Day 4:

• It rained two times during the night, one of the rains was a heavy rain with lightning, and the other rain was a sprinkle on us but heavy in the mountains. The wet red sand stuck to everything.
• The ride to Abiquiu, NM, was short, maybe 2 hours, and mostly downhill.
• We stayed at the Abiquiu Inn, which we learned later was near where Georgia O'Keeffe spent some of her winters.
• There is only one place to stay in Abiquiu, NM, and that is at the Abiquiu Inn. Most cyclists resupply at Bodes Grocery Store and move on to wild camp upon reaching Carson National Forest to the north or Santa Fe National Forest to the south.
• There are only two places to get food in Abiquiu, NM, and that is at Abiquiu Inn or at Bodes Country Store (& Gas Station).
• Terry, later visited Ghost Ranch, which was the summer home for Georgia O'Keeffe which she later bought. The ranch used to belong to a pair of outlaws (cattle rustlers and stage hold-up artists, caught and hung) and the ranch ended up in the hands of a girlfriend that had a history of falling for the wrong type of men. The girlfriend lost the ranch trying to support a dandy gambler. Native Americans would not go near the ranch because of the spirits that roam there, ergo, the name Ghost Ranch.
• We stayed at Abiquiu Inn an extra day and dried our wet gear, visited a Lavender Farm and visited the Abiquiu Lake's Army Corps of Engineers Lake and Dam Exhibition.

Day 4 - From Echo Amphitheater and Campground, by Ghost Ranch (Georgia O'Keeffe) and Lake Abiquiu, to Abiquiu, NM.
We stayed at the Abiquiu Inn (also next to Georgia O'Keeffe's Winter Studio)

Above Left: A cloudy sunrise. It was sprinkling about a drop per minute, it would subside. It had rained two times during the night, one of the rains was a heavy rain with lightning, and the other rain was a sprinkle on us but heavy in the mountains to the east (the GDMBR main route got hammered).

Above Right: A few recent Rain Drops on the seat.

Above Left: We did not know it yesterday, but we could see Abiquiu Lake from our campsite area.

Above Right: An early morning glimpse at the Echo Amphitheater Wall.

Above: An early morning look at the remnant rain clouds to our north.

Above Left: We had to pack a wet tent, however we were happy that we were not in the mountains.

Above Right: The wet red sand was sticking everywhere. We would dry and clean our gear during our two stay at the Abiquiu Inn.

Above Left: I saw a raven.

Above Right: A clean campsite (the stone fire pit was there upon our arrival).

Above Left: We were ready to pedal; Terry was putting on her helmet.

Above Right: A Castle Rock greeted us in the morning.

Above Left: The Pilot (Dennis) just dodged a sunning snake on the road shoulder, there was no time to figure what kind of snake that it was. We're heading southeast on US-84 for Abiquiu, NM.

Above Right: Leaving the San Joaquin Rio Chama Land Grant.

Above Left: This was the entrance for Ghost Ranch which was owned by Georgia O'Keeffe, unfortunately the picture was a sun shot (facing into the sun) and there was a burst of busy traffic.

Above Right: The opposite view from Ghost Ranch was Abiquiu Lake (formed by Rio Chama).

Above Left: We got to ride along some more canyon country.

Above Right: A butte is visible to the northeast.

Above Left: We had slowly turned to the east from south.

Above Right: Looking south toward homes on Abiquiu Lake.

Above Left: This is the turnoff for Abiquiu Lake and NM-96. This is where we will return to take the Alternate GDMBR to Cuba, NM, in two days.

Above Right: We will pass through both of these towns in two days.

Above Left: We were losing our shoulder. US-84 goes to both of these cities but we only went as far as Abiquiu (about 7 more miles).

Above Right: Following US-84.

Above Left: A view to the south. The Chama River hides between us and that far valley wall.

Above Right: A turn toward the Rio Chama Canyon, a very narrow roadway that leads to Abiquiu. We were about to lose any semblance of a road shoulder.

Above Left: Riding down Rio Chama Canyon. We were lucky to have low volume staggered traffic.

Above Right: Our view south of the Rio Chama.

Above: A wider perspective of the Rio Chama (looking due south).

Above Left: Dennis Struck and the Bee overlooking the Rio Chama near Abiquiu, NM (looking due east).

Above Right: A back view of our highway pull-off.

Above Left: About the Red Rocks.

Above Right: About Georgia O'Keeffe.

Above Left: Looking south across irrigated river bottom land.

Above Right: A mausoleum.

Above Left: We're now riding along the bottom of the Rio Chama Valley and we had regained a road shoulder to ride upon

Above Right: Adobe wall.

Above Left: Nice adobe wall and wood pattern gate.

Above Right: Adobe gateway.

Above Left: Castle Rock just before entering Abiquiu.

Above Right: Upstream view of Rio Chama. The Main GDMBR follows the road on the left side [barely visible in this image].

Above Left: The same Castle Rock and a downstream view of the Chama River.

Above Right: Entering Abiquiu, NM. We never did figure out the reason for the right arrow on the sign.

Above: Terry Struck, Dennis Struck, and the Bee pose at the Steele Flamingo in front of Bodes Gas Station and Country Market beside the Rio Chama in Abiquiu, New Mexico, on the GDMBR.

Above: Bodes Country Market, Abiquiu, NM.

Above Left: Bodes Phillips 66 Gas Station and Country Market, Abiquiu, NM. The Pink Flamingo is barely visible at the far left side of the image.

Above Right: Bodes Country Market, Abiquiu, NM.

Above Left: Eastbound on US-84; the Abiquiu Inn is just a mile down the road.

Above Right: The entryway for Abiquiu Inn.

Above Left: The main entrance for Abiquiu Inn.

Above Right: Next to the Abiquiu Inn is Georgia O'Keeffe's Winter Studio.

- We stayed at the Abiquiu Inn for two days.
- We let the sun dry our tent and gear and we cleaned the sand and debris from the tent and some gear.
- Terry visited Ghost Ranch (Georgia O'Keeffe).
- We visited a Lavender Farm and an Army Corp of Engineers Display about Abiquiu Lake & Dam.

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