Days 3 through 6 (feels like day 300)

*Day 3 (feels like day 300)*

Last night we crashed at a hotel in downtown Silver City, an old mining town with historic buildings. The hotel certainly was historic…by that I mean it urgently needed updating! I had a bad night as I was having trouble swallowing and was def running a fever. And so it was when i eventually got out of a hideously soft bed the back of my throat was red raw 😥. I contacted my GP friend Mick who decided I should take the antibiotic he’d prescribed for my medical kit. We didn’t leave until late morning which was a mistake! We knew there was a campsite at the lake at the top of the climb today so off we headed…..uphill. On and on and on it went. I was feeling very poorly with a fever and an unrelenting thirst….a problem when you need to ration water intake as there is no water available until the campsite, 50+ k away. I can’t recall ever feeling so unwell on a bike. Chris ploughed on ahead whilst I spun the legs in the granny climbing gear and simply wished I was somewhere else! After over 2 hours of climbing we hit the top and had a great descent….until it started to climb again to Robert’s Lake. We stopped at a picnic campground (with no water) for a snack – we are both carrying food for 4-5 days so it’s ration time. Neither of us are anywhere near replacing what we are expending on KCals.

There’s a general store at Robert’s Lake so we gorged on coke cola and ice cream, only to realise the campsite was 3k away, up a bonkers climb. Despite the climbs tho the scenery has changed dramatically, to mountains and forests which gave some respite from the heat.

By the time we rolled in to this wild camping site I was totally spent and very unwell. I managed to get my tent up, clothes washed under a tap and crashed. There’s a path to the lake but I was too cooked to bother go and see. There’s no power, no wifi, no phone signal, so we were completely cut off from the outside world. A humbling experience. I’m not sure how I managed to ride today….just stubbornness I guess and muscle memory, just turning the pedals. I have suffered from leg cramps for years and today was also about trying to prevent that whilst not drinking too much of the precious water I’m carrying. I have four bottles and a camelback but it’s nowhere near enough to stay hydrated.

*Day 4: Lake Robert’s to Black Canyon. *

I awoke after a bloody cold night not helped by my fever. I had decided last evening to offload some clothes to a couple travelling in their humongous RV and asked them to hold on to the stuff till I email them once the ride had finished. I dropped about 2-3 KG but the bike is still too heavy. I set off before Chris to beat the heat. The first 8ks were on road but I knew straight away I’d be in trouble- simple no power. I was shivering despite layering up too. Once I turned off the road on to the gravel trail I knew it was the last chance to bail -once on this section there was no way back. The trail rose steeply uphill and within a K I was hike-a-biking – pushing Bob up this hill. And so it was for the whole day….unrelenting hills of sand and gravel, then downhills which were treacherous and dangerous-sand dips, gravel, rocks, steep drops off the sides….! I stopped at a rest site in a valley and tried to eat something but just threw it up. I knew there was a stream and camping area 10 miles on so I pushed for there. I made it after 6hours of cycling just 29miles! I chucked up my tent next to the stream, then sat in the water to cool off, then crashed out in the tent. It was loneliest place on earth and I felt very vulnerable- no one around, no power, no phone signal. I slept for 3 hours. I was feverish and sick, and peeing blood so I knew things were rough. When I awoke I went up to the second of the two camping areas and found Chris and another cyclist so we chatted for a while before I had to get back to my little spot by the stream. The wind was howling through the gulley so lighting my stove was an issue but needs must – there was a drop toilet block on the site so I sat in their and got my stove on and cooked up some pasta. I was force feeding myself as I knew I was desperately underfed. I curled up in my tent and slept.

*Day 5: The Best Laid Plans!*

The night was bitterly cold but I did sleep until around 5:30. I decamped, knowing there was a 4 mile climb out of the valley so I wanted to get that done as early as I could. I actually felt ok for a bit and cycled up the valley trail reasonably well-it was about a 5% incline but steady so I could spin the lightest gear I had. In all the time riding on Bob I must have used that granny gear a handful of times. Now…. It was the only gear I was using. Even the slightest incline was incredibly difficult. This is the longest stretch of the Divide with very limited water…at the best of times it’s limited, but now in a drought all the watering streams were dry. The Divide has what are called Divide Angels, people who run ranches and leave water and bars out for us stupid cyclists. My first encounter of one such place was around 20 miles in…oh the sweetness of Coke and a Powerade bar! I rested for an hour then when Chris arrived we chatted before I hit the trail again, knowing there were two peaks to crest before Beaverbrook waterhole. Oh sweet lord those two climbs were off the charts. But I slogged on, one mile at a time with countless stops.

I arrived at the US Government Beaverbrook station – not sure what they do there but it was deserted! But there was water! I lay on the picnic table under the trees and crashed. Chris arrived about an hour later. By now I knew I was in serious danger- the was no more water for 58 miles …at least 2 days of riding. I was vomiting, had a fever, and grossly unwell. By some miracle a government vehicle pulled up to offload some animals for the Station so I asked if they might drop me to the nearest town, some 133k away from whence they had come. They initially said no as they were not allowed to carry non government people, but two hours later they decided they couldn’t leave me there in that state! And so it was I found myself in a huge Dodge RAM heading for….Truth or Consequences! Honestly that’s the name of the place. The story is that in the 50s there was a TV program by that name which promised to record a series in any town that changed its name to Truth and Consequences!! It’s a hot springs town, a funky place full of alternative lifestyle folk and arty folk. I got dropped off in a small motel and crawled in to bed! The likely diagnosis is Valley Fever, a spore that is carried in dust storms and well known in New Mexico. I had developed a rash on my right leg like measles which was the first clue! Whatever it is it’s horrible! Vomiting and Diarrhea, fever and cramps….the order of the day! Not quite what i had in mind but hey-ho, you gotta roll the way the wind blows.

*Day 6: Truth or Consequences *

I had a restless night despite being in a bed. The aircon made such a noise it was hard to sleep. I visited the loo many a time this morning but also knew I needed to sort things out so set myself a reasonable schedule of tasks with lots of rest stops! Bob needed serious work including two punctures, clothes needed washing and I needed food and liquid. I had trouble getting food in to me as my body was rejecting it but despite hideous fatigue I didn’t feel very sick, just exhausted. I spent the day trying to recalibrate my plans….riding the Divide was looking increasingly unlikely given my condition but equally, the options of getting outta dodge seemed close to zero – as the receptionist at the motel said – look around you, everyone is depressed…that’s cos there’s no way out’! There are no buses. Few vehicles pass through. As a sense of desperation crept in I had to resign myself to having to cycle out, there simply was no other choice. I can’t say I’m overly happy about the prospect. It’s starting to dawn on me (slow learner!) that the divide is a challenge unlike any other and perhaps I’m simply not up to meeting it. Very practical things which I simply had not to concern myself with are an ever present issue- I’m riding so slow my dynamo doesn’t charge my power banks, so I have no way of charging a phone. There’s no signal in around 90 % of the route. There’s no water options….only dried up streams. You have to therefore carry days of water with you, not only for drinking but also for cooking, washing etc. there are food stops about every 150 miles so you have to carry food. I certainly knew about the last two challenges as it’s well documented but I guess I didn’t understand the logistics of managing that challenge , and then not factoring in the drought here in New Mexico. It’s a humbling experience that’s for sure. It’s also terrifying! A sense of being so unwell and so stuck!

I made the decision to take another night here as I know in my heart that I’m only 50% better and had no chance of riding out tomorrow.

VIDEOS