Day 03 to high on the Separ Road

We woke early to beat the heat. The road was flat and the scenery dull but it was cooler and the only traffic was an occasional border patrol. To pass the time we counted rail cars on the trains we could see distantly to the north. Some quick calculation/speculation later we determined the longest to be close to a mile in length.

At Interstate 10 we finally got off pavement, pedaling along a dirt frontage road to The Continental Divide Trading Post. The post was full of curios but few patrons. Being on a desolate stretch of the interstate, I am sure they'd do great business if they sold gas. We filled up on water and, though it was only 10am, ice cream then headed off on the Separ Road. This area was full of history from Spanish gold seekers, Apache raiders and Pony Express riders who followed the Butterfield Stage route connecting St Louis to California.

We siesta'd at a stock tank in the shade of an ancient cottonwood, the windmill replaced by a solar powered pump. The surrounding homestead was crumbling away and returning to the desert. This was the only water for miles and the wildlife loved it. We saw lots of birds, including a road runner. That evening we climbed to high on the ridge, the desert giving over to dry grassland dotted with pronghorn. Again we camped on the divide, sans tent, watching the sun set and the stars come out. Cassi described the desert, "It is the kind of beauty that you notice if you take the time to observe it. In a car it looks like a barren wasteland but on a bike it's intricate and interesting."