"Church tomorrow?"
"Maybe, but I've got Velo Church in the morning."
"So, in other words, you're riding?" my wife quips while rolling her eyes.
"Yep. One last ride in the mountains before leaving. Plus, with GFNCS Colorado and the West Elk Bicycle Classic soon and I need some quality saddle time."
"Your butt could use some quality pew time..."
"Maybe," I say sheepishly staring at the ground."
"Cowboy Church is in the evening. They have a pot luck dinner so you'll get food for the body and soul."
"OK. You had me at 'pot luck dinner'. Plus, Cowboy Church seems fitting since I spend a lot of time in the saddle."
A Sunday in Heaven. Credit: NMDOT
Sunday morning is crisp and clear with wonderful blue skies. The plan is to ride one big 'friggin loop in the Southern Rockies. Angel Fire to Mora to Ledoux to Sapello to La Cueva to Ocate and back to Angel Fire. A 200km romp in Mora county - one of the most rural counties in New Mexico, where prairie dogs outnumber people 10:1.
La Cueva's San rafael Church. Credit: Salman Ranch
The route on NM 434 to Mora is downhill and I make good time. Near Mora storm clouds move in. Soon blue skies are replaced with light rain turning into pouring rain then hail. This is not your everyday monsoon storm, but rather a real wrath-of-God storm delivered in biblical proportions. 50mph wind, hail the size of locusts, thunder and lightning so close I hear the boom before seeing a flash. The only thing missing is fire and brimstone falling from the skies. My lycra underwear bike kit is no match for hail. Each pellet leaves a welt. Up the road I spy an adobe church which I pray is unlocked.
Serpent church. Credit: NMHISTORICPRERVATON.ORG
No such luck for a spinner like me, but there is a small roof over the door to provide some shelter from the storm. Huddling on the stoop I see a snake slithering up the steps towards me. Not just any snake, but a BIG snake. A 5ft long albino serpent heading directly towards me - with flicking tongue. I like snakes about as much as Indiana Jones, so I'm terrified. Seems all the rain flushed the serpent from a hole in the cemetery and it's seeking higher ground. Unfortunately for the snake, I hold the higher ground and will not yield. Using a few strategically aimed squirts of Gatorade I redirect the serpent off the steps, around the side of the building and most importantly, nowhere near me.
Maybe this is a sign from above - or below? Maybe I should turn around and get my butt into church this morning? Yet, a few minutes later with skies clearing and rays of sunshine lighting the path forward I continue.
Murphy Lake Sanctuary. Credit: NMSP
In Mora I turn onto NM 94 and up Cebolla Pass. The 10% one-mile climb warms my body after the cold rain. In Ledoux I see a sign for Morphy Lake State Park. It warns "Narrow Winding Road. Steep Grades. No Vehicles Over 18 feet." Now that sounds interesting, so I pedal up the narrow road.
Oh Lord, blessed are the freewheel makers. Especially those who maketh a 12x29. Unfortunately, I'm on a 12x27 and that warning sign is the understatement of the year. A cruel hoax put forth by a devil within NMDOT. The road is nothing but a paved deer path heading straight up the side of a mountain, culminating with a ½ mile at 16%. With much suffering I reach my goal, discovering a gorgeous lake surrounded by majestic mountains. On the return decent I pray to St. Swiss Stop that my brake pads don't fail.
San Isidro Church. Credit: NMHISTORICPRERVATON.ORG
Continuing down NM 94 I pass the beautiful 200-year-old San Isidro adobe church to a chorus of Campy gear shifts. Along the way I see several roadside descansos commemorating sites where people died suddenly and unexpectedly. In New Mexico they are protected by law. Some are very beautiful, some humble. All are special, reminding us of our own mortality.
Roadside descanso. Credit: NMDOT
After a quick stop at Sapello to fill bottles I take NM 518 to La Cueva. It's a National Historic Site with an 1850 ranch house, gristmill and the iconic San Rafael Church. Plus, most importantly to a berry connoisseur like me, is home to the Salman Raspberry Ranch. Today the "U-Pick-It-Field" is open so of course I stop to sample mother nature's berry gift to the word - Raspberries.
Is this heaven? Credit: Salman Ranch
La Cueva to Ocate is traversed on a rural road at the edge of mountains. With a headwind, numerous climbs and running low on water it felt like I wandered 40 years before arriving in Ocate. The town is so small the sign just reads "populated". Fortunately, there is a little store run by Tony. He is a saint. Tony's lived here his whole life - 80 years. Walking into the store is like walking into his home - literally, they are one in the same. He welcomes everyone like a friend stopping by to visit. All the basic necessities he stocks - soda, candy, and ice cream - in his living room refrigerator. Plus, he's always cooking something on the stove to warm a weary soul. Today it's chicken noodle soup. We chat about current events while I grab a Coke from the fridge. Tony asks me where I'm going - Angel Fire. He shakes his head. Tells me NM 120 is a dirt road that turns into a rough rock-gravel-washed-out path posing as highway. My reply, "Thanks. Sounds wonderful." as I head out the door.
“I’d go Back if I were U.” Credit: NMDOT
A few miles up NM 120 I hit dirt. Official NMDOT sign reads "Unpaved Road Next 9 Miles." A hand painted sign adds "I'd go Back if I were U." Time to dust off my CX skills. Wait, I have no CX skills or experience. I pray for divine intervention to get me through this, but nobody said the path would be easy. So I ride on - over rocks, boulders, bigger rocks, gravel, rocky streams, wash outs and up 10% rocky grades where I stay seated just to keep 23mm of rear tire from spinning. Humming and whistling
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life keeps my mind off the jostling, bumps and suffering. An hour later I ride onto smooth asphalt and, with much rejoicing, regain feeling in my hands.
My first Cowboy Supper but not my last. Credit: WPCF
A quick descent down the mountain and I'm back in Angel Fire - famished and looking forward to the pot luck dinner. After cleaning up and putting on my best Sunday jeans my wife and I head to Cowboy Church. We find great food, music and fellowship. The dinner is made in heaven, packed full of delicious homemade dishes, desserts, salads and breads. I even bore some local cowboys with tales of my ride as they talk about horsin' around. It's a nice way to end a long day at church.
John is a former faux pro racer enjoying life as a geriatric cyclist in search of great bucket list rides to keep him in shape and out of trouble - well, at least in shape.
He writes about his Bucket Rides in all their variety and glory for Granfondo.com. See his other pieces here
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