Not far up the road from the cafe, I stopped at the Caballo Tavern for a beer. Or rather, MGD, the closest they had to a beer. The Nutt bar was about the same in that respect, Miller High Life being their best offering.
I almost passed the whole length of Caballo Lake before I saw the sign at mile post 24, "primitive camping". It said $8 per night, but all I wanted was a swim and a nap, and figured I could make a deal, or better, not see anybody. And that's what happened. I took the left fork past the gate, then straight through the 4-way intersection, then the right fork. I parked at a dead-end before the road washed out, climbed down to the lake, and had a swim. Couldn't nap and watch my bike, though, so got out of there.
Made it to Truth or Consequences by 5:30, for a total of 56 miles for day 2 of the journey. And all of it under my own power. Stopped at Los Arcos for some beers and a Prime Rib (so called) sandwich, way overpriced at $10.99. And the beers! $4.99 each. A guy named Gary bought my 3rd one, saving me from even worse "sticker shock".
Then asked at the gas station for route 181 and found I'd just passed it. So much traffic was passing me I figured it was a mistake, but almost all of it turned at the next junction, 171, leaving me with the road pretty much to myself. I figure it was two miles on Broadway to where 181 started.
I knew I was supposed to get off 181 at the freeway entrance 89, but I missed it. Went down a 2-mile hill to find the road closed, and had to push my 100-pound or so load back up the hill. The sign at the freeway entrance was encouraging, though, specifically mentioning bicycles in the shoulder only. The entrance was at about milepost 10 of 181, making 12 miles for day 3 at that point.
Problem is, the usable shoulder at the bottom of the hill was only about 2 feet wide. My trailer tires hit the rumble strip, and I had to stop and walk it up the next hill.
Took exit 100, thinking it was highway 85 to Socorro. But with no sign mentioning anything, I found a gravel road just off the exit ramp. Slept for a few hours in the gravel pit.
Got back on I25, found another bridge with almost no shoulder at all at Nogal Canyon. Made it to a rest stop, and rested up for a few hours, charging my battery with my folding solar panel. Then went another mile or so up the road, to exit 115, Camino Real, and Sam served me a green chile cheeseburger and two ice-cold Negra Modelos. Very good.
Finding I'm needing 9 to 11 liters of fluids daily, maybe 8 of it water. Got sunburn on hands and feet, buttcrack rash, raw spots at the base of both little toes, and muscles are sore. Other than that, I feel great. Made about 38 miles on day 3. Now off to Socorro.
last updated 2009-08-03 09:04:41. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com