Day 219: Wenden, AZ

It has finally cooled down to some nice, comfortable temperatures.  As a result, there was no need to rush to hit the road this morning.  Instead, we waited around for the sun to warm everything up, allowing us a chance to relax and take our time enjoying our coffee and breakfast.

The areas that we will be traveling through the next few days are areas that we have driven through before, because in the past my mother had owned a mobile home in Yuma, AZ.  Over time, we've taken just about every route imaginable between there and Boise, so it should look fairly familiar to us.

Our route today had some elevation gain, but the big climb was a gentle grade that didn't slow down my pace all that much.  Most of the rest was through flat valleys bordered by mountain ranges on the north and south.  Even with a late start, I covered the 51 miles before noon.

Parts of the road had a lot raised cracks on the shoulders, some of which were at least a few inches tall.  To escape being jarred silly,I rode a good part of the day on the white fog line.  I bailed out onto the shoulder when oncoming traffic approached, just in case there was also traffic overtaking me from behind.  But the traffic was fairly light for much of the day.

I think at one point I may have seen a mountain lion walking along a dry wash that crossed under US 60.  I only caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye, so I can't be certain.  All I know is that it was quite close to the highway and much bigger than I had imagined one would be, so I wasn't too anxious to turn around for a closer look.  And I figured the odds weren't good that I would get a photo before he either got out of sight or got too close.

We are camped at Centennial Park Campground ($14, power, water, plus an additional $2 each for adjustable showers).  The water here is not potable, but it is OK for washing, brushing your teeth, etc.  The water in the showers is run through a reverse osmosis filter to remove high levels of nitrates and nitrites (thus the additional cost for the showers).  If we wanted, we could camp here for $70 per week or $160 per month, and that would include a $1 discount off of golf fees (there is a golf course and driving range here).  Of course, if we can't drink the water, an extended stay doesn't make a whole lot of sense for us.

Day 218: Wickenburg, AZ

We snuck out of Phoenix on Sunday, our preferred day for navigating large metropolitan areas.  The 47 miles that Alea covered were seemingly flat, but there was a gradual elevation gain of a thousand feet or so to Wickenburg.

We had contemplated camping in a city-owned campground across from their rodeo arena, but there was no toilet.  So we headed instead to Loose Horse RV Park ($35, power, water, cable, adjustable showers).  The irony here is that we had talked to the park manager for quite some time (long enough that she should have realized that we don't have a toilet), but in the evening when I went to use the bathroom I found it locked.  Let's just say that I wasn't happy about paying $35 to pee in the bushes, which we could have done by the rodeo arena for only $8.  After complaining (once my bladder was emptied), we did manage to get a key so that we could get in during the night.

Days 216 & 217: Glendale, AZ

It turns out that the 100 degrees that we experienced on Thursday established the new record for the latest in the fall that Phoenix has experienced triple digit heat.  So it was good to know that it is normally much more pleasant by this time of year. 

We awoke to a pretty awesome sunrise, opting to get on the road right away in order to make it to Roger's RV Repair as early as possible, just in case he would need any time to replace or repair our brakes.  We got there by late morning and dropped the camper off, returning an hour later.  They repacked the wheel bearings and inspected the brakes.  The latter were in good condition, with plenty of wear left on them.  The bill came to around $80, which was more than $50 less than some other dealers had quoted us.

The next stop was the home of my former next door neighbor, Ron Sexton, and his wife, Rene (and their two dogs, Junior and Jack).  Ron and I had gone to high school together, and had hung around together for about a decade afterward, before losing touch with one another.  His house in Des Moines, WA had been the first stop on my two-year-long self-supported bicycle tour back in 1985.  And the job that I had just left at that time (which enabled me to afford to take off and go traveling for so long) I had learned about from his father, Bill.  So they were instrumental in setting the stage for me to develop my passion for bicycle touring.

