Can A New Marriage Start with a Great Divide?
In this case, our newlyweds have come together to conquer it right out of the gate. My greatest pleasure in hosting my bed & breakfast is the people I meet and the stories we share.
Today came Josh and Maureen to the the Getaway. Just married and planning on lingering along the 3000-ish mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (most attempt 50 miles a day for 60 days straight).
You can follow along on their travel blog here at PolarSteps.com
Here’s their first entry with some added pics:
Day 0: Santa Cruz, CA to Columbus, NM via El Paso. Today was our travel day. We woke up early and left Santa Cruz around 4:30 am to catch our flight to El Paso, TX, which is the nearest airport to the southern terminus of the Great Divide route. On the way to the airport we picked up our friend Caylie who came along with us, and will be driving the rental car to take us to our starting point in Antelope Wells, NM.
Maureen’s parents met us at the airport for logistical reasons, and more importantly for a hug and some holy water on the bikes and us. It’s become a ritual for our bike adventures for Maureen’s mom to bless us and the bikes before our trips. We both look forward to it. It’s our way of knowing we’re ready.
Two plane rides later we were in the El Paso baggage claim assembling the bikes. Everything went smooth. We abandoned the boxes and packing material, which we were told not to do. Sorry El Paso. We got the rental car and Caylie drove us to Columbus, NM where we stayed at The Hole in the Wall Getaway Bed and Breakfast. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s a blend of an Airbnb and a bike ranch. It’s run by an awesome guy, Addison. He was very welcoming and entertaining and we’re really happy he’s one of the first people we met on the trip. What a great start.
After some final adjustments and trouble shooting we felt prepared to start the ride. Tomorrow we’ll leave here early, and we should be at the border and pedaling northbound toward Canada before 7:00 am. Time for sleep. -Josh
Day 1: Antelope Wells, NM to Hachita, NM (45.5 mi) After a quick breakfast we said goodbye to Addison, got the rest of our gear into the car and hit the road. We made a quick stop at the border crossing between Columbus and Palomas, Mexico to see the Great Divide
Mountain Bike Route monument Addison and his uncle worked hard to have installed. While most riders start/end the Great Divide in Antelope Wells, Columbus, which is the alternate start, is a far more convenient terminus and our host hopes that it will become more popular and bring more riders through the town.
On the drive out to Antelope Wells we had a chance to admire a spectacular desert sunrise and preview the scenery we’d be riding though. Once at the border station, it took a little time to get the bikes out of the car and back together with all the gear in its proper place, but before we knew it we were hugging Caylie goodbye and making our first pedal strokes out into the desert.
The road was absolutely quiet and we enjoyed stopping to check out some of the crazy plant life that manages to make a living in this harsh environment. We spotted lots of critters too, birds flitting between the mesquite trees, tarantula wasps buzzing across the road, lots of little brown lizards, and even a lone pronghorn.
I hadn’t expected much from New Mexico, never having been here before, but it is rapidly growing on me. Yes, it’s hot, and yes, it’s dry, but it has its own stark beauty and the Big Hatchet Mountains to the east and the Little Hatchets to the west of our route provided the perfect frame for the scrubby, flat expanse between.
We’ve now arrived at the Hachita Community Center which shares its facilities with GDMBR riders and CDT hikers. It feels a little like cheating getting to take a shower so early on the trip, but I think I’ll take the community center up on the offer. – Maureen
Source: Honeymoon on the Great Divide
Biking Services in Columbus
Call or Text
915- 526-2307
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Biking Package
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Bicycle Friendly Places To Stay
The Hole in the Wall Getaway
A Home Living
Bed & Breakfast Rental
Short & Long Term rentals welcomed.
Perfect for groups or
retreat.
SEE WEBSITE
Los Milagros Boutique Hotel
A six room hotel modeled after our colorful
sister city of Palomas, Mexico
SEE WEBSITE
Hole in the Wall Getaway Campsite
An oasis in the Southwest desert.
Short & Long Term rentals welcomed.
Perfect for groups or retreat.
SEE LISTING ON HIPCAMP
SEE LISTING ON BOOKING
Pancho Villa State Camping & RV Park
The original grounds and buildings of General “Blackjack” Pershing’s Camp Furlong as the backdrop to all the RV and camping sites integrated throughout the park. The park also features a beautiful exhibition hall with artifacts and displays memorializing the fascinating history of our village.