In September, 1996, I rode two-thirds of the Santa Fe Trail with a group. This is an account of the ride.
Being the type of person that leaves things to the last minute, I didn't even sign-up for this ride until 3 days before it started. I had seen the ad in Bicycling Magazine months before. But it wasn't until I was having a very bad day at work that I decided I really needed to get away! So, I called Willard, begged a little and he let me on the trip.
The ride left Santa Fe, NM on Saturday. I joined the group in Las Vegas, N.M. at the end of their first day's ride. I couldn't get away in time to start with the group since I had only called four days before the ride started.
The first person I met was Gill, from England! How funny. She looked a bit confused when I asked her if she was going to the Baseball diamonds (she didn't have clue as to what I was talking about), but I finally convinced her that I was joining the tour and was looking for the group. Since they were camping on the baseball diamond that evening, I thought she would know the way. She showed me her map and we found some of the other riders. We followed them and located the evening's camping site. I then met Willard (the leader) and found where to pitch my tent.
I unpacked my gear, set up my tent and sorted out my bicycle. I introduced myself to a few riders and after camp was setup, it was time to eat. We ate in the Cafeteria at the University. I followed a couple of people over to the cafeteria. Since I didn't know anyone I sat down and introduced myself to the other riders. I met Dan and Jan, and some other folks over dinner. Too many names to remember all at once!
It was difficult for me to figure out how the group was operating, since I was joining late. But in fact most of the people hadn't really met yet, so it wasn't a problem. I ate, talked and finally returned to my tent for an early night since I hadn't slept too well on the train.
It was cold that night and I was very tired. I slept on and off and hurried off to take a shower in the morning.
Breakfast was easier, since we all knew where the cafeteria was now. I ate with Gill and met more riders. Gill was riding with James, from Texas. They were nice enough to wait for me while I got all my gear sorted out. We were close to the last people to leave (which would become a common theme with me) and took the roads out to the frontage road. What a beautiful day for riding - blue sky, warm weather and yellow flowers all along the road.
The ride out of town was along daisy lined country roads. The yellow flowers looked perfect with the riders yellow jerseys! It was as if nature decided to dress in the same color as many of the riders. The sun was shining and the morning was perfect! I knew that I had made the right decision to go on this trip.
I was SO happy! All the concerns about leaving at the last minute, the train journey, being away from my cats - they all disappeared as I rode along with the others, stopping to read the roadside markers and just enjoying the perfect weather. We were headed to Fort Union for our lunch stop. The countryside was wide open land.
We rode to Fort Union where we ate lunch and joined a tour group to learn about the history of the area. Our introduction to the Santa Fe Trail. This was one of the forts established by the Army to protect travellers and goods moving over the Santa Fe trail from Indian attacks. What I hadn't realized about the SFT was that it was originally a commercial trail and it was an international trail when it first opened. Remember, New Mexico was part of Mexico! The ruins consisted of parts of walls and doorways of the third fort built on the site. There were other ruins if you wanted to hike around, but we opted for the ranger's tour. We saw the army wagons that were pulled by mules. The parts on the wagons were inter- changeable, a new idea back then.
We walked through the remains of the buildings, looked at the wagons that were used at the fort and bought some books. I thought I'd have time to read some history while I was on this trip - wrong. Somehow I always managed to fill up every minute of every day.
After a brown bag lunch we rode into the wind and headed towards Wagon Mound. The ride wasn't long but the wind was howling into our faces. It was tough going for a while there. Then we turned and had a tailwind into town! I found a small cafe that had a dozen or so different pies and settled in for pie and coffee. This was going to become a well-liked routine on the trip.
I had some buttermilk pie because it looked good and I had never even heard of it before. I enjoy trying new foods and I have rarely been disappointed by my choices. The pie was wonderful! The coffee was hot and strong. I was having a perfect day. :) The restaurant was an old building with a tin ceiling and adobe walls. There were brands on the walls from local ranches. I decided that we should design a brand for the Santa Fe trip. This was met with very little enthusiasm from the crowd but I worked on the design for days until I found something that I thought was perfect: integral of pi bar pi. I guess I should register the brand someday.
After a long break at the cafe we finally rode to the school where we were spending the night. We pitched our tents on the baseball fields and since the wind was still blowing hard I set up my little tent behind a larger "windbreak" tent. It helped keep my tent from being airborne. Then it was time for dinner and an evening hike up the butte that gave Wagon Mound its name.
