GDMBR Day 04
Start: Ridge RV near White Signal, NM
Finish: Silver City RV Campground
Miles: 15.3 miles
Odometer: 129.4 miles
Location: https://share.garmin.com/Judice
Recall that my rear disc brake rotor was bent pretty badly during my flight down to El Paso. Because it’s a specialized item because of my internally geared Rohloff hub, I had to special order a new one and had it shipped ahead to Silver City. So today was a short ride day and I am waiting for the rotor to arrive at the local bike shop tomorrow. This gives me some time to prepare for my upcoming three day trip through the Gila National Forest mountains. I am looking to manage gear weight to make the climbing easier (less brutal) while still carrying enough food to get me to Pie Town, NM on day four.
Highlights:
Since I’m staying for two nights, I checked into a local campground cabin, and because they like me, they upgraded me to a larger cabin at no extra charge. How nice!
Lowlights:
I view bike locks as a small deterrent at best. If somebody wants your bike, they are going to take it. On previous bicycle tours I carried a very cheap cable lock with a small padlock meant to slow thieves down while I resupplied at the grocery store. Just before leaving for this trip, I decided to “upgrade” to the Ottolock combination lock that I saw at a local bike shop in Bend. I had read about it and was impressed with its weight and portability. Well don’t you know that piece of crap would not unlock when I stopped at the local grocery store. I called the campground and they sent a staff person over with a cable cutter to free my bike. I’ll probably buy a cheap cable and padlock when I get to the next town, no use carrying extra weight up the mountains.
Observations:
I heard that Silver City, NM was a pretty cool little town. And as it turns out, it is! It’s one of those artists and therapists on every corner kind of towns. Lots of character without all the pesky money.