Dusty First Week

Here are some pictures from our first week on the Continental Divide route! It has been a strange and interesting mix of desert landscapes, mountainous pine forests, and volcanic lumps on the horizon. Enjoy!

Leaving the pavement! Signs say "no services next 120 miles" and "expect delays of up to four hours." But, we continued anyways! Our first week has been tough but beautiful. So far this route has been very remote but social. We have met a good amount of Continental Divide through-hikers. There is very little water and CDT hikers have to average around 20 miles a day, so we are very happy to be biking. The roads are unpredictable- rocky, sandy, steep, but definitely not muddy.


Our first campsite at Black Canyon Creek. We went a really tough 25 miles the first day. No, but really, it was tough.


Beautiful rock formations throughout the Gila National Forest. Our only company the first 4 days were the cows.


Our second campsite which turned out to have poison ivy.

Rocky roads.

A very windy day. this is after getting through ten miles of the most amazing headwind I have ever encountered. 70 mph gusts! We rode through a lot of dust storms...eyeballs, teeth, and between the toes (as well as everywhere else) was coated with dust.

The only windmill or cattle trough with water so far. Don't look into these, lots of animals get over-eager and drown in there.

On the way to Pietown, NM.


The Toaster House in Pie Town. Nita, our host, raised (and birthed) 5 children in this house, and now lets through hikers and bikers stay there. She stocks up the fridge with beer and frozen pizzas, and asks only for donations. A very nice spot.

Pie Town has two pie shops, but no groceries, convenience store, or other services. Only pie.

The Toaster House has lots of toasters. Go figure!

Where did my tire go?

Lava Falls in El Malpais National Monument.

La Ventana in El Malpais.