It did rain quite a bit throughout the night, so I was happy I was safe and dry in my little tent “cave”. I tried to keep things fairy dry as I packed up, but knew I would hopefully be staying in dry accommodations in Silver City, or otherwise something went wrong.
I had a climb to do right away from the campground, and was hoping it wouldn’t be through peanut butter mud. I did notice mud sticking more to my tires, but not to the point where it would stop wheels from turning. I just focused on making progress up that long hill upwards. The mud situation got progressively better the higher I went up, partially due to more sun shining and drying out the road. That was a big relief.
I will say that I was pretty focused on getting to Silver City today, and didn’t take as many pictures as I should have. I was hungry for real food and a cold coke. I finally reached the little town of Lake Robert’s, where I hoped I could find a little cafe for lunch. In the end I only found a small country store that did have cokes, but no real food to speak of. The old man at the counter told me I would find one 20 miles further in Pinos Altos, but that I would have to tackle some big hills first to get there. Thanks for that encouraging news..☹️
I got to the intersection where I would need to turn left towards Silver City. There was another sign pointing right to the Gila Cave dwellings monument. “Wait”, Linda and I had been there a few years ago touring in our camper van! One thing I do remember from that trip is seeing some cyclists on those twisty and hilly roads, and thinking how miserable that must be. Well, turn the page a couple years forward, and you have me on a fully loaded bike doing the same thing! Had I only known back then..
That first hill was a beast for at least 4 miles. I was in my lowest gear spinning away. Barely faster than it would take walking up. I just didn’t want to face the indignation of passing vehicles stopping to ask if I was ok. The rest of the ride wasn’t so steep, and I had a number of downhill sections to let the bike “stretch its legs”, and me pretending I was on a motorcycle instead. 🤪 I felt I was making good progress and could “smell the hay” in Silver City. It was also good knowing I would have a final 9 mile downhill into town once I got to Pinos Altos.
Pic borrowed from Google
I reached a group of homes that had a lot of quirky art in their yards and many progressive signs. This must be Pinos Altos. I came to what looked like the center of town with an old, dusty looking building called the “Buckhorn Saloon and Opera house”. Hah, that was the place mentioned by the old shop keeper at Lake Robert’s! There was a fully tattooed lady with a guitar about to enter when I asked her if they served any food. “After 4pm they do”, she replied. It was 4:06pm, so I leaned my bike against a post and went inside. It was pretty busy, with all tables taken, so I took a seat at the bar. Folks seemed to be fashionable dressed like it was a fancy restaurant. I looked a bit out of place in my dusty bike outfit. The waitress was very nice, and I ordered a large glass of cold orange juice and their steak sandwich. Nobody really payed attention to me which was perfectly fine. That steak with fries was heavenly!! Just what the body was screaming for.
I left the saloon fully charged and got on the bike to ride to the top of the hill at the edge of town, and ready to let it fly downhill for the next 9 miles into Silver City. I was on a wide paved road and there was hardly any traffic. I am sure I must have set the highest speed record of the trip on this section. 😁
One of the first houses I saw in Silver City. I like their style..
The downhill lasted all the way into the old downtown part of Silver City. Linda and I had been through this town in our way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings, and didn’t think much of the place. I found it much more enticing this time, maybe because we never went to the old downtown section. I had booked a room at one of the two motels which was really tastefully done in art deco style. One of the better places I had stayed in on the trip, and reasonably priced.
Hotel I stayed
I showered up and decided to walk around a bit before it got too dark, and maybe get a beer. I was standing outside on the sidewalk looking at Google maps to find the brewery place the hotel desk person told me about. Another gentleman was walking out of the hotel and asked what I was looking for. I mentioned the brewery, and he immediately said to follow him. It was right on the corner.
David then asked if I would like to join him at one of the tables inside. Really nice guy, and somewhat in disbelief what I was doing in town. He said he had just riden his motorcycle from Pacos, Texas, and felt “bad-assed”, until now. He was exactly the same age as me, and was teaching at the local college in town. It did turn out that he probably wanted to talk to someone, which was perfectly fine with me since I was tired. He seemed like he wasn’t sure at 69 what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. In the end it made me feel very lucky to have the life I have with Linda and the rest of the family. It was 9:30 by the time I got back to my room, and I hadn’t done all the things I needed to do before heading out in the morning like laundry, groceries, and some bike maintenance items. I decided then and there to just stay an extra day.
Pics of some of Silver City on my day off:
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