Our "hike" seemed like a good idea until we hit the steep climb combined with the fast approaching darkness. We managed to get to the top before day totally departed but that meant we came down in the dark. There were potholes and rocks that tripped us and bushes that tore at our clothes. It was a silly thing to make the climb so late in the day but we didn't realize what we were getting into until it was too late. We managed to avoid the cemetery that was at the foot of the butte.
The next morning we had breakfast burritos in the cafeteria and then rode north to Springer. Our stop there was a B&B that had a little cafe attached. It was pie and coffee again and then someone discovered that our bike ride was featured in the local paper.
We entered Colorado at the top of Raton Pass (7,834'). The climb wasn't bad, just long. The weather was a bit cool and it started to drizzle after we crested. The SAG truck was parked around the corner from the top, so we stopped for a quick snack and to put all our warm clothes on. The descent from Raton was a long (11 mile) downhill along the shoulder of I-25. Gill *loved* it. I stopped now and then to keep my speed under control.
We camped at Trinidad (though some of the folks opted for a warm, dry motel). We had our first rest day - a chance to do laundry and relax. Gill, James and I rode into Cokeville for a tour of the old mining town. The museum was closed, but a local give us a long history of the area.
We left Trinidad and rode along 350 to La Junta. It was a long stretch of road with few cars. I really enjoyed the ride for the first 65 miles or so, then I started to bonk. The ride through the Comanche National Grasslands was very scenic. We saw some cowboys herding cattle and of course we had to stop for a Kodak moment! There is a lot of history in this region. I wish I had more time and energy to stop and see it all. Just outside of La Junta we came across a rest stop that had a display of the dustbowl region. I didn't realize that the Dust Bowl reached this far west! The before and after pictures were quite stunning. Luckily we have learned something from our past behavior. The region was rather desolate now and provided quiet cycling along the main road.
Leaving La Junta we rode east along 50. The road was dead straight for as far as you could see, just undulating over the hills. It was awesome! We stopped at John Dove's house/store to look at the Lakota items he and his wife made and sold. John spent quite a bit of time telling us about the Lakota culture, all this while we were sitting inside the teepee that his family lives in several months of the year. It was fascinating, but time being the constant pressure it is, kept us from staying as long as I would have liked.
Throughout the prairie and plains, finding your way is quite different than navigating L.A.'s freeways. You really don't need a map out here. Just keep your eyes open and look for the radio antenna or the silos. They both are lighthouses for the bicyclist, but instead of warning you about hazards, they indicate towns. I could see the radio tower off in the distance and it was just a matter of putting your head down and keep pedaling to it.
We had also spent some time at Bent's Old Fort, a reconstructed trading post that was quite important during the main period of trade along the Santa Fe Trail.
We had a lunch stop at Hasty. Lots of flies and heat. Not exactly the place I'd like to live, but the people were friendly. Hasty's claim to fame is that it's the junction for the John Martin Reservoir.
After bouncing back and forth between the two stores in town, we decided to buy some bread and meat and make our own sandwiches. Not exactly the place I'd like to live, but the people were friendly. Hasty's claim to fame is that it's the junction for the John Martin Reservoir (ice, bait and beer!). We then continued on 50 past the feedlots (ride FAST) and finally reached Lamar. The Junior College in Lamar was a real cowtown. The guys wore Levis, leather belts with huge belt buckles and either cowboy hats or baseball caps worn with the bill towards the front (culture shock for those of us from big cities.) It was very different from what I was used to seeing. This was ranch/farming country.
Gill and I got a reasonable start from Lamar (that means we weren't the last people to leave) and after an hour of hard riding caught the others. Gill kept up a good pace that prevented me from dallying too long. She just keeps spinning, while I tend to pedal and coast, pedal and coast. I had to keep cranking away to not get dropped by her. And since I didn't have a pump, it was important that I stayed with someone. Our lunch stop this day was provided by a family in Holly, CO. They lived in a great stone house that was along the Santa Fe Trail. Everyone was concerned about the long day and the loss of an hour when we reached Kansas. Somehow this vacation never quite seemed like a vacation! I was always hurrying somewhere - to dinner, to the showers, to the sag wagon or to camp. Any ideas I had about a relaxing bike trip had long since been thrown out the window! I guess the others were having a relaxed trip.
The "Holly House" was lovely, as were the owners. It was a real treat to eat homemade food and visit with the family (including their cat). They gave us a tour and told us about the history of the house. Wow, it was like living in a museum. The Santa Fe trail went right along the river bank near the house. And then the railway came by, on the other side of the house. This house must have seen quite a few visitors in it's time.
