The plan had been to check in to a little motel 1/2 way to the Gila cliff dwellings, drop off most of the gear, and continue to the cliff dwellings, then return to the motel. I did not reach the motel until it was a bit late to do the up and back part, so I cut the day short.
The climb from Pinos Altos and descent to the motel is a wonderful piece of road. It is narrow, no center stripe, and no traffic. You climb through forest canyon, with stretches of switchbacks and some exciting descents. As the guide says, exercise extreme caution. I believe this road is part of the tour of the Gila bicycle race. I suspected this reading the writing on the road, but the motel host confirmed it. He says the climb up from the cliff dwellings (which I will do tomorrow) is the first or second hardest climb in the west. This jibes with the remarks of the guy I met a few days ago headed west. Anyway, the road is beautiful, rewarding, and difficult. There was snow on the ground, but the road was clear and dry. The switchbacks on the descent had dirt on them, however. Some were steep enough that I had to work hard to keep my speed down. The motel is called the Breathe Inn, and I am the only guest!
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