• Day 0: Our last trail ride terminated at this location, just about a mile north of the Gila NF Beaverhead Work Center, back in March of 2013.
• We spent half the day driving our automobile, bike, and gear just to get to this very remote location (from Magdalena, NM, where we spent the previous night).
• We decided to wait until the following morning in order to start our journey with a full day's travel agenda. Our decision ended-up not mattering, read on.


• Day 1: The day started without incident.
• Our goal for the day was to reach the Great Divide Trail Crossing, only about 25 dirt-road miles away.
• With only 3 miles remaining to reach Collins Park, we made a wrong turn and followed NF-28 southbound (when we should have travelled northbound).
• Our mistake had changed a two (2) day bike ride into a three (3) day bike ride
• We did not know that NF-28 was a through road; we thought that it ended or began at the end of NF-30.
• The correct layout of NF-28 is shown properly on the Adventure Cycling Bicycle Map. We just demonstrated that experienced travelers can really screw-up on occasion.
• We travelled 7 miles off course, figured out our mistake, and then began to return about 5 miles.
• We did do three (3) correct things at that point, we stopped at a campsite that had three vehicles (hunters) and we validated our true position (we were off course) and we asked the hunters for water (7 bike bottles in volume). Getting water saved us another hour of Water Filter work and the sun was already low on the horizon.
  Thank You Hunters!
• We were physically capable of pedaling back the full 7 miles but we stopped short in order to take advantage of the remaining hour of sunlight for that day in order to set-up camp and cook a well-earned meal. We finished personal cleanup, our last evening chore, in the final light of the day.

Day 0 - Arrival
(We Departed Early the Following Day)

Above Left: As we drove our car, bike, and gear from Magdalena, NM (where we spent the previous night), we saw this lenticular cloud over a mountain southwest of our destination.

Above Right: This is where our previous bike tour ended in March of 2013. Back then, we did not bring enough food. We usually travel between 30 and 40 miles a day, fully loaded, off-road in the mountains BUT on that trip we had two (2) days at just 20 miles a day. The tour was taking longer than planned (2 inches / 5 cm's of fresh gravel were just added to every uphill slope), we just did not bring enough food to finish that ride so slowly thus we had to terminate that ride (not enough vacation time). HENCE, here we are again, over loaded with food and NOT constrained by terrain this time (the hard climbing is behind us).

Day 1- We Were Heading for the Continental Divide Trail Crossing, North of Collins Park, in the Gila National Forest, NM.
(HOWEVER, We Made a Wrong Turn on NF-28 and Traveled 7 Miles Off Route and That Was Our Mistake, NOT a Mapping Error)

Above Left: Early Rise. All of the early morning routines were performed smoothly in a timely manner.

Above Right: Except for compressed grass, we left the campsite like we were never there.

Above: We immediately pedaled northward out of the forest into the grass lands.

Above: A sneak preview of some of the canyon country that was coming. It rained two days ago and yesterday there was no puddle here, the water table seems to be rising at the moment.

Above: Riding down a canyon, it was beautiful and peaceful.

Above: The Slash Ranch, where land holdings are measured in the square miles.

Above: Cycling northward on the GDMBR.

Above Left: Canyon face.

Above Right: Canyon valley.

Above Left: Apache country.

Above Right: Leaving Gila National Forest.

Above: Wet land.

Above: Wet land, almost always with some water.

Above: The Slash H Ranch probably owns and controls this water source. We liked the Fall Colors.

Above: Canyon Grassland.

Above: Wet Road in parts, the ranch truck traffic keeps shifting their dirt tracks to whatever track is dry or highest. The highest parts get pushed down creating new high strips and the area of good road is perpetually shifting over time. We will see even more interesting ruts and puddles in a few hours.

Above: Terry took a picture of Dennis looking north into the canyon.

Above Left: Ant mound in the foreground, out building in the background.

Above Right: Global Positioning Device; we're heading north at the moment and will turn west in about 3 miles (about 4 miles to the inch).

Problem: The map gives good directions for cyclists to move North to South. However, if cyclists (like us) are moving from South to North the map can be very challenging.

Above: We finally found cattle on the range. The Cows usually get out of the way before our arrival but Bulls can be quite stubborn, we just wait them out. Sometimes Terry will praise a Bull and ask it to move off the road for us, that method always works.

Above: A beautiful OLD rock wall.

Above Left: A close-up of the OLD rock colors.

Above Right: More Canyon. The weather is humid and acts like it is going to rain but it won't rain for a week.

Above Left: A view to the east.

Above Right: A view to the west.

Above: Interesting Lighting.

Above Left: Another puddle with shifting dry tracks.

Above Right: More rocks with interesting lighting.

Above Left: A single Hoodoo stands out.

Above Right: Heading north through the canyon.

Above: An old wall shelter begs to be explored.

Above Left: This is a well-known but empty rock and cement cistern that may be from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. There is a [steel] tank 50 yards/meters uphill that has water. Many travelers coming across the Plains of St Augustine from the north stop here for water. We are OK for water for now.

