DAY 4: Chama to Antonito, CO, 50 miles Today, without a doubt, was the best cycling day of the trip. There were a group of women at our hotel in Chama that had done this ride in the opposite direction (east to west) the day before, and going that way it could have been the worst day of the trip thanks to the 8% grades on the eastern side of the pass and the intense westerly winds. But we had everything working in our favor. Profile of Cumbres and La Manga Passes Note how gentle the western slope is compared to the east side Beautiful weather once again as we rode out of Chama toward the mountain pass. Winds were very light in the morning, but definitely coming from the right direction (west). We left town about two hours before the train did, and so we were reasonably sure we'd see it pass us about halfway up the climb. Between all the coal smoke and the train's loud whistle we couldn't miss it. And sure enough, about halfway up the hill we got the signal, pulled off to the side of the road at a perfect viewing point and whipped out the cameras. We continued on up the hill, passing patches of snow here and there and reaching the first summit where the road begins to drop down a couple of hundred feet before resuming the climb to the slightly higher La Manga Pass. After a brief stop for the usual mountaintop photography we were off on the sweeping downhill toward Antonito. At an 8% grade it was not too many miles before we reached the bottom. But after a few rolling hills the last 17 miles are still slightly downhill and a stiff tailwind zoomed us along effortlessly at speeds hovering around 20mph. We quickly found ourselves in front of the only hotel in Antonito, The Narrow Gauge Railway Inn. The restaurant nextdoor served us well for dinner and breakfast the following day, and after a short rest in our room we were off to explore the Antonito end of the Cumbres Toltec Scenic Railway just around the corner. NEXT

Approaching the climb Cumbres Toltec Scenic Railroad Steaming up the pass At the summit Back down to 8500 feet at the bottom of the eastern side of the pass

Relaxing in the dining car, Antonito CO

Antonito Station