A Little Bike Ride
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Okay, so my last post was whiney and some people asked if I was depressed. Not me–everyone has a right to a degree of self-pity once every decade or so and I just had mine. I will say today that my thighs really hurt but that’s a result of 1) the physical therapy helping my shoulder so I could 2) get back on the bike and 3) getting back to the gym and overdoing it (my curse) on the stationary bike and the leg press plate machine. Done.
So, why engage in this sort of fitness activity? A challenge– I want to bike (as in bicycle, not motorcycle) the Great Divide Trail. Doing the whole thing would take a few months but, hey, I’m retired. The scenery along the Divide is Mother Nature at her very best. So who’s game for a little bike touring?
The entire trail runs from Banff, Alberta, Canada to Antelope Wells, NM on the Mexican border. There’s a lot of Forest Service type roads so it’s not all gnarly single track. I know many of you couldn’t commit the time to ride the whole thing but the route can be broken into segments if one wanted to do a part over a weekend or a week,,,,Last time we were in Pietown we met a woman riding the trail from Gallup NM to Antelope Wells. She was with a group of four but the others were slower, I guess. It is a bonus that the route intersects US Hwy. 60 right at the Pie-O-Neer restaurant…….
For more information on the trip and a video of highlights from the Great Divide route, click here. Adventure Cycling offers supported tours but they are pricey. I have their full set of maps. They also offer a book, Cycling the Great Divide by Michael McCoy, to stoke your interest. For whoever might be interested, I plan on leaving Banff towards the end of April; hopefully, the snow will be gone up in the Northern tier. With luck, we’ll only hit a minimum of monsoon season toward the end of the route in NM. Monsoon season usually runs July through September.
So I hope some of you will consider joining me. I know one thing on bucket lists is renting a motor home and touring the US. Maybe someone would do that and also support the ride, killing two birds with one stone? You’re never too old for a new adventure in life. And the Great Divide Trail promises to be one.
