Beaverhead

No overnight rain. However, a cursory glance, at yesterday’s muddy track, confirmed it was still too sticky to cycle on. I didn’t fancy peanut butter for breakfast so, I gave it a wide berth and began pushing my bike through the adjacent meadow. At the top of the brow, I was squeezed back onto the […]

Wylie Coyote

The trail continued it’s gradual descent. From high grasslands into mature forest. Homestead clearance, long ago, corralled the trees into decorative beds and borders. A shaped landscape but pleasing nonetheless. The horses too, corralled and correct, behind sturdy, crafted timber fences, nicely completed the presentation. As the morning began to rouse itself, grey clouds parted […]

Ride the Snake

The overcast sky gave way to a pretty morning, full of sunshine and birdsong. Occasional roadside trees offered me shade from the sun and an opportunity to ponder my surroundings from a stationary viewpoint. The air was pleasantly warm. My languid pace eventually delivered me onto tarmac and into Pie Town. The mid morning sunshine […]

Porcupine

Although the GDMBR trail passes through the deliciously named Pie Town, I don’t expect to pickup any supplies before Silver City. So, a visit to Smith’s Food & Drug on the way out of Grants is pretty much mandatory (other supermarkets are available) After un-jaring, de-boxing and repacking my provisions into my panniers, it’s already […]

God’s Table

The bare dirt under my tree, or should I say, the tree I borrowed overnight from the ants, was firm and dry but beyond that, soft and spongy. I retraced my evening tracks back to the road with great exactness. Difficult for me, as I only push my bike from the left hand side. Weird. […]

Mesabout

I’ve come across a tiny, natural spring quite early on today. Tucked away in a gully. Recent rains have carved steps into the trail, so I’m doing a bit of walk-a-bike, otherwise I might not have noticed it. Lovely, sand filtered water to fill my bag with. I don’t bother with any purifying tablets this […]

Mindset

I entered Cuba feeling unloved and harassed. Highway 550 was a high speed road and I was on a low speed bicycle. It had only been 6 km but I was already drawing battle lines with the modern world. Intolerance is a terrible thing, especially amongst the righteous. A review of my supplies had revealed […]

Knickers

I might not know exactly where I was going but, before I had turned a pedal, it felt like I was heading in the right direction…

Thirst and Hunger

The hot sun baked my wet clothes dry as I packed the tent away. It was early but I seemed to have pitched up in a sunny corner. I appeared to be out of sync with the slow and mellow tempo of my fellow campers. And, for once, it was me to be the first […]

Indiana Pass

Last night, I had settled for the first opportunity to camp. This was made all the more pressing, because I was carrying extra water for my overnight stop. My erstwhile companion, Sara, hadn’t chosen to do so and must have cycled by, I choose to not to pursue. My camp was perched where the forest […]