We had arrived at their house at a time when Ron was in the midst of remodeling one of the bathrooms, in preparation for a visit from his father.  After spending the evening together, it was clear that his plate was fairly full for the next two weeks, due to a long list of tasks that he was hoping to get accomplished within that span of time.  Wanting to spend more time with him, and not wanting to be a burden, we offered him two choices: we could bug out on Saturday in order to give him a chance to work on his projects, or we could hang around for another day so that I could lend a hand with tiling his bathroom.  Happily for both of us, he chose the latter.  We made good progress on the project, likely putting him a couple of days ahead of schedule for getting everything completed.  And it gave me a chance to repay him for things he had done for me in the past, and to make amends for having lost touch for so long.

Once all the tile was set it was starting to get hot outside, so we hung out by the pool and enticed Lana to jump in and cool off.  She was hesitant at first, but eventually started launching off the edge of the pool to get her racquetball.  Her normal behavior when swimming is to head for the closet shore to get out.  But in the pool there was only one easy way out, which was by using the steps at the shallow end.  It took her a while, but she eventually figured that out.

Ron fired up the barbecue and put two racks of ribs on the rotisserie to slow cook for our farewell dinner.  We thoroughly enjoyed that, as ribs are not something that it is easy for us to cook for ourselves on the road (and if we could, we don't have much ability to store the leftovers).

Junior

Jack

We said our goodbyes and headed out early on Sunday morning, planning to get back this way next year...

Days 214 & 215: Usery Mountain Recreation Area, AZ

Alea had a fairly easy ride into the eastern end of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, riding 41 miles mostly downhill and with a tailwind.  It has heated up here the past two days, getting into the mid 90s yesterday and breaking 100 today.  After today it will mostly be low 90s for a while.

Once we got through Apache Junction, we put Alea's bike in the van and drove to Usery Mountain Recreation Area, where we are camped at Buckhorn Campground ($30, power, water, pushbutton showers, no shade structure for the picnic table).  We lucked out, as currently the second night's stay is free, so in reality we are paying $15 per night.

As we turned into the park there is a huge "

This is the time for us to get our ducks in a row before heading to Mexico in about a week or so.  The first thing that we wanted to get done was to have the camper's bearings repacked and the brakes inspected.  We had tried to get that set up before getting in the area, but we chose a shop that would never answer their phone.  After playing lots of phone tag they were not able to fit us in this week.  But after an hour or so of calling around, we found a place in Glendale that will do that service for us tomorrow (Friday), and at a fairly reasonable price as compared to some of the places that we checked.

Next up was to research some Mexican auto insurance.  We got quotes from three providers and have figured that we will call it good at that.  We will be in Mexico somewhere between 30 and 55 days, and the only viable option is to get a 6 month policy.  But we have found an annual policy for about the same money, so we figure we'll likely be back this way next year, and might then consider a trip to Puerto Penasco, at the very least.  We plan to get the policy through Discover Baja, which also offers some camping discounts (hopefully at RV parks where we actually plan to stay for a night or two).  We'll purchase the policy online once we leave Phoenix, as that will give us a fairly accurate date for the policy to begin.

Renewing our healthcare is another priority, as we want to make certain that Alea can get the same doctor who did her first knee surgery.  Of course the deductibles keep going up, so we will likely be out of pocket more than several thousand dollars once everything is said and done.  It turns out we won't be able to compare and change policies until after the first of November.

With the hot weather and lack of shade at the campground, we deployed our ARB awning and put up our tarp on the side facing west.  I refined the tarp design to accomplish a few minor goals: make the set up a bit simpler and faster; to allow access to the van's passenger side door while the tarp is deployed at the front of the van, and to create more uniform tension along the bottom of the tarp.  I was successful on all counts.  With the help of our garage fan, the shade structure helped keep us cool in the hot afternoon.

On Thursday morning we packed everything up and drove into town to do chores.  Just as we pulled out of the park we witnessed an auto wreck.  A woman pulled off onto the shoulder and the truck behind continued on, but then the woman decided to make a U-turn in front of him, without signaling.  We left our card in case the driver of the truck needed a witness, as everyone was OK (though a bit shaken).  Both parties were on the phone to the police and their insurance companies, so we figured we weren't needed and so headed off to do our errands.