We reluctantly left Holly and headed for the border. The day was beautiful - blue sky, sunny and clear skies. Gill, Lou, Jerry Van Vickle and I stopped at the border to take the traditional "Welcome to _____" picture. It helps to remind you of where you had been. Leaving our second state and entering our third state! Wow, what a sense of accomplishment. I really enjoyed the fact that we could measure our progress on a map. As you clicked off state after state, you knew that you were going somewhere - quite unlike the traditional circle routes that people tend to ride. It was a long ride through western Kansas - a state that I had only been to once before in my life. It was kind of what I had remembered - farmlands, roads that took a 90 degree turn at township lines, corn fields and silos. So different than what I was used to. And I liked bicycling through this type of scenery, it was so beautiful. We were headed for Lakin, Kansas. A typical small town with a Dairy Queen (DQ), a wonderful museum and numerous silos. The road turned north and we started over a series of hills. It was incredibly hot and the long day combined with the heat and hills took its toll. Gill and I stopped at a cemetery to rest and then had to stop again several times along the way. Gill was starting to bonk - perhaps due to her illness. (I'd bonked miles ago and was barely hanging on to her rear wheel.) She ate a banana and we were off again. It was hard riding to town and with great relief we reached the camp.
Stopping for the traditional picture at the border, we then headed on into the wind. It was hot, very hot. We rode on, looking for the silos that marked towns in this part of the country.
The little tent town had already sprung up before we arrived. We got our gear and staked out our homesteads. Then I settled in with a pepsi and some conversation - never one to hurry and set up my tent. Jackopelli had his tent up already. Looks like he didn't need our help anymore.
Dodge City was a shock. In the first place , I didn't realize that it was in Kansas. (I know that sounds strange, but I never thought about cattle, cowboys and Indians living in Kansas. Dorothy lived in Kansas. And little Toto, not cowboys.) I had only been through Kansas once before - driving cross country one summer many years ago. So the thought of millions of head of cattle traversing the state was foreign.
We stayed at Dodge City Community College, which I liked. I read their newspaper and was surprised to read that they had a rodeo team. Hmm, I guess schools in California had rodeo teams, but it wasn't a sport I was familiar with. The staff were nice and I liked staying near the prairie dog town.
Prairie dogs are funny little animals and someone told me that they were pests. There was an effort to relocate them by sucking them up into this huge vacuum machine with padded walls and then moving them somewhere else. I couldn't imagine that you could suck them up and not hurt them. They had a strange little bark and jumped up and down like a jack-in-the-box.
I always enjoy seeing animals in their natural habitat. So a prairie dog for me was a treat to watch. Just like the pronghorns we had seen in Colorado. I get tired of seeing dead animals when I ride. It's one of the drawbacks to an otherwise great sport.
We had a day off in Dodge, so after the traditional laundry run, Gill and I had our second Wal-Mart experience of the trip. I wanted to buy a camera that Jerry had with him on the trip. He had bought it at Wal-Mart in Texas. I went in search of the camera and Gill wanted to buy some jeans before she returned to England.
We had fun trying on western clothes and looking at all the stuff we didn't need.
That evening a group headed into town to eat at a restaurant. We discovered that there aren't laws against smoking in restaurants in Kansas. Yuck! We left one place after 5 minutes because no one could breathe. We finally found a place that was tolerable.
The next morning was an early one as we resumed our riding. We were heading to Larned and most of the way there wasn't much but fields of grain. We had a discussion about what type of grain it was. When we stopped at a CO-OP later in the day, the people there told us that it was milo. They were very friendly at the CO-OP. They should us a machine that sorts out the garbage from the grain to determine how much the grain the load actually carries. They explained that red winter wheat was grown in that area. We spent quite a while learning about the region.
The optional stop today was Fort Larned. The weather was starting to look questionable, so Gill and I decided to ride into camp. When we arrived , the riders who had gone to the Fort said we should see it. We decided to backtrack in the morning and visit the Fort.
While we were setting up camp, a local lady came by and told us there was a tornado warning. Great! What are we supposed to do if a tornado comes by? I didn't want to find out.
It started to rain, so we all huddled under a covered eating area and tried to learn everyone's name. (It was only the 11th day of the trip!) The rain didn't last long and then it was time to eat. We went into a nearby building and had another good meal. We talked with the locals who were serving the meal. They seemed quite proud of their city - as did most people in Kansas I met.
Gill, Theresa and I decided to sleep in the Ryder truck rather than pitch tents (and take them down in the morning.) We thought it was a good idea until the next morning, when one of the early bird riders came tromping in to get some stuff out of the truck. It was obvious that our presence wasn't appreciated.