Above Right: Terry and the Bee, we had just pushed the bike up some loose gravel. We are fully into the rolling hills of the grassland plains now.

Above Left: I don't know what the plant is but I stopped to admire the Fibonacci Sequence.

Above Right: A Thistle Bloom in the wind.

Above Left: The view from our ridgeline.

Above Right: Our view north. Soon we will turn west.

Turning West for Collins Park on NF-30

Above: This is the intersection of NM-163 (indicated as NF-150 on our Map) and NF-30 (not indicated by road sign). We're turning left/west here, heading for Collins Park.

We saw that Burnt Orange box from 2 miles away and could not figure what it was until we got closer to it. The big Burnt Orange box is a Large Community Parcel/Mail Box used by several ranchers in the area. The Cow is blocking the view of several big rural mail boxes.

Above Left: A happy stoker and our back view; we came from Beaverhead (Gila NF, NM).

Above Right: We're westbound now.

Above: The overcast is a delight, we're riding in 70F/21C temperatures and we could not ask for better riding conditions.

We're looking west toward the Gila NF (which we will re-enter). We're also looking at three (3) Continental Divide Crossings for today (if everything goes OK, it does NOT).

Above Left: Cow and more cows over the rise.

Above Right: Tarantula, the grassland variety is a little smaller than the desert variety.

Above Left: 4-Way Intersection, we're heading for Collins Park. While there is no sign, we are re-entering the Gila National Forest here.

Above Right: Abandoned Ant Colony became a Gopher Colony.

Above Left: Terry took a picture of Dennis & the Bee. This is the first time that we see an actual NF-30 Sign.

Above Right: Goat Head Spur Brush, the Spurs (seeds) Cause Flat Tires. These are the bane of all bike riders. We will now be in heart of Goathead Spur Country until reaching Grants, NM. We will, in a few days, meet a lovely young couple from New Zealand who had 9 flat tires in one day (see the Pie Town to Grants, NM, Adventure).

By the Way: We are riding on Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires that are supposed to be Flat Tire proof. We will have a flat in a few days caused by a Goat Heat Spur that hit our sidewall (somehow).

Above Left: Goofy Foot.

Above Right: Telephone Wire Junction Box - It is protected from Cattle (and Bears) rubbing/scratching their bodies on the box.

Above Left: I See Blue ... (Louis Armstrong).

Above Right: A late season flowering bush (it is October).

Above: Western Skies (GDMBR, NM).

Above Left: Solo Antelope, probably a herd Centurion (Signals First Warning).

Above Right: Now we have to walk the bike around puddles and wet edges.

Above: Outer Loop Drive, no one seems to know from where the name comes. The other end and sign is about 2-3 miles in a straight line.

The Dark Brown Colored Weeds are Goat Head Spur Bushes, that also run for miles along the road's edge. The Cycling Objective is to stay away from the Goat Head Seed Droppings (STAY AWAY from the ROAD EDGE).

Above Left: We came upon an odd shaped property. The road is two (2) miles long and has a barbed wire fence that parallels the road about 30 feet/10 yards/10 meters on each side of the road.

Above Right: Terry and I decided to sit and eat lunch just inside the Odd Fence Lined Road.

Above Left: Roadside Shrubbery, unknown types to us.

Above Left: We're still riding the fenced road; there are no Goat Head Spurs now.

Above Right: My favorite Italian!

Above Left: Globe Flower or Fire Flower, it took us awhile to realize that the leaves on the background bush do not go with the flower..

Above Right: Rabbit Brush (often mistaken for Ragweed).

Above: Classic out-west road.

Above: A Silvery Grass stands out.

Above Left: Remnant Water from two days ago. I suspect that it rained more here than anywhere else. We walked the bike next to the barbed wire fence. Oddly, this was the last big water; we would cross a few more puddles.

Above Right: This is our last picture from the fenced in corridor.

Above Left: We had unceremoniously ridden out of the section of fenced-in road.

Above Right: We can see the forest of the Gila National Forest.

Above Left: The left fork is NF-30A, we stayed on 30 Prime (heading due west).

Above Right: Roadside Flowers (in October).

Above Left: Roadside Flower.

Above Right: We're climbing, westbound, and the road condition is very good.

Above: Westbound on NF-30.

Above Left: We're westbound on NF-30.

Above Right: Our road speed is increasing (hint hint, we probably just crested a hill).

Above: We're riding across a high plain.

Above Left: Maybe that is the forest part of the Gila National Forest ahead of us.

Above Right: We met this Gentleman and talked for a quite while - He's talking to Terry, sitting behind me. He had been riding all the way from Canada. We shared information. While we did not arrive from Antelope Wells on this segment we have ridden all the way from Antelope Wells (Mexico Border). He had done the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and one of the tiers for riding across America. He was quite experienced. Cheers Fellow Rider

Above Left: A Sign - about 12 miles to go (through Collins Park).

Above Right: We stopped to have a snack.

Above: Front and Rear Views of our bike, the Bee (a da Vinci Tandem).

