Today we rode from Joe Skeen Campground (25km after Sargents), New Mexico, US to Valle Tios Vinces Campground (45km after Pie Town), New Mexico, US. Not as sunny weather as other days, there was some overcast (which was appreciated) and a few raindrops during our second part. Road conditions included paved roads, and for the large part New Mexico gravel roads. Highlights of the day include being back in (smaller) mountains and forests.

Riding statistics: on Thursday, September 8, 2022, day 39 on the route, it took 10:57h (08:18h moving time), between 07:37 and 18:35, to cover 133 km (83 miles), including 1267 m (4157 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 16 km/h (10 mph), while reaching a maximum speed of 38 km/h (24 mph). During this ride the average temperature was 29 °C (84 °F) with a minimum of 15 °C (59 °F) and a maximum of 44 °C (111 °F).

Totals: So far, it took 11 days, 15 hours, 31 minutes, and 22 seconds of cycling time to cover 4091 km (2542 miles), including 48389 m (158764 ft) elevation gain, with an average speed of 15.0 km/h (9.3 mph).

We have slept very well on this quiet location. For this morning we have set our alarms to 6am so we can leave early, we expected a longer day. First, we want to make it to Pie Town, and after a lunch break, we want to continue to a campground 45km (28 miles) after Pie Town. The morning started with only a little bit of sunshine; there were mainly clouds. We noticed it, because the entire trip so far, almost all mornings it have been clear skies. The temperature was perfect for our morning ride.

We continued our ride through the El Maipas National Monument. There was a very nice scenery with canyons, lava fields, and meadows. The lava fields is something you could see from the road. They are from very long ago, so there is already vegetation growing on it, but you can still see the shape of the lava underneath the vegetation.

After about another 25km (15.5 miles) we turned off on a gravel road. The clouds had dissolved for a large part, and there was a bright sun. We could see it continuing in the very far distance. It started as a regular gravel road, but quite soon it became much harder. Very loose gravel, severe wash boarding, patches of loose sand, and eventually rocks, combined with many short up- and downhills.

Just before 2pm we arrived at Pie Town. Went into Does & Bucks Coffee & Café, and ordered burgers with salads, a special ice drink (strawberry / banana), ice cold water, and a piece of Pie. It was a bit busy, and they were also preparing for the 40th anniversary of the annual Pie Festival which would be in two days. The result is that they first forgot to take our order, then they forgot our utensils, and on top they forgot our water and special drinks. We got the special drinks on the house for the inconvenience, and they also let us fill up completely on water. They had filtered water which tasted well. To be honest, the pie wasn’t fantastic, we had expected better in a town with this name and reputation.

After completing our lunch and having a longer break than planned for, we continued our ride. On our way out of Pie Town we passed The Toaster House. This is a house were hikers and bikers can spend the night. From the moment we left Pie Town, there were more clouds again. Occasionally there were some rain drop, fortunately, not enough to get our rain gear or make the road impassable (otherwise it would be next-to-the-road camping).

Because we left late in Pie Town, it was already around 6:30pm when we arrived at the Valle Tios Vices Campground. The last section had been all uphill. We felt tired and were happy to see the campground. There were about 10 RVs, mainly people who where there for hunting. We selected a level spot for our tents, ate, cleaned up, hung our food, and went into our tents.

What seemed to be a flat day turned out to be a 1200+ meter elevation gain day.

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