DAY 5: Antonito, CO to Taos, 66 miles This was going to be our first day without any climbing, but the strong westerly winds were really blowing when we pulled out of Antonito. The route starts due south on Highway 285 to Tres Piedras and the strength of the crosswinds were pretty rough, keeping us at speeds under 10mph much of the way. On the map Tres Piedras appeared to be a fairly large town at a major highway intersection so we were confident we could find food and water there and didn't pack our usual extra 2 liters that morning. This is proto-typical New Mexican landscape with a very broad valley about 60 miles across. On a bike it seems to take forever for the mountains on the horizon to feel like they're getting any closer - especially at 8mph. And the broad reach does nothing to mitigate the winds. We ran into a couple from Las Crusas that were heading north to Washington state on bikes and taking the brunt of the wind a bit more than we were. After a brief chat with them we continued on. At Tres Piedras we'd turn east onto Highway 64 and were looking forward to stiff tailwinds the last 35 miles as well as to replenishing our water supply. But at the crossroads of 285 & 64 all we saw was a defunct gas station/cafe and the Pink Schoolhouse Art Gallery, which was open. John decided to poke around the cafe and see if anyone was "home" while I crossed the road to the gallery to see if I could refill my water bottles there. We were both successful at finding someone to help us out, but the reception we each got was something between indifferent and downright chilly. When I asked the guy at the gallery if there were any gas stations and convenience stores in town he said "No, they're all DEAD." This was the only time I can remember encountering any unfriendliness on one of our bike trips, but we got our water and got a good laugh or two out of these crusty desert characters. The tailwind that propelled us the rest of the way to Taos, perfumed with an intense aroma of the ubiquitous sagebrush, quickly blew away any hard feelings. Now barrelling along at 20mph again on Highway 64 with a slight downhill and fierce tailwind we soon came upon the Earthship community about 12 miles northwest of Taos (see WWW.Earthship.Net). It's a group of a dozen or more homes built into mounds in the earth, all with solar panels, wind generators, waste recycling, etc. The first one we saw had an ambulance and stretch-limo HumVee parked in front of it, which immediately conjured up images of drug overdosed celebrities in both our minds. We stopped to shoot some photos, of course. Then, about 6 miles from Taos we came upon the Rio Grande Gorge. Riding along this broad, flat high desert plain you don't see the 1200 foot wide, 650 foot deep rift in the earth until you're right on top of it, and then it's a pretty spectacular sight. After a stop to shoot some pictures from atop the old bridge, we cruised the final miles into Taos to enjoy a rest day (off the bikes) and a refreshing change from the tiny towns where we'd spent the previous four nights. NEXT

Leaving Antonito "Friendly" Pink Schoolhouse Gallery Earthship Eco-House with stretch-limo and ambulance??? Earthship Model Home & Museum Rio Grande Gorge