The plans were all set. I had a meeting in Albuquerque so I thought, “why not, I’ll ride my bike home”. This was to be leg three in a plan to ride my bike to or from my house to each of the states that border Colorado. I flew my bike down, spent two nights in Albuquerque and then bright and early on a Sunday morning set out. The route I had chosen home wasn’t the most direct but it took me through some beautiful places. Sante Fe, Taos, Alamosa, Salida, Leadville, Frisco – these were my planned stops along the way.
The first day was a 75 mile ride to Sante Fe via the Turquoise Trail. The day was hot, clear and dry. It was a wonderful day to be on the road. I had to stop a few times during the morning to make adjustments to my gear but overall I made steady progress and enjoyed the high plateau on the back side of Sandia Mountain.
The traffic was fairly light and the road (mostly State Hwy 14) was in good shape. I had a much needed lunch in the mining town turned artists village of Madrid. But before lunch, as I was rolling along I saw a hand made sign announcing a “Free Information” and “Gold Mine”, of course I had to stop.
I parked my bike and looked around a bit but didn’t find anyone at home. The music was playing and literature was on a fold-up TV table but the tour guide wasn’t on the premises. I took a few photos and as I was about to leave I saw a small penciled in sign stating “If I missed you tell me who you are – Leroy Gonzalez”. I took a piece of the weathered scrap paper waiting for a reply and scratched my name and where I was from with a pencil that hadn’t been sharpened for years. Just after I deposited my name tag a guy came walking over from next door. I asked “are you Leroy?”. He looked at me sideways and said “how did you know my name? Did you see me on YouTube?”.
And so my time began with Leroy Gonzalez, Mayor of Golden New Mexico. Leroy then gave me a tour of his kingdom which included his home made mine shafts, a cantina and a teepee. The video below gives you a glimpse at part of the tour. The first part of the tour in in his “cantina” where he is showing me his wood stove. In the second clip he is showing off his business cards made by other tourists who have come through town. I hope this gives you a good taste of Leroy. It made me smile all day long!
Here is a shot of his yard. What you can see is almost the extent of the tour. In the foreground, where the light is shining you can see what looks to be teeth. That mound is a dirt sculpture of his dog (it was much better after he turned on the fountain which spouts out of his back). To the left of that is similar depiction of his cat. The gold mine is straight back (you can see the light bulb which is set in front of two mirrors giving the effect that it goes on forever). The cantina is to the left of the gold mine and to the left of that is another gold mine. You may notice the tip jar. Don’t worry I gave him a good tip.
Here is a typical scene along Highway 14.
As I was riding along, I was startled by this snake right in my lane. I pulled over and went back and found that it was a little rattle snake who looked like it was heading across the road but was actually dead. There wasn’t any signs of trauma and I wasn’t sure enough that it was dead so I didn’t get too close. Cool to see though.
I pulled into Sante Fe around 4 pm and it took me over a half hour to find the house where I was staying. I found that the streets in Sante Fe are not on a grid and unless you get lucky you need to re-route often in order to get to where you are headed. I finally made it to my hosts house and got settled in, met some new friends and got cleaned up. There is a website called Warmshowers.org that is especially for bike travelers. The design is for people who travel by bike to open their homes to like minded others. I used Warm Showers to find a local host.
At about six I set out on my bike to explore The Plaza and to find a place to eat. Unfortunately, this is where my trip ended. As I entered an intersection a car coming the opposite direction took a left and didn’t see me at all. I saw him! and was able to channel my inner stuntman and jumped from my pedals onto his hood and then rolled off into safety. I’m really grateful to report that I walked away unhurt. I didn’t even need a band-aid. Unfortunately, by bike wasn’t as fortunate. It was bent beyond repair.
So what to do when a trip is cut short?
For me the trip was over, but not with regret, resentment or a sense of what could have been. When you are out experiencing the world you must be ready to take what comes and then adapt. One definition of adventure is to “engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory”. I was doing just that. In this case my plans didn’t equal the outcome. But all I could do is to adjust, put it in perspective, thank God and head home. At the time I was so filled with gratitude for my protection that there wasn’t any room for anger, blame or anything else for that matter. I still feel that way. For me the accident is a non-event. Just another curve in the road that I’m thankful to have made it around.
I have a new bike on order and I can’t wait to get out there again. For now the rest of New Mexico will have to wait.
