Day 13 - Buckhorn to Silver City, NM

Until last night I wondered if bringing all my cold-weather gear was worth it, given the heat. Well, the first photo shows ice in the frying pan from last night. Terry's thermometer showed 38 degrees when we woke. So this morning we all piled into our winter gear. Someone said it looked like we were going skiing, not biking! The small laundry room was warm and out of the wind, and became the "breakfast club" (see photo of Ken, Julie, Rhodri and Flynn).
After breakfast we make our lunches. The next photo shows my "power lunch" ingredients: chunky peanut butter and Nutella in a sandwich.
The Buckhorn campground was our first serious encounter with goatheads These thorns are the scourge of bicyclists in the Southwest. The thorn has 2-3 sharp points each about 10 mm long, that puncture tires as well as sleeping pads and tent floors. We are told to carry, never roll, your bike when off road.
Today was an easy day, 38 miles in about 4+ hours, climbing 2000 feet. People took their time. We had gentle rollers, then a 2-3% grade up to the Continental Divide. The surface started as bumpy chip seal, them became a blissfully smooth asphalt.
On the way up we passed Kenny changing a flat on his bike (photo). He is paralleling us and pulls a Bob trailer holding his gear including a skateboard. We shared campsites with him several nights.
About an hour after we roll from camp, we usually stop to shed a layer of clothing and have a snack. The next photo shows Ken, Bob Plant and Carol on a break. Guardrails are our friend, since we can sit on them and lean the bikes.
We crossed the Gila River (photo). Until a day ago all riverbeds were dry, and only irrigation canals held water.
Town names are colorful here: Mule Creek, Buckhorn, Apache Creek for example.
Four miles from Silver City we crossed the Continental Divide at a gentle crest. After yesterday's climb it was underwhelming. As soon as we summited, the wind picked up. Riding down into Silver City was tricky due to gusty cross-winds, which limited my ability to roll into town at 30+ mph. (Other riders like Bob Pedersen and Carol have more experience riding in cross-winds and can let it fly.)
Julianne, our assistant leader (see photo), met us with the van at the Silver City RV Park. We are catching up on laundry, enjoying spacious showers that don't look like a science experiment, and making runs to local bike shops. Life is good. Tomorrow we will rest our bikes, pile into the van, and drive up to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument near Lake Roberts. Should be fun!
Bruce