14 Legs, 7 Wheels

[racebob 0]

hey guys, great trip and write up. Im selfishly sad its almost over. Ive been enjoying it. Bob

[WARP9 0]

Great reading!! and your pictures are amazing :good:/>

Thanks for sharing

[eddie 0]

Thank you for taking the time to write this up. No easy thing, I know.

GREAT STORY!

[piratemonkey 0]

DAY 14 - JULY 17 - WEDNESDAY

Chama, NM to Cuba, NM

Sit up for one second and He Who Covets Pillows slides right on in.

A picnic table at a camp site is a bonus; a covered one is a luxury.

I think Twin Rivers refers to Rio Chama (a major tributary of Rio Grande), and Rio Chamita (a tributary of Rio Chama) since the RV park is sandwiched between the two. Rio Chamita has been in the EPA's crosshairs for high levels of phosphorous, ammonia and fecal coliform. Thankfully for the tourist-dependent Chama, people come to ride the historic steam-driven train and not frolic in their waters.

While we're waiting to get through a stretch of road construction, Alex the Dog Whispering Biscuit Peddler once again demonstrates why the bitches love him.

The first thing I notice about New Mexico's dirt roads is that someone siphoned off all the funds earmarked for their maintenance. If you like it rough, make this your next vacation destination.

we'd been anticipating. There isn't much for me to do but keep the gas steady and try not to fight the bike. If you watch the video you can see Wayne's DRZ jerking around; having Simon attached to him must've made the ride a lot harder. Simon is pretty good about sitting still, but when he starts shifting around his weight becomes even more noticeable.

Alex is stopped on the hill waiting for his clutch to cool down. The space between him and the tree would be ample if it weren't for all the bouncing around. As I approach him he very wisely pulls in his leg.

With the rocks behind us, we take a breather at the top.

Hey, I guess not all of New Mexico's dirt roads have gone to seed.

The grasshoppers are thick in parts. Whoever's in the lead scares them up so they pelt the person behind.

, but you get the idea (probably most obvious at around 40 seconds).

Not unlike the grasshoppers, the cows sometimes get spooked and take off.

but can't seem to shake the large thing behind it.

When we get to the pavement we wait to regroup with Alex. So how does Simon spend his moment of freedom?...

...He finds a soft cow patty and grinds himself into it. Arrrrgh! Simon is angling to be the only dog in all of northern New Mexico to be put on a leash.

We noticed there were no gas waypoints for Vallecitos, but we're hoping we might find a place for lunch. Man, I do hereby apologize to Chama for calling it an armpit. Vallecitos is the true axilla of New Mexico, if not the unwashed perineum.

With no other town nearby, we stop and dig through our bags for a suitable lunch. We also take this opportunity to evaluate an upcoming section, which has several waypoints for steep rocky hills. Seeing how Alex's clutch took a beating on the hill this morning, we decide to do a reroute.

Although we don't know the quality of the roads on the reroute, we do know they're at least not dotted lines in the DeLorme Atlas. The roads also stay close to the Continental Divide (cross it even?) so we stay true to the journey. Simon is interested in helping; Lola less so.

We stop in Abiquiu to get gas and food for dinner. Always on the lookout for our daily ice cream fix, The Frosty Cow is a beautiful site. It should also be the backdrop for Wes Anderson's (the color-obsessed director) next movie.

Lola thinks keeping ice cream just out of Simon's reach is as funny as I do.

After Abiquiu we're on pavement until we hit County Road 217, where our reroute begins.

And are we ever pleased to encounter a Ural friendly surface!

At a T in the road we check to make sure we're turning onto Forest Road 103. There was some snafu while loading my tracks so I don't have them — I'm relying on the boys to lead the way.

Teakettle rock looks like it was dropped there from outer space. There are no other rock formations in the area (at least that we could see).

I can no longer accuse New Mexico of having bad roads — this is some serious high-speed hardpack. Bonus: None of that gravel that I deeply despise.

With the sun getting low, we find a camping spot near an overlook. It looks like a peaceful meal, and it is if you don't include Wayne's brain spinning a mile a minute. A few days ago he got an email from a major retailer thanking him for taking a survey he didn't take. As I was pitching the tent he checked his voicemail and learned that someone tried opening a credit card account in his name. He talked to his current credit card company and someone tried charging $550 at Bloomingdales.com and $2500 at Sears.com on his card (the charges were not approved). Having someone trying to steal your identity while you're on vacation and in the middle of nowhere is a huge buzz kill.

I look out and see a sunset. Wayne looks out and sees a world where somebody is running around trying to pretend he's him. Simon is thinking about the same thing he thinks about 24/7.

