GDMBR Day 10
Start: Toaster House, Pie Town, NM
Finish: High Country Alpaca Ranch, Techado, NM
Miles: 44.3 miles
Odometer: 363.4 miles
Ascent: 2,400
Descent: 2,600
Location: https://share.garmin.com/Judice
Highlights:
About 20 miles into this morning’s ride I came into the town of Quemado, NM in search of a little diner for breakfast. Just as I was riding up I saw three hikers headed to the same diner and recognized them from the Toaster House hostel the day prior. Because of their positive and jokester attitudes, they are somewhat legendary on the trail. I heard they were very funny and breakfast conversation was a riot. The grew up together in Nova Scotia, joined the Canadian military and are now out, and launched their CDT thru-hike. We talked about my L'Acadie roots. One was hiking in sandals when they fell apart some miles back. Another’s trail shoes were torn and had rips on the sides. They were hanging out in this little town waiting for replacement footwear to arrive at the post office. All three left jobs to begin this hike, and it was interesting to hear about their future dreams and plans.
Because of the “peanut butter” mud north of Pie Town, I took an alternate route on pavement that took me to the High Country Alpaca Ranch in Techado, NM. Rain was expected this afternoon so I was hoping to get there dry. Arriving at the ranch I was greeted by the terrific owners, Caroline and John. After paying for a spot in the bunkhouse, they gave me some of their farm fresh eggs for tomorrow’s breakfast. Very cool. I laundered my clothes for the first time in several days. Ahhh…clean clothes!
George Harrison, the ranch dog host, kept me company during my stay.
Lowlights:
Don’t you know I left my bike lock back at the hostel. For those who are counting, that’s my second lock.
For most of the ride up to the alpaca ranch, my bike was grinding and creaking from my drivetrain. These little noises drive me crazy and the question in my head while riding is: should I pull over and try to do some roadside maintenance or ride to the destinations and take care of things under “controlled” conditions. I decided to take care of it when I got to the ranch. It turned out to be a chain tension issue.
Observations:
Zippers can make or break a man. Bike packers zip and unzip all day long. If your hands are cold and numb, or in my case I get a little numbness in my fingers from road vibration, the hardship of zippering is magnified 100 fold. The bags, jackets, and tents with bad zippers drive me nuts.