Our first stop in town was an auto parts store, where we had the camper battery load tested (it is in good shape).  Next we topped off our propane (which might have lasted another two weeks or so).  Then it was a stop at Trader Joe's, so that we could have a little change of pace for some of our meals.  And finally, it was shopping at Walmart to get the rest of our groceries and new RV water filters.

Tomorrow we start our journey through the Phoenix urban area...

Days 212 & 213: Oak Flat Campground, AZ

Oak Flat Campground was only 29 miles from the casino, so we took our time getting moving in the morning.  That put us through Globe about the time that businesses were opening up.  It was a bigger town than I imagined it would be, and it happened to have a Ford dealer.  So we stopped in and inquired about getting our battery replaced.  They told us to come back at 1 pm, so we headed off for the campground.

We are in mining country - a large open pit mine near Globe.

This was one stretch of road that our Adventure Cycling maps warns us about, as parts of it have no shoulders and lots of mining traffic.  But there is a lot of construction in progress right now, so it seems a good part of the mine traffic has opted to use a different route.  The construction was a good thing for us, as large stretches of the highway have been widened with large shoulders, and the construction on those stretches was close to being wrapped up.  So I made good time getting up and over the pass.

We camped at Oak Flat Campground (Free, no water, pit toilets), where there is a group advocating Save Oak Flat.  We aren't sure what that is about, since we rarely see anyone outside of the tents.  But given the amount of mining activity here, we suspect there are plans to expand mining in the area.  There are also a few other campers using the campground, most of whom appear to be boondockers.  They seem reluctant to make eye contact with us, but they seem to be good neighbors.

Once we had unhitched, I returned to Globe to get the battery replaced at McSpadden Ford.  The battery is barely visible, tucked deep in the engine compartment under the dashboard.  I was expecting to pay for at least an hour and a half in labor, plus an overpriced Ford battery.  Instead, since the battery was only 15 months old, it was replaced for free under warranty.  

They also changed the interval where the parking lights come on when any door is open to the shortest time available: 20 seconds.  That was likely the main culprit in wearing the battery out so soon (since we are in and out of the van a lot), coupled with using our emergency flashers quite a bit when parked along side the highway.  So we've learned a few things.  First, when we are camped, but not unhitched, we will disconnect the camper's 7-pin plug.  That keeps the van from also lighting up the side marker and rear lights on the camper when a van door is open.  Second, we will only use the emergency flashers when we are parked fairly close to the road.  Third, when we are setting up and breaking camp, we will leave one door open.  That way, after 20 seconds the lights will go off and stay off as we open and close other doors.  With these simple changes we hope to get much farther down the road with this new battery.

A jeep track that goes through Oak Flat.

Since we were able to get the battery fixed, we opted to stay a second night at Oak Flat, as originally we were planning to spend an extra night near Apache Junction to get that done, and to get the wheel bearings repacked and brakes checked on the camper.  Now we'll only need to spend one night there to get the camper worked on, so that saves us $30 in camping fees. 

Day 211: Cutter, AZ

We didn't get much sleep last night.  One of our neighbors left some stuff outside his RV and some javelinas came through in the middle of the night and made quite a ruckus trying to get at whatever it was (trash or a cooler, most likely).  After that, the insects were incredibly loud, plus we would hear the occasional camper scuffling through the gravel on their way to the bathroom.  So we were probably lucky if we got four hours of decent sleep.

We had originally planned about a nearly 80 mile day, hoping to reach Globe, AZ.  But after reading the review of the RV park there, we opted instead to stop a few miles to the east, near Cutter, AZ.

As we set off, we were wondering if we would catch up with Lee?  We figured he would be on the road early, so if there was any chance we would need to do the same.  Since we had a lot of miles to cover, we split the chores: Alea rode 37 miles and I rode 33.

