Day 15, March 20: Silver City to Kingston, NM

49 of 49 miles

The ride today is the epic journey of the Southern Tier. Of the 48 ST rides, it is THE ONE I didn’t want to miss but gave me the most pause, as the route traverses Emory Pass in the Mimbres Mountains. To eliminate any suspense, I did it! Yes, I was slow. Yes, I panted. Yes, I stopped quite a lot. No matter. It was just an elegant day in every way, from wakeup to my 8:30 bedtime.

We were fortunate as the weather prediction called for thunderstorms, which would have been the first rain of the trip. However, we awoke to overcast skies, which held for most of the day, with an occasional hazy ray of sunshine. Not only did we not have to cope with rain gear during the long climb, we also avoided the intense sun and heat that have been with us for many days. Perfect climbing weather.

The first 31 miles took us through the towns of Santa Clara, Hanover, and San Lorenzo, with pleasant high desert views.


We stopped to contemplate the Kneeling Nun rock formation, near the summit of the Santa Rita Range.

We had views into the pit of the Santa Clara copper mine, and the mound of the mine operation was visible for several more miles. The copper industry, one of the biggest employers in southwestern New Mexico, has been hit hard in recent months as the price of copper has declined sharply, resulting in many layoffs. There are few alternative jobs for those affected.

The route was consistently up or down, never flat, during which we gained and lost about 4000’, ending in a valley floor. I took this photo during the descent with the peaks of Emory Pass ahead.

At Mile 31 the final, unrelenting climb began, with eight miles of steep grade and an elevation gain of 3000’ to the Emory Pass Vista at 8828’. As I rode solo most of the day, I was able to experience this magical landscape of rock canyons and towering pines with only the sounds of the plentiful songbirds and the rushing water of the Lower and Upper Galinas stream to keep me company. Around Mile 38 I was starting to tire when the SAG wagon, with Nancy behind the wheel, came around a turn. She said, “Carol, just one more mile.” I thought I had two more miles to go, and this was the motivation I needed at just the right moment.

The view from the summit was to the east, including our destination tonight, Kingston. I found four other riders at the summit with whom I shared whoops and screams and congratulations and, of course, photo ops.

Next, the reward— 2300' of elevation lost over eight continuous miles of downhill through hairpin turns with incredible, expansive vistas. I was on my brakes most of the time as anything over 20 mph would have been foolhardy.

Kingston is a little town with a big personality.

The Black Range Lodge is a structure originally built in the mid-1800’s featuring both interior and exterior stone walls. The first floor houses two large gathering rooms, one with a billiard table, and a large country kitchen with a cast iron stove. The second floor also has a large gathering room connecting to an abundance of bedrooms. There are also a couple of straw bale structures where a few women roomed. The rear of the house has every manner of junk that one could imagine—never know when you’ll need an extra part.

Catherine, the proprietor, and her staff prepared a spectacular turkey feast for us after which we celebrated Jan’s 65th birthday.

Marni bestowed upon Mary Jo the SOW award, for steadfast older wild woman. The “statue” was a tiny helmeted hog dressed in a bike jersey with a safety triangle on the back. When you press the hog’s belly, it sings “Born to be Wild”.

Nancy was one of the few people with the energy to do anything productive at the end of this special day. As the SAG driver, she made many trips back and forth through the Pass checking on riders, but only two riders needed a lift.

Finally, this day of great anticipation is behind me—one I will remember forever.