Continental Divide Crossing #26, 7670'/2337m
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR)

Above Left: Dennis and Terry Struck at Continental Divide Crossing #26, 7670'/2337m.

Above Right: This is the Gentleman that took our picture. We're speculating that he was waiting for his Grandchild to return by School Bus (just a guess). Entryway to Elk Springs (a private property housing area).

Above Left: We're riding in forest country and the air temperature just went up.

Above Right: Terry removed her Flannel Shirt.

Above: Riding west through the forest, some private properties, some government properties.

Above: Westbound on NF-30.

Above: The beginnings of a high plains park.

We Were Now on NF-28 (or It Is Ahead), We Went Straight Ahead
Note: For Some Reason, No More Directions to Collins Park?

Above Left: The Map Directions are set up only for southbound travel (we are northbound). When a cyclist is northbound, they come across confusing surprises, like this. We went straight, which was the correct thing to do, but we could have used a little more feedback because we are also going to Hwy 12 (which is listed by a turn right arrow).

Above Right: Heading west.

Above: Heading west; we're back in the forest again, we're also looking for another Continental Divide Crossing.

Above: A new flower to us - Scarlet Gilia, Gilia Aggregata.

Above Left: A full grown Oak Tree. We're in a little eco-system pocket of hard woods inside a Pine Woodland.

Above Right: Heading west on NF-30 or NF-28.

Above Left: The shadows are getting longer.

Above Right: Rocky land.

Above Left: We're climbing.

Above Right: This is a classic National Forest section fence and cattle guard (for leasing cattle grazing rights).

Above Left: We were still climbing a little; we know that we are close to divide Crossing #25.

Above Right: Nearly as we could tell (no road segment felt higher than this point), this is probably Continental Divide Crossing #25 of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR).

Above Left: This is a peek at the vast landscape of Collins Park.

Above Right: We get a little westbound downhill now.

Above: We came across an interesting rock formation.

Above Left: Heading for Collins Park.

Above Right: We're following NF-28. Our map has no indication of NF-141 (its existence or location).

This Is Where We Made a WRONG TURN
We Had Some Clues, But It Was Difficult to Cypher Through the False Clues

Above Left: We only saw a single NF-28 Sign, we followed it. Unfortunately there was another NF-28 sign, just out of sight in the other direction.

Above Right: Unbeknownst to us, we were merely going in the wrong direction.

From Here ON, We Are Pedaling in the WRONG DIRECTION on NF-28

Above Left: This National Forest fence line is on the Continental Divide.

Above Right: We're heading into the sun (southwest).

Above: We're heading into the sun (southwest).

Above Left: Beautiful Vista.

Above Right: N Bar Ranch - way off course.

Above Left: Dark clouds threaten, nothing happens.

Above Right: Shadows are getting longer AND this is ANOTHER CONTINENTAL DIVIDE CROSSING (BUT not part of the GDMBR because we are 7 miles OFF-COURSE).

FINALLY, WE Realize That We Are OFF-COURSE
We Saw our First Road Sign with Destination Names and Distance (Not Pictured)

Above Left: Just around the corner we saw a sign for Willow Creek and Snow Lake, which is not on our map, We're Way-Off-Course. We should be on NF-28 North but we are on NF-28 South. We had totally missed the turn for NF-28 North.

Luckily, we had the smarts to stop at a campsite with an RV and three vehicles and validate our position. The camp was a family group of Hunters. The following day was the first day of New Mexico's Special Hunting Season for Disabled People (with help from Abled People). The people of the camp were generous and very helpful, they explained and demonstrated where we were on a different map (a National Forest map), and the camp members sent us on our way with a full supply of water.

Above Right: In this picture we have reversed direction and we are correctly heading north on NF-28. We know that we will not make our destination before night fall, so our immediate goal is find a safe off-road place to camp for the night. Thanks to the Hunter's help (previous paragraph) we have a full load of water for drinking, cooking, and hygiene needs. The Sun is setting and we have about an hour of sunlight remaining.

Above Left: We found a perfect place to spend the night. The tent had been pitched, the sleeping gear had been set up, and Terry had Dinner Ready.

Above Right: We had cleaned ourselves as well as the eating gear; the bear safe had been packed with food, medicine, and hygiene products; and the camp had been prepared for us to turn in for the night. The last rays of twilight are showing just above the tent, we did good.

We had a grand day of cycling. We met a fellow GDMBR rider heading in the opposite direction and we shared pertinent trail information. We saw about a 4-5 mile stretch of Goathead Spurs which can cause flat tires but we somehow evaded a flat tire ourselves. We missed a turn at NF-28 (we went south instead of north), it was my fault (Dennis), the clues were there but I missed them. We managed to ride about 7 miles off-course - The good news was that it was a very pleasant bike ride. We later discovered our navigation mistake and we managed to ride back within two (2) miles of the GDMBR with a full load of water (thanks to generous strangers) and we managed to pitch camp, cook, and cleanup just before the last ray of daylight disappeared.