We woke up in our lovely motel 6 at a reasonable time and Ziven hopped in the shower to cool off before we headed out into the heat again. Laden with our Walmart purchases and a... backpack full of treats for the next few days, we trundled out of town along the highway before ducking into some TREES! We both whooped for joy when we entered the tip of Gila national forest and luxuriated in the shade from the Ponderosa? Pine. We saw a few other folks along the way but cruised by them as we climbed and climbed along a hottish but sometimes shady and quiet road. I tested my brakes and enjoyed the added weight of my bags as I screamed down some switchbacks. We kept this up all morning before stopping at Lake Roberts General store where we met another young couple from Utah who were on their fifth or so day, having taken two days to cross the desert before Silver City followed by a rest day in Silver City. They were met by their brother-in-law who did the Tour Divide previously and we chatted for a while, enjoying ice cream and unexpected snacks from the heavily cigarette-laden general store. We eventually filled all our water to max, wet our shirts, and hopped back on the bikes. We pedaled past the lake, climbing up and up along a road taking frequent snack and shade stops before we accidentally went too far and had to backtrack a little bit to the turnoff onto the gravel road. Then the real climbing started. The steepness was something we didn’t expect and had yet to face on our previously flat segments. We ground out the climb for hours. The brother-in-law passed us in his truck as we twisted higher and higher and away from the lovely trees. We finally reached the top at golden hour and tested our brakes and handling skills on some rather bumpy descending. The brother in law passed us going the other direction with no gear and a Hawaiian shirt. We once again were in the trees and now faced a dry riverbed with baby head rocks that were out of my comfort zone. I threw some tantrums as we kept hitting the river, bending its way through the valley many times. Eventually we dropped into Black Canyon and neared our campground. Apparently some other bikers were at the first campsite loop, but we went to the next, having to go down a steep little slope and then crossing a small stream. Thinking I could approach, I bumped down the slope, panicked, and slid out on my butt. Ready for the longggg day of biking to be done, I shucked my socks and we waded across to a completely empty meadow and pitched camp. The dust on the trail was so fine that it created plumes around our feet. There was a large tree next to our campsite’s picnic table which we used to hang our gear. We set about getting and filtering water from the small stream nearby, cooking dinner, and setting up camp for the first time! We opted for no rain fly and enjoyed the constellations as we cozied into bed.