State 44 of 50  

    New Mexico

Capital: Santa Fe

Population: 2,500,000 (ranked 35th of 50 states)

Area: 315,000 km² (ranked 5th of 50 states)

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Ride Report

This state: 898 kms     Journey to date: 24,176 kms

Scroll down below the route map for this state's ride report and photos

Ride Report

New Mexico........ phew! Two days of scenery overload, a religious experience, thunderstorms blowing up out of clear blue skies, an Indiana Jones quest, camping problems at 9,000ft, red escarpments & cliffs, pueblos & tavernas, waving Mexican-looking kids & a Denny's meal.

I camped for 2 nights, the second in the woods at Bandelier National Monument. I was freezing even snuggled into a down sleeping bag rated for Mt Everest. What was going on? I then started seeing elevation signs and realised I was at 9,000ft above sea level. What the...? How did I climb so high? Surely getting to New Mexico from the south coast through Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas then Oklahoma.. they're all flat aren't they?

I had one sit down meal in 2 days - the rest of my fuel intake was snacking and water. It was that sort of ride. You just didn't want to get off. Around each bend was a new vista. My route meandered around the mountains and ski areas. I was over the plains. I craved corners and hills. I got them.

In this valley lies a village called Chimayo.

In the village is a church called El Santuario de Chimayo. To translate this into English: The Santuario of Chimayo.

Walk through the gates of the church into the yard.

Now starts a section which is very interesting. Bear with me as I walk you through these photos. Don't jump ahead. Look and read them one by one and in order.

El Santuario means 'the shrine'. It was built in 1816 when, on Holy Night, Don Bernardo Abeyta saw a light springing from a slope in the hills near the Santa Cruz River. He started digging with his bare hands and found a buried crucifix. He left it there and rushed back to get the townspeople of Chimayo and the local priest. They carried the crucifix back to town and laid it in the altar of their church. In the morning the crucifix was gone. They found it back at the original site. This happened three times until they realised the crucifix must remain where it was found. They built a chapel over the spot and this is El Santuario.

This is now known as the Lourdes of America. 300,000 people come to the shrine each year for healing and worship. There are numerous accounts of afflictions being healed with the sprinkling of the holy dirt from the spot where the crucifix lay buried.

Switch off your camera and enter the portal of the church. Be very quiet.

In an ante room you see statuettes and objects of worship. But where you are making for is that doorway where that lady is standing. Approach the doorway silently. Have an open mind.

In the room is a hole in the floor.

In the hole you see the ground below the church. It is sandy. There are trowels so you can get some dirt. This is the spot where the crucifix was found 200 years ago.

Get yourself some holy dirt, give thanks and leave the room. There are jars so you can take your dirt with you. Outside others will be leaving with their dirt.

You will see the sick and infirm coming to the church to be healed.

Do not spread the dirt around.

These are the walking sticks of those who no longer need them as they have been healed.

These are photos of loved ones who are sick and need the healing powers of the dirt. The shoes are those of children who family members want to be blessed.

You write the name of your child on their shoes.

Grab a snack while you're there.

Or maybe a popsicle to cool off.

And don't leave without a souvenir or a famous Chimayo Holy Chile.

But since riding away from El Santuario I frequently started feeling the pull towards the south, opposite to where my official route was.

I followed this yearning and just rode where my instincts took me. I flowed into a valley between escarpments.

I ended up in a remote dead-end valley and had no idea why I was there or what was guiding me. Was this a modern-day version of El Santuario? I looked for light springing from the hillsides.

But no, I was led into an area with bizarre cliffs riddled with caves. What was going on?

Somewhere up there lay the answer to this disturbing pilgrimage. But which cave? There are thousands up there. I knew that whatever quest I was being led on, if I succumbed to forces beyond my comprehension I would eventually discover my destiny in this sinister valley.

I climbed steps chiseled into the cliffs. It was sufferingly hot in the still heat. But something was leading me. I had to push on.

At times I had to pull myself up the cliffs. One slip and it would be certain death.

I was questioning what I was doing and started to believe it was just a reaction to the holy dirt experience. Or was it the dirt on my hands leading me. I needed a sign. Suddenly there it was. The face in the rock. Like a gingerbread man. It seemed to say "continue the quest Throttle, you are going the right way"

With every step I was covered in red ants. It was as if the ground was saying "stay away stranger, this is no place for mortals"

Up and up I climbed. Until I found an ancient ladder. Could this be the site of what I was searching for? But what was I searching for? I could feel my pulse beating stronger as I knew I was close to the answer.

And there it was. The ladder lead me into a cave. It was there that I saw the result of my quest.. the Holy Helmet. Of course. That's it. For thousands of years the Helmet had been waiting for a motorcyclist to descend into the remote valley. Only a biker, and probably a Suzuki rider, could feel the pull of the Holy Helmet and release it from its shrine.

I entered the cave and heard what seemed to be an ancient Indian chanting as I lifted the Helmet from its alcove. How many hundreds or thousands of years had it been there, waiting for release?

Impulsively I donned the Holy Helmet. What else would Harrison Ford do?

Suddenly it was like a rush of enlightenment washed over me. I could see the answer to life. The meaning of it all. The Helmet was downloading centuries of knowledge.

I embraced the Valley of Doom, wearing the Holy Helmet with the Visor of Enlightenment and Fog Insert of Penitence.

Anyway that was enough. I was hungry. I toddled off to find a Burger of Cholesterol and Soda of Caffeine. For the whole adventure buy the book "Twisting Throttle And The Quest For The Holy Helmet"