Op-ed by – BigAddison HoleintheWallGetaway.com

For as long as my family have been providing hospitality services to travelers landing in the historic Village of Columbus, New Mexico, bicyclists have been a mainstay of our hotelier history.

Turns out Columbus, NM is the most favored alternate starting or termination point for those taking on the 3000+ mile Continental Divide trail on foot or pedal. (See links below for all that info.)

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail) is a United States National Scenic Trail running 3,100 miles (5,000 km) between Mexico and Canada. It follows the Continental Divide of the Americas along the Rocky Mountains and traverses five U.S. states — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.

The CDT in New Mexico is about 700 miles (1,100 km) long. Three southern termini of the trail exist: Crazy Cook Monument, Antelope Wells and Columbus, all in New Mexico’s boot heel. Columbus, New Mexico, is also the northern terminus of the annual 250-mile (400 km) Cabalgata Binacional Villista.

Alternately, Columbus, NM also is on the itinerary of those traversing Coast-to-Coast as I found out last year when Timberline Tours needed emergency shelter and housing for their 25 cyclists caught in one of our little rain, wind and hail storms. (read my blog article https://villageofcolumbusnm.com/the-hole-cycle-stops-here/)

Getaway and Ride!

Following tradition, I decided to open my own little Bed and Breakfast. Converting my home into a hosted retreat for those who need a little more space, privacy, and peace of mind. Little did I know until my recent purchase of my own Lectric Trail Blazer that my home offers exhilaration and picturesque bike riding right out of the driveway!

I’m still exploring all the different trails and directions I can go. The featured image of this post shows a sunrise rise 5 miles into the desert. That would be a left turn out my driveway. A right turn will lead you to the Old Road to El Paso. It looks like it goes forever. These pictures were taken 4 miles out of town. From here the views of the Florida and Tres Hermanas mountains rise in the distance.

Speaking of “rising in the distance”, the “Columbus Curtain” aka our border wall, is an exercising 5 mile ride away along a desert trail road, or a very brisk fast ride down the Highway to our beautiful Port of Entry.

FYI: You’re “smallest” challenge in conquering the Land of Enchantment on a bicycle won’t be the hills, or the monsoon rains and winds, or the dust storms, or the “dry” driving heat. It will be your little bike tires are RED CAPES to our “Toros” that roam freely searching our roads and highways for their prey.

After that, just avoid the Kamikaze birds and Jack rabbits, and cattleguards. Ohhh, and rattlesnakes laying across the roads to warm their cold blood!

Visit my website for more information and booking Your Enchanted Cycles! www.HoleintheWallGetaway.com