southern-route-in-June bike trip).
I continued climbing toward Grants, NM, then headed south for a while, toward El Morro National Monument. Day 52 of this 70-day xUS bike trip was one of the toughest. Climbing, climbing, pushing hard against gusting winds, sometimes riding down to 7 mph. I climbed up through a steep mountain pass, rounded a bend, and came across this sign:
with some relief. Long, wonderful downhills followed. For a while.
But more importantly, it’s a conceptual triumph to have made it to the other side of the Continental Divide. It’s akin to crossing the Mississippi River, a major demarcation that announces you’ve covered some ground, you’ve pushed through obstacles and crossed another division.
From now on, all water flows toward the Pacific, the same way I’m going.
I rode downhill for a while. Then the wind resumed, and the uphills resumed, all the way to El Morro.
I continued east into the Zuni Reservation, and stayed at a very charming bed & breakfast, the Inn at Halona, in Zuni Pueblo, highly recommended.
From there, it was a short, windy jaunt to the Arizona border, 
and I waved goodbye to New Mexico.
The Arizona winds have been no different from New Mexico. But at least I know, up ahead, the altitude will ease up. Then the real heat sets in.