Every now and then the shoulder on US 70 gets very rough.  It feels a lot like a concrete road that has been chip sealed, where you get a jolt every time you ride over the concrete joints.  But this is more random, and some of the bumps are very jarring.   Since it was Sunday and traffic was light, I rode most of those stretches on the fog line, as it tended to be the smoothest part of the road surface.  That same strategy isn't likely to work once the work week commences.

Less than 10 miles from the end of our day we caught up with Lee, who had been able to camp for free in a church in Bylas, AZ.  He had gotten the tip from another cyclist heading east.  We offered for him to stay with us at our planned campsite, provided that doing so was kosher.

So we left him and sped off to Apache Gold Casino Resort, where we stayed at their RV park ($31.20, power, water, adjustable showers), only to find that their rules very explicitly would not allow Lee to toss his bivy sack on our site.  He had the option of paying $10 to camp here, but ended up getting a Warmshowers invite from someone who lived in Globe.  So we had lunch together and talked a bit before he finally set off down the road.  There is a possibility that we could see him at our next campsite about 30 miles down the road.  After that, it will take us several days to get through the Phoenix area, and he'll likely get far ahead of us.

An RV park designed to make you want to spend lots of time in the casino...

The casino RV park was little more than a parking lot, with a little landscaping at the end of each row.  The bathroom was the dirtiest that we had experienced in quite a while, but it was good to finally find a shower head that worked properly (most spray water everywhere but at you).  We didn't bother to go and explore the casino, having seen enough of them in the past.

Day 210: Roper Lake State Park, AZ

Today started out very well.  After breaking camp, I drove Alea the short distance up the summit from our campground (which I had cycled to yesterday).  When we got to the parking area there we met Lee, who was cycling from Silver City, AZ to Oakland, CA.  It turns out that he had just completed hiking the Continental Divide Trail (having previously hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail).  That was 3,000 miles of hiking that he accomplished in three months!  And when he was done he had his bike shipped to Silver City so that he could ride back home (I like the way he thinks)!

Lee, on his second day on the job.

It was my bad luck that Alea got to ride today, but she (on an unloaded bike) and he (on his loaded touring bike) rode about the same pace, and once we enticed him with ice water, cookies and bananas he was sure to stop when he saw the parked van (he called it "trail magic," but it was bribery, pure and simple).  We left him in Safford, AZ, but there is a small chance we may catch up with him on our way west tomorrow.

At the first stop of the day, two huge mastiffs came bounding over a barbed wire fence, obviously happy to see both Lee and Alea riding bikes down the highway.  They were friendly enough (as was a skinny hound who joined them a bit later), but Lana (sitting in the van with a half-opened window) decided to put on her bossy pants and tell them that she was queen of this particular domain.  That didn't sit well with them, and it was a bit hysterical trying to get my keys out so that I could put the window up, all the while trying to keep them from following inside the cab behind me.  It took a while, but Lana finally crawled in her den and ceased trying to get everyone riled up.

About this time, Alea discovered that she had lost her keys (the van key, cabin key, galley key and the key to the trailer's pass thru storage area).  Since we had only gone a bit more than six miles, I doubled back to see if she had dropped them where we had met Lee, but no luck.  I considered driving back to the campground to look around, but figured it they had been dropped in the pit toilet they could stay there.  Fortunately, we had two spares of every key except the pass-thru key (only one extra copy), so it didn't cause us too much heartache.

So, at one of the stops where I was waiting for Alea and Lee, I noticed that my front bicycle tire had gone flat.  I set about changing it, finding the culprit to be a goathead thorn.  I did this seated on the step of the driver's side door.  When the door is open, the parking lights come on, plus an LED light comes on in the cargo hold (they go off after some set amount of time, but I'm not sure how long that is).  This was the issue that we took to the Ford dealer yesterday, to see if there was any way to prevent this from happening, as it is a drain on our battery.

Anyway, once Alea and Lee had pushed off downhill, I tried starting up the van, but to no avail.  So I once again pulled out the generator, started it, connected the charging cables and proceeded to wait 10 minutes or so until the battery had a sufficient charge to start the engine.  I caught up with Alea several miles down the road, and she was puzzled that it had taken that long for me to catch up with her.

