Abiquiu to Cuba Originally this day was supposed to be shorter, but Alex had looked ahead at the weather forecast and suggested we try to get all the way to Cuba, NM so we could get across the desert south of there prior to any rain. The desert is notorious for very sticky mud when it rains, and it can literally bring your bike to a standstill. I was willing to give it a go, so on to Cuba we went! The route to Cuba was a difficult one: almost 80 miles and 8000 feet of climbing! We got an early start, and the road out of Abiquiu went up as soon as it left town. The previous day we had dropped from over 10,000 feet to Abiquiu at about 6000. Today we went back up to over 10,000 right out of town. After a few miles of “normal” gravel, we turned onto a small rocky road that clearly used to be a wagon road! Wagon ruts were worn into the rock and the climbing wound up through solid rock broken up by patches of sand. I’ve never ridden anything quite like it—Moab is close—and certainly not while bike packing. It was so fun and different and challenging. But slow. At the rate we were going, there was simply no way we could get to Cuba before dark. We kept climbing, and eventually reached the high point of the day. We had a snack and breathed in the high mountain air again. Our hope was that the road condition would improve when we started down the other side of the mountain. Our hopes were realized when we found smooth, deserted gravel road heading toward Cuba. With good roads, we had a real chance of getting to Cuba so we pedaled with some fresh urgency. We stayed above 10,000 feet for quite some time, rolling along a high plateau with beautiful views and challenging small climbs. After a few miles we dropped elevation into another beautiful New Mexico pine forest—almost park like. With the improved roads and the bulk of the climbing behind us, we transitioned from gravel to pavement the last few miles and raced into town hungry and tired. We decided to treat ourselves to a hotel, and got the last 2 rooms at a newly renovated hotel in town. Success! After a shower and a good dinner walking distance from the hotel, I made it back to my room and put my feet up and did nothing. It was wonderful. And so was the day.