DAY 12: 10/1 Duncan, AZ 83 miles to Silver City

DAY 12: 10/1/21 Duncan, AZ 83 miles to Silver City, NM 5,384’ of climbing! –

Since we only made it to Duncan yesterday, we decided to “catch-up” to our original itinerary and skip Lordsburg and go all the way to Silver City in one day. Even though it meant both a big climb AND a long ride, our motivation was that we learned two days earlier of a special bonus awaiting us in Las Cruces if we stayed on our original schedule. 

To achieve this, we got going with a 5am wake up. We enjoyed our best breakfast yet of delicious, all-organic frittatas, pancakes smothered in berries, veggie patties, potatoes and fruit in yogurt that Clayton magnificently prepared for us at the hotel. 

We left at 6:18am and were greeted by another beautiful sky that we don’t take for granted. 

Another beautiful daybreak

But the calm and beauty of the sunrise concealed the fact that The Woman of Steel (aka Super Girl aka The Rock aka Heather) had been exposed to her kryptonite!

Within 15 minutes, Heather complained she was nauseous and felt she was having an allergic reaction to something she ate. (She is allergic to all nuts, fish, seafood and sesame.) I asked if she wanted to stop and rest, or drink water to flush it out (as she has on other occasions) or if there was anything else she wanted to do. She replied that she wanted to push through and ride. She stopped and tried to throw up to no avail. I quipped, of course after showing proper empathy, “if you are going to throw up, do it downwind from me”. That comment didn’t land well, so I assessed myself 5 demerit points in the husband ledger. 

Heather, who rarely complains, was not at all comfortable and a day that started magnificently, turned quickly for the worse. 

Just then our new friend Naomi rode up and saved the day. 

We actually met Naomi yesterday upon check in at the Simpson Hotel. She had greeted us with regards from Jack, the other Southern Tier rider who we last bumped into leaving Scottsdale, and with whom she rode with a few days afterwards. She was immediately likable with an ebullient personality that reminded us of our daughters Sydney and Jamie. At age 23, the same as Jamie, we felt an immediate connection. She started her cross country ride the same day as us and, after beginning with older relatives, she surged ahead and was now riding solo mostly camping, using some Warm Showers, and last night was her first hotel. After chatting a while when we met and learning she’s on Strava (the exercise App), I proceeded to follow her on my phone. She was sitting next to me and as I paused for 2 seconds the way people my age do before clicking in the right spot, she leaned over and clicked the button on my phone to complete the transaction. I was amused and enthralled as that is what my own daughters might do, not sitting by to let us “older folks“ figure it out on our own timetable. I told her how I absolutely loved that she was comfortable enough to do that and it reminded me completely of my own daughters, so thanked her for making me feel as if I have my cycling daughter on the road. I think I made her blush.

Naomi, our cycling daughter 

Heather loves to talk while riding and she and Naomi were quickly pedaling beside each other, chatting away picking up from yesterday’s conversation. I thought this was the perfect distraction for how Heather was feeling.

We stopped around 7am to take a photo crossing into New Mexico. 

Entering Land of Enchantment

Heather soon slowed down, so I rode alongside Naomi and felt like I could be riding with my daughter. We had an easy, naturally flowing conversation. Heather then caught up to us and was excited to tell us she was feeling much better since she threw up. She was most proud of the fact she did so while riding without even stopping and while maintaining a speed of 14 mph! (And it was downwind of us.)

With that news, Heather and I started to ride faster and kept up with Naomi. We hit a headwind and I was upfront and Naomi tucked in to draft behind me. (For non-cyclists, that means she basically used me as a windshield and could achieve the same speed with less pedaling effort.) When drafting, cyclists often rotate who rides in front as it’s more tiring to do so. In this case, it was my pleasure to bear the burden as I was getting to play dad. That is truly my favorite role in life and after all, this was an adventure that was in part a response to our own empty nest. 

After a few miles, Naomi’s athleticism and youth took over and she was ready to surge ahead of our strong, but still middle-aged, pace. We had a warm farewell and exchanged an “until we meet again”. 

Felt like I was in dad mode

We saw her ahead in the distance as we continued our ride in a southeast direction on Highway 70, which went here by the name Duncan Highway. A mile or so before Lordsburg, we made the left turn onto New Mexico State Highway 90 and reunited with her as she was paused roadside. Heather came up with the fun idea to include her in our weekly Friday video we send to our kids to wish them well and a Shabbat Shalom, a customary Jewish greeting on Friday evenings. We had a great laugh, and as happy as we were to have an adopted cycling daughter, it seemed Naomi was equally pleased to have us as her cycling parents. 

Family Reunion 

While the first 38 miles towards Lordsburg were relatively flat, shortly after that turn, the serious climbing began with a rise from about 4,300’ to 6,300’ packed into a 10 mile stretch. That’s where Naomi left us in the dust. 

The climb was difficult and as we gained altitude, the “thinner air” added to the challenge. It was time to grind it out, slowly, patiently, methodically, one pedal rotation at a time. One thing new I discovered on this trip was I found I could stop to rest on a steep incline, and still start again, in fact easily. I previously thought that if I stopped and lost my momentum, I would not be able to start again while on a steep slope. There was probably a life lesson to be extrapolated - it is okay to stop to rest and regroup when tackling a difficult issue rather than just keep pounding away. 

Grinding out the climb

By 11:20am I was spent and remembered I had two cookies from the bakery last night. They were like super power pills and gave me a boost. 

After an hour more of slow but steady climbing, at 12:21pm I celebrated a major milestone as I passed over the Continental Divide. Although we only completed about 30% of our total trip distance, it felt like a halfway point. I reasoned that if all water was from here on flowing east to the Atlantic, than so must I be flowing as well. 

A physical hurdle and mental milestone

We finally made it to Silver City. Heather had her bike tuned at the Twin Sisters bike shop where the owner AJ was incredibly helpful and has a wit that would be right at home in New York. I explored the Main Street of the historic area which is really charming with its elevated sidewalks, but was depressingly full of many empty storefronts. 

AJ, a NY wit in NM!

After my navigation error added 4 more painful uphill miles, we finally arrived at our Warm Showers hosts. It was the start of a most meaningful visit. Even though google maps told me I was 2,377 miles from our house, it was as if I came home!

© Copyright Mark Segal 2021.