There was a Walmart in Safford, AZ, so we stopped in there to have the battery tested, and we were told it needed to be replaced.  But the design of the engine compartment means that, at a minimum, you have to take the air cleaner assembly off to access the battery.  So they wouldn't touch it, meaning we likely need to find a Ford dealer in order to get a new battery.  So it won't be cheap.  So we plan on doing that once we get in the Phoenix area a few days from now.

So we are camped six miles south of Safford at Roper Lake State Park ($28, power, water, push button showers, no shelter for the picnic table), getting one of the last two available sites (the other once was claimed minutes later).  Since we are near water, the mosquitoes are particularly bad here, but we'll be pushing on in the morning.  But at least we got our water tank filled and the camper battery will be fully charged by morning.

The cacti are getting more interesting!

By the way, we did our tag-team cycling for a total of 125 days last year and have done 210 days so far this year.  So in about a month we will have done a full 365 days of cycling and camping!  By then we will have cycled well over 13,000 miles (but probably more like somewhere between 14,000 and 15,000).  We aren't keeping track of our mileage, but we know that we rode about 5,000 miles last year and have ridden at least a thousand miles every month this year.  So 13,000 miles by the end of November is a conservative estimate.

And another thing about Lee - it turns out that his parents actually have a teardrop trailer, one built by Little Guy.  I would have liked to have learned more about them, suspecting they are the source of his wanderlust...

Day 209: Rattlesnake Gap, AZ

We left Silver City once it had started warming up into the 40s.  It was Alea's turn to ride, and she had undulating hills until we reached the Continental Divide for the third and final time on this trip.  From there it was mainly downhill or flat, and mostly with a tailwind.  She covered the first 37 miles to Buckhorn, NM, then it was my turn to take over.

From Buckhorn it was mainly an uphill ride, but with light traffic and/or decent shoulders the whole way.  Our intended destination was one of two National Forest campgrounds that are just over the Arizona border along what for most of the day had been New Mexico Highway 78.

The elevation profiles on our maps suggested that the climb at the end of the day would be more difficult than it turned out to be.  And the weather was perfect for climbing - sunny and in the 70s with mostly fair winds.  So my 33 miles passed pleasantly enough, and I ended the day with enough energy to enjoy the remainder of the day.

We got to Rattlesnake Gap early in the afternoon, arriving at Black Jack Campground to find large groups of what seemed to be hunters setting up camp.  Of course it is night time now and the guys all seem to be drinking beer and partying, so it's hard to imagine them all heading out before dawn to go hunting, so perhaps they are here just to ride their ATVs and earn a hangover?

The campground is free, with pit toilets being the main amenity provided.  It is dusty and a bit overused, but otherwise it is a nice enough place to camp for one evening (and the price is right).  And there are a few other couples camping here, so it's not all one big man-camp of drunken revelers.  

We were a bit surprised to find that we get a couple of bars of LTE coverage up here, thinking that we would be in an internet blackout off and on until we get nearer to Phoenix and Tempe.  But we are glad to be able to keep up with blogging, banking and all the other chores that are facilitated by having access to the internet, as it keeps that stuff from piling up too high in the meantime.  

We were a bit concerned about some of the weather forecasts  for today showing temperatures dipping into the twenties tonight, but where we are camped is between a town to the east with a forecast low in the 30s and a town to the west with a forecast low of 52.  We're hoping that it will warm into the 40s quickly enough in the morning, as that's a decent enough temperature for bundling up for a long decent out of the mountains.  From here on out we should experience warmer overnight temperatures, at least until a cold front moves in to change the weather pattern.

The view from Rattlesnake Gap.

A preview of coming attractions....

Day 208: Silver City, NM

It was cold again when we awoke, so we tried waiting for things to warm up before heading out.  It managed to reach 39 degrees when we opted to head out, hoping that it would warm up a few degrees by the time we returned to the intersection with New Mexico Hwy 15.  It hadn't, so we waited for more than a half hour for it to warm up.  But the thermometer stubbornly stayed at 39 degrees, despite the fact that we were in fun sun.

