Day 19 to Polvadera Mesa

"We are in the mts now so there will be plenty of water."-Tony

53 miles 5800 ft climbing

It felt good to be back on the bikes today. This was the longest ride of the trip and the one with the most elevation gain. We passed through a dizzying array of ecosystems as we climbed out of Cuba and into the Jemez mts. First- pinon/juniper, the most prevalent forest in NM. Then came oak scrub and Ponderosa followed by aspen forest and finally fir and spruce.

The CDT went through the San Pedro Parks and Chama River wilderness areas. Bikes not being allowed in wilderness areas, we got back on the GDR. Our route followed the northern edge of the forested Valles Caldera, a huge ancient volcano that collapsed in on itself. Once a Spanish land grant then private ranch, it has recently been returned to the public domain and is being managed as a wildlife area. It is a beautiful and remote area. On the 50 plus miles we road today we saw only one vehicle.

Water in the morning was not an issue as we passed numerous streams flowing out of the granite lined San Pedro Parks. We were carrying enough water from town so did not stop for more. Little did I realize that the other half of the Jemez mts had a volcanic base, meaning the water seeped easily underground. Every creek we passed in the afternoon was dry. We started rationing water, hoping it would last till tomorrow when we would reach Abuiqui.

Pedaling a few hundred yards in front of Cassi I rounded a bend. A brown shape 15 feet to my right looked up. Another cow, I thought, continuing to pedal, then I glanced up. The look of surprise on my face matched that of the brown bear. We both bounded off in opposite directions. My heart was still pounding when Cassi pulled up. "What was it?", she asked. "Best 10 seconds of the trip." , I grinned.

We were saved from dehydration by Ro Van Everdingen from the Netherlands. He was the cyclist we'd seen the day before and caught up to on a rocky climb. He had a trailer and 4 panniers and was carrying more than Cassi and I combined. That evening, after numerous dry creek crossings, his burden (which included extra water) became our blessing. Ro had started in Tuscon, biked to Silver City and was spending the rest of the summer pedaling the GDR to Banf. He'd spent his life around bikes: working as a bike mechanic and messenger, riding around Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe.

We camped with Ro at 10500 feet. We had plenty of food, having thought this section would take us 3 days, so we made dinner for 3 and thanked Ro for sharing his water. The setting sun highlighted Cerro Perdanales and the Chama River Valley below, our destination for tomorrow.