178 miles, 5:58 hours moving time

[kkug 146]

Wayne -Zina that section in New Mexico is one of my favorites. I hope to do it again with the little bike this coming summer.

[piratemonkey 0]

Wayne -Zina that section in New Mexico is one of my favorites. I hope to do it again with the little bike this coming summer. :good:/>/>/>

At first I wasn't too impressed by New Mexico, but then it really grew on me. I don't think I'd want to live there but I'd go back to visit. The owner of the Frosty Cow, who lived in SD, said the political and cultural situation was not a good one.

[piratemonkey 0]

DAY 15 - JULY 18 - THURSDAY

Cuba, NM to Pie Town, NM

Rise and shine, campers!

Wayne is a man on a mission: Get decent cell coverage so he can call the credit bureaus and regain control of his purloined identity.

After wolfing down a fast food breakfast, Wayne wanders off to a quiet spot (which didn't really look all that quiet) to make his phone calls to the major credit bureaus to inform them that not all people are honest. The first one he calls says they'll alert the other two agencies which is good since that one call takes about 20 minutes.

Oh, to have a job where you get to work with dogs and people who can't talk back.

A guy who's familiar with New Mexico sheds some light on the areas we're about to travel. Nothing ahead of us sounds problematic.

Into the wide open high desert we go. We are extremely lucky that the temps are in the 80s. Early on in the trip we were wondering if the New Mexico portion would have to be abandoned due to excessive heat. Both dogs are senior citizens but they still have the constitution for adventure as long as it doesn't include seizure-inducing heat.

The monsoonal weather has created the occasional

. The ranchers have done their share of skirting so it's not hard to find their tracks to follow.

We must be crossing through mostly private property since there are a lot of gates we have to open and close.

Amazingly, this Western Diamondback is the only snake we've seen on the entire trip. We frequently see rattlers when we mountain bike in San Diego so their paucity across so many miles of prime snake territory is surprising.

This part of New Mexico is

. A heavy afternoon storm could easily halt forward progress — if one arroyo isn't rendered impassable, there are many others ready to step up.

While it's not hot by desert standards, it's still hot, especially when you're not moving. We find the only shade for miles around under these mesquite trees. Apparently the cows also like this place since it's littered with patties. The warm, humid smell has a way of dulling one's palate.

After we get gas in Grant we have about 60 miles of pavement to cover before returning to dirt.

As Alex takes off down the road I think he gives us the universal sign for "See you stiffs in Pie Town!"

Pie Town gets its name from a 1920s bakery that made dried-apple pies (unless the internet lied to me). There are two pie joints in town and the one we head to this afternoon is Pie-O-Neer (we plan to have breakfast at the other one tomorrow).

We squeak into Pie-O-Neer just before they close. This is important because Alex is a pie freak and if he could do one thing in life it would be to write a coffee table book about motorcycling and pies. Had they been closed, that picnic table would've been overturned and a few windows would've been smashed. The pie selection was light since it was the end of the day, but Alex still got ahold of two solid slices.

Our night's accommodations are at the Toaster House, so named for the toasters that festoon the entrance. It's a place where Continental Divide bicyclists, hikers, motorcyclists, etc. can stay for free. The owner, Nita, lives in another house not too far from this one. Unless I completely misheard the story, I think the first toaster that appeared had something to do with a long-ago divorce whereby a toaster was unceremoniously returned by being hung on the gate.

The kitchen is stocked with food and cooking utensils.

I pull a frozen pizza from the refrigerator out on the back porch but I couldn't figure out how to work the stove. Where are the knobs? Say what?! A wood burning stove? Absolutely barbaric. Thankfully, the pizza isn't full sized so it fits in the toaster oven.

There were several bedrooms (complete with mattresses and bedding), including a sizeable loft above the kitchen.

Funky stuff could be found throughout the property, including this gem. Simon wants to make a call to the SPCA about his sub-par travelling conditions but he doesn't have pockets to carry the coins needed for the call.

If you're doing the Divide, you should spend a night at the Toaster House (34.300315,-108.138573). Donations keep the house up and running.

202 miles, 5:36 hours moving time

[WARP9 0]

Awesome!

[Dress4Less 162]

More More More Can't get enough!

[DustyRock 0]

You guys are the epitome of ADV. Without the write-ups who would have known? We can live vicariously through your endeavors. Great writing and attention grabbing for sure. Did a bit research on the cadaver dogs. Very interesting. To say canines are "mans best friend" is an understatement. Most do not give critters the respect they deserve. With only 4 dogs currently I can attest to their individual natures. They are so cool. Simon & Lola are very fortunate to have good caretakers like you. Again thanks for sharing.