Eventually I decided to bundle up and head out.  The road was steep almost immediately, and the cold air burned my lungs, having experienced nothing similar since my commuting days years ago.  Despite that discomfort, the cold air made it an easy climb, since there was no way I could overheat at whatever pace I chose.

We had planned a short riding day, knowing that we would need to restock the pantry and get some laundry done, as it would be a few days before we would once again have easy access to those services.  I rode a total of 26 miles, crossing the Continental Divide (which Alea had also crossed a couple of days ago) at Pinos Altos.  From there it was an easy downhill coast into Silver City.

Downtown Pinos Altos.  Established in the early 1860s, it doesn't
appear to have faired well in The Great Bushwhack.

There happened to be a Ford dealer in town, so we stopped to ask whether it was possible to disable a feature where the parking lights come on for several minutes whenever any door is opened.  This has gotten us into trouble a few times now, causing the battery to drain.  We have always managed to recharge the battery using the charging cable on our generator, but we would prefer not to continue having that experience.

The techs were hopeful that their computer sometimes has the ability to make changes that aren't available in the user menu, but it turns out that there is no way to disable the feature.  The problem is worse when we have the headlights set to "auto," as they will also come on.  So we will try to avoid using that, and be more cognizant of how many times we open and close the van doors throughout the day.

After getting lunch and groceries, we checked in at Silver City RV Park ($30, power, water, cable, wi-fi, adjustable showers and coin laundry).  It seems to be a well run park, though trailers are wedged into just about every nook and cranny.

Thankfully, the morning temperatures were warmer at the lower elevation (somewhat below 6,000 feet, I believe).  But we are anxious to get through the mountains, as the temperatures are likely to drop into the mid-20s tonight...

Day 207: Mesa Campground, Lake Roberts, NM

Since it had taken so long to cover the short distance that we traveled on NM Hwy 15, our plan for the day was to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings and then return to where Alea had stopped riding yesterday.  That way we would be ready to resume our travels early the next morning.

We waited until about 9:30 am to go to the Cliff Dwellings, allowing the temperature to warm enough that we could find a good balance between staying warm and dressing lightly.  We had thought we might have to kennel Lana (there are free kennels there for that purpose), but we managed to convince the rangers that it was cool enough that she wouldn't be in any distress by remaining in the van.

There is a loop trail that takes you up the cliff, which first follows a clear stream, crossing it several times.  We managed to walk through that at a great time of day - light reflecting off the cliffs lit up the yellow leaves of the poplar trees, though no direct light fell on them.  That by itself would have made it a great hike.

A short distance later, a series of switchbacks headed upward, with nearly every switchback offering a great view of some part of the dwellings.

But once we were up on the cliff, it was possible to walk inside several of the rooms, and an interpretive guide was there to answer any questions.  It was all quite impressive, especially the passive solar gain in the winter, as the sun angle allowed light directly into most rooms.  It was easy to imagine how the lives of these people would have been significantly easier than for other people living in the area.  Water was close by for raising a few staple crops,which attracted various game, making them easy prey.  And the forest between the water and the cliffs provided additional fuel and food sources.

It was definitely worth having driven out of our way to see this place.  And it was clear why this is one of the more remote National Monuments - up until the early 1960s the only way to get here was on steep, rutted, dirt roads.  Many folks opted to travel there for the day as part of a jeep caravan, so that the jeeps could help them if they got stuck or broke down.

The climb out of the Gila River Valley would be a major feat on a bicycle, especially for anyone touring self-supported.  Going in there and back would mean carrying enough food for four days and burning a lot of energy on the long climb out.

We drove back over to where Alea had stopped cycling the day before, then backtracked a few miles to the east end of Lake Roberts.  We camped at Mesa Campground ($15, power, water, but no showers), being thankful that we could run our heated mattress pad and tiny ceramic heater all night long to stay warm.

Day 206: Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM

On paper, Alea was supposed to be losing a fair amount of elevation as we left Emory Pass.  But the reality was that the terrain was undulating, making her 39 miles more of a challenge than she had expected.