We finally got up and went to breakfast. A different group of people were serving breakfast. We ate pancakes and sausage and drank coffee and orange juice. Then back to the camp to pack up and catch our ride to the Fort.
Russell gave us a lift to the Fort, where we had a nice visit. The museum at Fort Larned is excellent! The displays are very informative and both sides viewpoints were presented. It was one of the first museums that I had seen where you were given the facts and left to make up your own mind about who was right or wrong. (Bottom line, both sides had people who did terrible things.) I really liked visiting the Fort. However, the weather had other plans so we had to leave sooner than I wanted. It was raining when we left and as we rode, it continued to rain. It was absolutely freezing!! I couldn't believe how cold it could be in September. My hands and feet were numb. We rode on in silence barely able to see the road through the rain and spray. After what seemed like ages, we arrived at Pawnee Rock. The rock was on our list of things to see but it was too cold to visit today. We stopped at a CO-OP to see if we could get some plastic bags for our feet.
CO-OPs are wonderful in Kansas! The guys inside gave us some coffee and let us use the restroom. They even scoured the place looking for plastic bags for us. Gill ended up with a black trashbag that she tied around her head to keep her ears warm. She looked like a ninja with her "headband". I was still cold but drinking coffee and eating some Little Deb's Granola bars helped. If I had seen the sag, I would have climbed right in. (We found out later that most of the riders *had* done just that. Only 6-8 riders made it the entire way that day.)
We continued on our way after our stop. The rain ceased but it was still cold. I wasn't getting much warmer by riding. I was miserable. :( We would ride for a while and then stop to try and warm up. Finally, we saw the sag but Gill was determined to ride every inch of the Santa Fe Trail, so I said I'd ride with her. On we went through the cold weather until we reached a gas station that offered a small selection of food. We stopped there and judging by the puddles still on the floor, other riders had stopped before us. Another long break to eat and try to warm up. It was close to 3 p.m. and I had been very cold all day.
Soon after we left the gas station the clouds cleared up and the sun came out! In 15 minutes we were dry and the day was wonderful. It was unreal how quickly things turned around. We were quite happy as we rode the last few miles into camp - dry.
Most of the riders were at the college already. No surprise as most of them had sagged in. We stayed at Sterling College that evening. We had the option of sleeping in the gym which was fine with me as I try to avoid putting up my tent. Gill, Teresa and I found a little stairwell that we claimed so we wouldn't be woken up by the early risers in the group. Dinner was in the cafeteria - all you could eat - and I ate quite a bit. I slept well that evening.
My last day on the ride. I had to catch Amtrak out of Newton very early the next morning so I wanted to talk to everyone on the ride and say "good-bye". Gill and I were last out again and rode hard to catch the first rider. We talked to Virginia Jerry, Bud and Jim. I took pictures of them as they rode, something to remember them by. We caught up with Don and Marilyn , the other GT riders in the group. We got lost getting into town and took the roundabout way to the old part of town where we saw Russell's bike and then saw Jerry and Judy. We all ate lunch together. Jerry and Judy bought my lunch as a good-bye gift. That was really nice though I felt guilty as I was really hungry and had ordered a lot.
After lunch, Gill and I stopped at an antique store and bought some stuff. She bought me a Kansas license plate to remember the trip by. It's in my family room. Gill bought one too, which she has in her kitchen. I also bought some ration coupons from WWII. I had heard about them but hadn't seen any. Now I have a piece of history.
We rode on across Kansas enjoying the warm day and the green fields. When we stopped at the college it was with a bit of sadness that my trip was nearly over. Even though I was happy to stop riding for a while (as every muscle in my body had been aching for over a week) I didn't want to leave the gang. Perhaps every rider has a trip where they bond like we did. The group was like a family. We got along very well and had some great times exploring the small towns we visited.
My last day with the group. I had extended my trip beyond the original departure date and had to get back to work. Gill and Jerry got up early to drive me to the Amtrak station in Newton, Kansas. I was very sad to leave the group as we all got along so well and they were continuing the journey. After the one day of horrible weather, I was back enjoying the riding. I wanted to see Missouri and the end of the Trail. But it would have to wait until I had more time. My hasty departure from work meant that there was no choice but to head back to work.
At least I got to retrace my ride as the train slowly took me away from my new friends and back towards my old friends. I saw the leftover snow around Trinidad, probably left from the storm that caught us in Kansas. I saw the reservoir by Hasty as the train tracks veered away from the trail. I saw the statue of the pioneer woman in La Junta, and the signs announcing Las Vegas, New Mexico where this wonderful experience started. And even now, when I close my eyes, I can see us riding our bicycles down quiet country roads and eating pie in small cafes.