[piratemonkey 0]

You guys are the epitome of ADV. Without the write-ups who would have known? We can live vicariously through your endeavors.

Other than a few sections that can be easily bypassed, this trip is beginner friendly. The hard part would be to get enough time off to do it, and to get the bikes to the start of the ride and then back home. Actually, if you had tons of time, there are plenty of dirt roads to do on the way to the start at Roosville. I think Kug-man worked in dirt on the way to the start of the CDT ride with his friend, Matt.

I'll be making our tracks available for anybody interested in doing it...no need to live vicariously.

[piratemonkey 0]

DAY 16 - JULY 19 - FRIDAY

Pie Town, NM to Silver City, NM

The morning starts with Alex capturing a feeble kitten he had seen the night before. I dip my pinky in water and try to get it to drink but it does nothing; even when I push my finger between its lips it doesn't react. The kitten is perilously close to departing for the spirit world.

It won't stop shaking so we put it in the microwave. Don't worry, we use the defrost setting — it's half the power!*

Nita, the homeowner, stops by so we implore her to take the kitten. Her boyfriends works at an animal rescue shelter so even if it's a dog-only shelter, maybe he'll know what to do with it.

Nita takes a pic of us in front of the Toaster House before we head over to the Good Pie cafe.

This is where Alex almost goes apeshit: The Good Pie doesn't open until 10:00 on Fridays. Nita knows the owners so she asks if they'll make an exception and open early for us. Sadly, they can't because their Friday night dinner is popular and they use the morning to do all the prep work. There is an upside, though: It just so happens that a woman from the cafe (owner?) wanted a cat so the helpless little mewler with the unfortunate Hitler moustache now has a home.

All is not lost on the pie front. Nita likes to bake pies and she happens to have a blueberry one at home. We break out the Jetboil to heat water for our instant coffee and in minutes she's back with a whole pie.

Riding the Good Pie's propane bomb, Dr. Strangelove style.

The kids will look back on this and smile.

I don't think I would've even noticed this windmill museum had Nita not told us it was right along the road. It just looks like the property of another urban escapee convinced that contrails are actually chemtrails.

This Very Long Baseline Array in Pie Town is one of ten radio telescopes in the US. The ten antennas simultaneously collect faint radio signals from objects in space. We're going to find out if aliens prefer talk radio or album-oriented rock.

Your broken record moment: The road between Pie Town and Highway 12 is...easy.

We regroup at the highway and start thinking about our gas options. There's no fuel between here and Mimbres, which is a long ways off.** This is when we realize that from Pie Town we were supposed to head west to Quemada to fill up and then backtrack to Pie Town to begin our journey south. The town of Reserve is about 30 miles southwest of us so we head there for gas.

But not until we make friends with these beasts of burden. Lola is very good and doesn't bark. Simon, on the other hand, has a Napoleonic Complex and will not shut up.

We can get gas in Reserve, but if we want to complain that'll require a lot more riding. Turns out that Reserve is the county seat of Catron County, the largest county (by area) in New Mexico. Amazingly, there is not a single stop light in the entire county.

Rather than backtracking to where we turned onto Highway 12, we cut down Forest Road 94 to hook back up with the tracks. Should you forget to go to Quemado like we did, this is a nice alternative.

Not as fancy as other Continental Divide signs we've taken pictures of, but still just as special.

Not sure what type of rock litters the road. Quartz?

This part of New Mexico is all about

. You don't want to be too tired here or you can easily overshoot your turn and create additional work of having to drag your bike back up the hillside.

After hours of climbing up and down mountains and working switchbacks, we're ready for a break. Lower Black Canyon Campground is nearby and I'd love to call it a day, but it's still a little too early for that.

As we get closer to Silver City we come upon Chino, one of the oldest and largest open-pit copper mines. I'll pass on drinking any well water in this area.

We go through Fort Bayard to get back into the Gila National Forest so we can find a free camping spot for the night. Although the place looks abandoned, it's now Fort Bayard Medical Center, administered by the New Mexico Department of Health as a long-term care nursing facility that also has a drug rehab center.

We find a relatively private camping spot...until a truck parks not too far from us. The boys are looking at it, wondering what's going on. After a short while the truck leaves. (The following morning on our way out I see a used condom near where the truck was parked — that's what was going on.)

This scene of turmoil is not too far from where we pitched camp. There's no evidence of a homocide so we don't feel a need to pack up and leave. However, I doubt Alex is going to leave his gun in the Ural's trunk and I'm sure not leaving my bear spray on the DRZ.