And the temperature had barely climbed into the low 40s by the time she had started riding, though fortunately for her (at least as far as staying warm was concerned) she headed uphill immediately.  And it wasn't long before the elevation dropped enough that we found warmer temperatures in the valley below.

She rode as far as New Mexico Highway 15, which leads to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, which is at the end of a long, dead-end road.  We decided not to ride there and back, but instead we piled the bikes in the van, opting to take a day off to explore the park.

Yet another roadside memorial to a cyclist who was killed on the road...

We were very glad for that decision, as the road was the steepest long climb that we have yet encountered.  And the descent into the Gila River Valley was even longer and steeper.

We were running a little low on groceries, so we stopped at a local trading post to see what we could find.  What we came away with was a $2 can of refried beans, a $5 loaf of bread and seven pounds of ice for $3.20!  But it was 45 miles to the nearest discount supermarket, so we were glad that we found a few things to tide us over until we could get restocked.

We camped at Upper Scorpion Campground (Free, primitive, no water), which is just next to the entry to the cliff dwellings trail.  Fortunately, the visitor center had potable water, so we were able to top off our holding tank and Igloo cooler before setting up camp.  A short distance from our campsite was small cliff dwelling and some pictographs, giving us a small preview of what we would see the next day.

Once again, it was in the low 30s in the morning, but fortunately quiet hours were from 10 pm to 6 am.  So at 7 am we fired up the generator, allowing us to have some cabin heat while we enjoyed coffee and breakfast.  We remained inside for some time, waiting for the sun to warm things up in the cliff dwellings canyon.

Day 205: Emory Pass, NM

We have spent the past few days without any trace of an internet connection, so my blog posts are once again in need being caught up to where we currently are.

When we left Caballo Lake State Park a few days ago, we headed toward the southern end of the Rockies and the Continental Divide.  I got an early start, being a bit concerned about the katabatic winds that are created when cool air from the mountains gets sucked down the mountainside as hot air rises in the adjacent desert basin.  It basically guarantees a downhill headwind by mid-morning, or more precisely a headwind that increases with speed as it approaches the hottest part of the day.

Fortunately, the impact of a headwind when traveling uphill at 9 mph is much less than while riding on the flats at 20+ mph.  But as expected, the winds were quite brisk as I approached the 8,228 foot summit of Emory Pass.  In particular, whenever I would round an outside corner that was more or less parallel to the adjacent valley, the Venturi effect (wind speed increases as the outlet narrows) would increase the wind speed at the apex of the curve.  The result in some instances was that the back end of my bike would skid sideways from the force of the wind, as I buckled down and attempted to maintain forward momentum.  But the same forces at work on those outside corners also created eddies of calm or helping winds on the inside corners.  So at least it wasn't a continuous brutal slog into the wind.  In the end, the views from the top were more than worth the extra effort expended getting there.

Views going up to Emory Pass.

As I coasted downhill, we checked each of four different nearby Forest Service campgrounds as we went.  We were thinking we would camp at the last one, but that one happened to be closed.  So we drove back up to the second, where we camped for the night.

At 8,228 feet, the high point of this year's travels...

And the view from the top...

Railroad Canyon Campground (Free, primitive, no water, pit toilets) had just three campsites, but they were all beside a small mountain stream.  And since I didn't sweat too much on the big climb, due to the cool temperatures and brisk winds, the lack of a shower wasn't a big issue.

Once we set up, I went about trying to figure out why our solar panel has not been charging our battery.  It took almost no time to discover that the cause was a burned out 10 watt fuse, which I replaced from our stock of spares.  So for the first time since buying the solar panel, we actually had enough of a charge from it that our battery wasn't on the edge of running empty first thing in the morning!

Of course we were camped at 7,000+ feet of elevation, which meant that it was a lot cooler than we have been used to for the past several months.  We weren't quite prepared for the abrupt change, finding it a bit too cool in the middle of the night.  But we piled on some fleece during the night, and then warmed ourselves with coffee once the sun came up.