Southern Tier Part 3

• Introduction • Table of Contents • Getting back to where I left off • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #1 El Paso, TX to Leasburg Dam State Park, NM • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #2 Leasburg Dam State Park, NM, to Hillsboro, NM • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #3 Hillsboro, NM to Forks Campground - Gila National Forest, NM • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #4 Forks Campground - Gila National Forest, NM to Tyrone, NM • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #5 Tyrone, NM to Twin Knolls, AZ • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #6 Twin Knolls, AZ to Globe, AZ • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #7 Globe, AZ to Sycamore Creektrail, AZ • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #8 Sycamore Creektrail, AZ to Phoenix, AZ • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #9 Phoenix, AZ to Wickenburg, AZ • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #10 Wickenburg, AZ to Quartzite, AZ • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #11 Quartzite, AZ to Orita, CA • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #12 Orita, CA to Ocotillo, CA • Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #13 Ocotillo, CA to San Diego, CA • Epilogue • Stats • G

The pretext for the timing of this trip was an invitation to visit the Lightning Field , a land art work by sculptor Walter de Maria and sited in Catron County, NM. In order to experience the installation one needs to request a reservation by entering a lottery on February 1 at midnight Mountain Time. I luckily received a May 23 booking, and elected to link it to the conclusion of my Southern Tier bike tour. I booked a one way flight to El Paso, and Michele would join me for the Lightning Field portion of the trip. We flew to El Paso on May 20th, with a stop in Dallas Ft Worth. For the first time I was using Apple Air Tags and could observe my bike and luggage locations. Our connecting flight to El Paso was delayed by ninety minutes, because our pilot hadn't yet arrived from Tulsa. While we were stuck on the tarmac, I saw my bike removed from the aircraft and the Air Tag showed it retuned to the terminal. I was braced for problems.  We arrived in El Paso two hours late, and my bike

Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #1 May 25, 2023 El Paso, TX to Leasburg Dam State Park, NM - 74 Miles Start 10:22 AM Finish 8:08 PM Total Duration 9:45 Moving Time 5:18 Stopped Time 4:27 Ascent 1282'  Descent 1254' Tour Total 74 Miles Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/122349907 I slept so-so in room 115 of the Gardiner hotel in El Paso. Michele had an early flight and I was unable to fall back asleep after she left. I got out of bed at 6:30 AM and started assembling my bike. The rubber O ring in my pump was mangled so I drove over to Crazy Cat Cyclery to purchase a new one. I had gone to Crazy Cat last year to get my bike box for the return. Rob the mechanic tried lubing and replacing the damaged O ring but was unable to find the correct size. He sent me over to El Clavo hardware where I found one with a good fit. There continued to be some sort of suction problem, and I returned to Crazy Cat to buy a new pump. While inflating my tires I met a female cyclist who was riding n

Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #2 May 26, 2023 Leasburg Dam State Park, NM, to Hillsboro, NM - 65 Miles Start 7:07 AM Finish 3:13 PM Total Duration 8:06 Moving Time 5:44 Stopped Time 2:21 Ascent 2569'  Descent 1284' Tour Total 139 Miles Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/122444830 I slept well last night camped right next to a picnic table on a concrete slab at Leasburg Dam State Park beside the Rio Grande. The nearby spillway roared all night long, and at one point the air got chilly. I slept in my silk liner and used my sleeping bag as a blanket. I woke up with the light, and found blood all over my silk liner and Thermarest from my gashed knee. It was a leisurely pack-up and I made use of the picnic table. I enjoyed some pecans while I donned my leg-warmers. In addition to my cycling shorts and short-sleeve jersey I was wearing my gilet and jacket. Back up on the asphalt I checked my tires for goat heads. I took the road back out to Highway 185, and the park gate was open

Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #3 May 27, 2023 Hillsboro, NM to Forks Campground - Gila National Forest, NM - 77 Miles Start 7:09 PM Finish 5:43 PM Total Duration 10:33 Moving Time 8:13 Stopped Time 2:21 Ascent 6836'  Descent 6529' Tour Total 216 Miles Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/122723323 I slept well in Hillsboro Community Campground alongside NM Highway 152. It got cold during the night and I had to climb into my sleeping bag. It was a slow pack-up this morning and I made use of a nearby picnic table. I stopped back at the winery to use their Wi-Fi from out front. I also cleaned my sunglasses. The next door cafe wouldn’t be open for another fifteen minutes, and I decided to start pedaling up towards the pass. I was wearing my cycling shorts, short-sleeve jersey, gilet, and jacket. Kingston was nine miles ahead to the west and Silver City was fifty-eight. Today was Saturday May 27th, the day I had originally planned to start the tour. Michele had changed her plane r

Southern Tier Part 3 - Day #4 May 28, 2023 Forks Campground - Gila National Forest, NM - Tyrone, NM 63 Miles Start 7:27 AM Finish 8:48 PM Total Duration 13:21 Moving Time 7:01 Stopped Time 6:20 Ascent 6171'  Descent 5705' Tour Total 279 Miles Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/122757564 I slept well alongside the West Fork of the Gila River, with the water gurgling all night long. It got cold and I later learned it had gotten down to 41°F. I slept in my silk liner and sleeping bag. I heard shots fired during the night and this morning a large animal came up to my tent. It was a slow pack up, and I noticed condensation in the fly. As I was leaving I noticed a someone camping in the parking lot. It was a day use only area, and I wasn’t the only one breaking the rules. He had two dogs, which solved what had been outside my tent this morning. I also suspected that he was the one whom had shot the rifle. I used the restroom before pedaling the steep gravel climb out of the pa