Epic Bike Ride Day 6 May 24

Thoughts from Kelly: Wow! This was the roughest road yet! We came across a stretch of road that was ‘closed’ but luckily a truck came through (the only truck we saw on this road, thank you random dude!) and told us it was open. We can see why the signs are there though, if not for our high clearance truck, it would’ve caused a lot of damage. Mark was rock hopping this 5 mile section, we can’t imagine how treacherous this would be during rain. I drove ahead today to fill the truck with gas, get ice and get a resupply of water for Mark and Cam. That was an adventure in itself. After driving 6 miles to where maps said there was a gas station (there once was a gas station but not for many years), I had to turn around and drive 33 miles in the opposite direction to finally find one in Reserve, NM. After gathering supplies, I met up with Mark, Mark and Cam and delivered them much needed water. Mark and Cam rode on while our Mark ate lunch with me. We later met up with Mark and Cam at Valle Tio Vinces campground, gave them more water and then drove to Albuquerque to meet up with some of my family.

Thoughts from Mark: Very, very, very rough roads today, with the 5-ish mile section Kelly talked about running right through the heart of a canyon. It was beautiful, but it was hard to look around as I had to fully concentrate to not crash into the many, many rocks that were jutting out of the road. My bike (a Canyon Grizl 1by if you want to get specific), was doing all it could to provide a comfortable ride, but the bouncing from rock to rock really hurt my “undercarriage.” 6 days in a row of riding these rough roads was probably not the smartest way to start this adventure, and I am looking forward to a couple of rest days. I got the chance to talk a lot more with Mark and Cam while we waited for Kelly to come back with water for them, and they are great company with plenty of fun stories! My hands are still numb from all of the “death gripping” on the handlebars, and my back is not super pleased about all of the miles. Hopefully the rest will help with both of these issues!

Miles for today: 44.40 Feet climbed today: 2,438

Total miles ridden: 272.09 Total feel climbed: 17,265