I'm really not kidding when I say that all Simon thinks about is food. I'd like to say that I want his single-minded simplicity, but since all I care about is getting on two wheels I guess he and I are not so different after all.

218 miles, 6:05 hours moving time

-----------------------

*Yes, this is a joke. Everybody knows you boil a cat to warm it up.

**We went into Mimbres to get gas, but the station was out of business.

[piratemonkey 0]

DAY 20 - JULY 20 - SATURDAY

Silver City, NM to Antelope Wells, NM

While eating our nutritionally suspect fast food breakfast, a woman stops and says "I recognize you!" As a Facebook friend of Pie-O-Neer (in Pie Town), she saw the photo of us that was posted. We felt like rock stars!

We cruise the 30 miles of pavement out of Silver City to our dirt turnoff. Wayne and I wait for a while but Alex doesn't show up. We know that on pavement the DRZs are gazelles while the Ural is a musk ox, but we also know it shouldn't take our heavyweight comrade that long to arrive. We head back up the road and eventually find Alex. He had swapped out a flat and is packing up just as we arrive.

Another 30 miles of dirt gets us down to I-10. This is officially the last dirt we'll do on our trip and it's a beautiful day for it.

This is also the last Continental Divide sign we'll see. It's becoming a day of finalities. *Sigh.*

Representative of Hachita: The better days have been left somewhere far, far behind. This is one of two (TWO!) gas stations no longer in service.

V is for Victory, as the border is nigh.

We make a brief stop so Alex can fuel his thirsty musk ox.

It begins to

as the border comes into sight. But minutes after it starts, it stops and we're back to clear skies. It's a final cosmic message that we hadn't been challenged enough on this journey so this little dose of rain should remind us of our overall good fortune.

We pull over just shy of the actual border crossing. Between the gun and the dogs, we don't want to get trapped in an International Zone of Misunderstanding and Incarceration.

This sign is far enough away from the men in uniform so we pose for a photo.

But leave it to the freakishly ebullient Wayne to wander over to the office to see what's up. He returns to tell us that the border agents are cool and that they have a water fountain if we want to fill our bottles.

The Antelope Wells border crossing is a whole lot less sexy than the one at Roosville. There is nothing here but the offices on both side, a large inspection building on the US side, and a smattering of structures where some of the workers stay.

Now that we're fairly confident we won't become victims of extraordinary rendition, we take another photo at the official line between Mexico and USA. We don't look like terrorists, but the cream of the jihadist crop can come in many forms. Lola could very well be a 20 pound Miniature Pinscher wearing a fat suit made of C4. Danger is everywhere.

On our way back north we pass the Welcome to New Mexico sign. Their slogan is a little inaccurate so I fixed it for them.

The customs agent told us there's a wall where cyclists who finish the CDT sign their names. While we go in search of it (we never found it) Alex takes off ahead of us. When we finally start down the road we see this big ol' wall of rain...is Alex getting hammered?

We get a light smattering from the edge of the mass but most of the rain, in fact, was generously unloaded on Alex.

When we reach the I-10 we stop to put the spare gas into our tanks before the final leg into Lordsburg, where we'll stay for the night. While we're hanging out, a Border Patrol truck pulls up and the agent starts talking to us about riding since he is also a dirtbiker. He tells us about riding along the border and how even though he's an agent, he wasn't immune from getting hassled by The Man. The customs agent at the border didn't want his picture taken so I assume this BP agent is also photo-averse. I settle on a shot of his truck pulling away.

A train on the I-10 guides us towards Lordsburg.

Our official Continental Divide ride is over. Since leaving San Diego Wayne, Simon and I have gone 4,400 miles, 2,700 of it from Canada down to Mexico. We couldn't have had better travelling companions than Alex and Lola. Baja Mexico next...?

234 miles, 4:52 hours moving time

[piratemonkey 0]

DAY 18 - JULY 21 - SUNDAY

Lordsburg, NM to San Diego, CA

We part ways with Alex and Lola, our compadres with whom we've had great times under various levels of duress. They say that if you really want to know if you'd get along with someone you should go on a road trip with him or her. I'd bump the test up a level by adding unpaved roads, mechanical issues, lots of mosquitoes, and the lack of walls to take care of basic needs.

The first couple of hours out of Lordsburg is pleasant, but as we get closer to Arizona, the heat and humidity begins to climb. Monsoonal weather is blanketing the southwest and as we drop in altitude the air grows stifling. Combined with the buzzing and buffetting from goading the DRZs into giving us 75 mph, it makes for a headache-inducing ride. There are no toll roads between New Mexico and home, but make no mistake, we are paying.

One reason for leaving the dog at home: You can avail yourself to the luxury that is air conditioning. Instead, we find the wall that has shade and then sit our ass down and eat our lunch while our Klim pants feel like crockpots stewing our legs.

Many roads are washed out. The arid desert has its moments when it's anything but.

Even the normally sun-worshipping Simon has had enough and seeks refuge in the shade of the DRZ.

As we approach Yuma the rain starts coming down but it offers little cooling. Instead of being hot and humid, it is now hot and clammy.

The rain stops so we get a refreshing ice cream cone. Nothing says "Living the scrappy life" better than downing it near the dumpsters.

Grinding out the miles towards El Centro, CA. Looks like California won't be cutting us any slack weatherwise.

After weeks spent at anywhere from 4,000 to 11,000 feet, we're back to sea level...lower in some spots. We're crazy rich with oxygen!

Soon after cresting I-8 from the desert floor, my DRZ starts to sputter and then dies so I coast onto the shoulder of the freeway. At least the I-8 near Jacumba is lightly travelled so it's not a stressful place to crap out. I also feel like I'm finally on home turf and could probably drum up a truck ride home from a friend if needed.

Did I run out of gas? I look down and there's at least a third of a tank remaining. I'd experienced this problem before in another rain storm and the culprit was a blocked fuel vent hose. I yank the hose off the cap and the bike fires right back up. Phew! I catch back up to Wayne, who's waiting on the side of the freeway.

On the I-15 an old yellow VW bug in front of us blows its motor and coats us with oil. I don't dare touch my visor even though I'm having a hard time seeing. The oil alone wouldn't be so bad, but it's raining and I feel like I'm looking through dirty gauze. Soooo close to home but at the same time so far, thanks to this latest development. (I don't have a photo for this moment, but it deserves memorialization.)

And just like that, it's all over. Good night, faithful DRZs...until next time.

588 miles, 9:03 hours moving time

[paulmbowers 236]

Wow.

[FuzzyNugs 0]

That was such a great read. I just got caught up on the last few days of the journey. Job well done! Also didn't hurt that it was one of the best RR I've read so far.

[kkug 146]

Kind of sad when these trips end. It take awhile to get back into the routine.

[hodnettjj 0]

Wow is right!

I have ridden certain areas of your route in New Mexico. Your pictures and story really being back the memories.

What a great adventure. Thank you for taking the time to do the ride report.

I guess my DRZ can rack up some miles.

[Chad 0]

Awesome report! Zina, Wayne, Alex, Simon, Lola... Thanks for a great story! Congrats on your accomplishment!

[PastaPilot 17]

Good job Team Pudding! Excellent report Zina.

That was such a great read. I just got caught up on the last few days of the journey. Job well done! Also didn't hurt that it was one of the best RR I've read so far.

Do a search for their Trans-America trail. Also a very good read.

[tlking6 0]

Awesome! Zina, great report as always! You guys rock!

[Dress4Less 162]

EPIC Thanks for sharing your journey

[Maniac 0]

Awesome trip. So glad you got to ride the CDR. I did this ride in 2009 and I still think about it everyday. I'd like to do it again, this time with my Dad, if he's up to it.

The ride between Grants and Mimbres is one of my favorite sections. Looks like you guys lucked out and didn't hit any bad mud on that section.

[piratemonkey 0]

Here are the unedited CD tracks for anyone who'd like to use them.

With regards to the TAT, it would've been a nice journey if we carried little on the DRZs, but there were many miles which were not fun on a loaded bike. I'm not sure if I crashed/dropped the bike every single day on the trip, but it sure felt like it. My TAT in a nutshell:

If you'd like to do a long ride with lots of nice scenery, both the TAT and CD provide that. If you're riding with someone who is closer to beginner than intermediate, or who mentally implodes when things aren't going well, I can't recommend the TAT (other TAT riders may feel differently). Riding with a whiner is no fun (haven't we all?...) and I'm pretty sure the TAT would crank that whining right up to 11!

Another thing to consider on a trip that lasts more than a week: If you have a disc problem in your neck, having the helmet on all day, day after day, may cause problems. I had forgotten about the pain that woke me up every night on the TAT. A few days into the CD, the same thing started happening. Without fail, every night around 3 to 4 am it felt like a python was wrapped around my arm, trying to squeeze it off. I'd have to sit up and try to crack my neck in a way that alleviated the pain. A few days after the CD was over, the pain never got to that level again.

[Beezzz 6]

Hi Zina and Wayne,

Beautiful report Zina. WOW! Thanks for sharing. It sets ideas in motion.

Are you in love with your bikes performance?

600 mile days on a drz400s. 9 hours.