State of Change

Basically, there is a rainbow above us. Nevada, Utah, Colorado. New Mexico sits underneath these outdoor meccas and people can’t see what is here. It’s my mission to change that. – Jennifer Lazar (Head of Tourism, Gallup, New Mexico)

A five day stopover in Gallup on our way to the North American Pole of Inaccessibility would show me that this mission was well under way. This was the first in a planned series of expeditions looking at a number of issues revolving around communities and the outdoors across all the continents. Joining me on this journey was good friend, Leon McCarron.

Starting at the US / Mexican border, the journey would stretch across six States and 2500km, taking a month to complete on our modified Specialized Fatboy bikes. The trip had been planned fairly loosely. I like to keep an open itinerary on expeditions. There’s obviously a start, a preferred objective and a finish, but you can risk ‘the journey’ if your schedule is too pre-set.

‘The journey’ is that etheric part between the start and finish. It’s like a Magic Eye picture. You can squint at it and if you stare long enough you start to get a vague idea of what it might be. At the end of a trip people rarely talk about the start or the end. They relive everything that happened in between. ‘The journey’ is where the magic happens.

The border itself was a significant starting place and I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the area. US politics was in full flow and one of the areas hitting the headlines was The Wall. Over the preceding months, the debate over the building of the wall and who was going to pay for it had been raging on. While this was unfolding, a sizeable group of Guatemalan refugees that had fled their homes through fear of crime, poverty and violence and were walking towards the US border.

Republican political rhetoric and media was hard-lined with threats of troops and extreme measures which, to my mind conjured images from history books. The players differ but imagery was worryingly familiar.

The wall at Nogales is a steel fence. Thick metal uprights with twisted points at the ends and razor wire. Its oppressive nature only lessened slightly by the fact you can see through it. As we made our final checks of our bikes and equipment, I recalled something Leon had once told me regarding his trip through Palestine and Israel for his book The Land Beyond.

Before the wall that separated Palestine and Israel there was a market. People from both areas attended the market and, although they may not have seen eye to eye, the ‘others’ had a face. An identity that was personally assessed. When the wall went up, and since, ‘the others’ identity is assessed only by the political rhetoric and media generated by one side or the other.

Fear of ‘the other’ is a powerful tool for some, which has shaped and continues to shape history. Its use seemed very present as we set off.

Fear of ‘the other’ is a powerful tool for some, which has shaped and continues to shape history. Its use seemed very present as we set off.

It takes some getting used to, riding with 30kg of gear on a bike. And riding 8-10 hours of varied terrain takes its toll when you factor in the cumulative fatigue while temperatures soar with the heat from the sun is reflected up from the tarmac or desert floor. But then there’s the sunsets. Ending each day faced with a sunset which would look at home as a backdrop for any alien world’s sky. Pinks, purples, oranges and the famous Arizona feather clouds adding to the ethereal light.

Heading away from the border, the roads disappear into the desert. Towns with indigenous names like Apache pass by at a pace that allows you to take in their energy and sense of history even without stopping. Eventually the light fades and the temperature drops. Although wild camping out in the desert is simply a case of dropping the tent, the chance of a small camp ground and laundromat would always be a welcome sight. One such place was Rodeo. Once a main stay on the now disused rail line serving the local prolific mining industry, the town is quite literally fading away. There is even a mural in the local cafe that suddenly runs out. The story, so it’s told, is that the painter died before he had a chance to finish. It seemed to fit.

‘Miles not Smiles’ isn’t just a glib saying from long distance cyclists. Rather an impending reality as the days pass. As the elevation slowly gains, the conversation moves through the excited chattering of the departure to a more intermittent form of communication powered only by necessity. Thank goodness for handle bar mounted iPhones, hub chargers on the bikes and in my case, deep house playlists with bass driven beats that’ll drive your legs up all but the steepest of inclines.

Our mid-point destination was Gallup, New Mexico, a city with a history swinging from extreme highs to extreme lows. Founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic Pacific Railroad, the town still echoes to the blasts from the regular freight trains passing day and night. The decline and eventual loss of the local mining industry heavily impacted the town as well as the surrounding Native Indian communities of Navajo, Hopi and Zuni nations, who relied on Gallup as the nearest major supply town and its market to sell jewellery and other handcrafted goods.

Gallup sits in the middle of some of the most jaw dropping high desert in New Mexico some of which forms part of New Mexico’s Trail of the Ancients byways. A resurgence in fortunes in the 1940s and 1950s came from Hollywood’s interest in the surrounding area as locations for the many westerns shot during that period. Gallup was once again on the up. We were lucky enough to be accommodated by the town in the El Rancho Hotel.  Adorned with pictures of John Wayne, James Mason, Katharine Hepburn and a score of stars who’d stayed there, it felt like walking into a beautifully crafted set. With Route 66 just outside the front door part of me expected walking into the car park to find Jack Kerouac pulling up. Historically, Gallup was also the only town in New Mexico to successfully stand up against the government’s internment of Japanese Americans in camps throughout the US. This action was later seen as a gross violation of human rights by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

The golden age of cinema moved on however, and along with the construction of the Interstate 40, Gallup’s fortunes dipped again.

With economic downturn comes crime. In 2012, the small town of approximately 21,000 people had a violent crime statistic that were nearly five times the national average. In 2014 the town reported an 11% increase in violent crime from the year before, which doubled that of its neighbour, Albuquerque, the state’s largest city.

The ultimate realisation on ‘the journey’ comes when you understand that you can change direction any time.

In his book On Trails, Robert Moor wrote: “…a journey is never simply the act of gaining a new perspective, but also the experience of being newly seen.”

Gallup decided that if they wanted to be perceived as more, something had to change, so they started to plan a new journey for the town.

Jennifer Lazar is, in all of the best ways, a force of nature. Her determination and care is coupled with a disposition that matches the brightness of the surrounding landscape. I had been talking with Jennifer for quite a while during the lead up to our trip as I was particularly interested in the town’s ongoing projects around development of outdoor trails for running, mountain biking and hiking.

Jennifer now heads up an ongoing initiative to develop Gallup and the surrounding landscape into an outdoor mecca to rival the surrounding states. The project is unique in that in its initial stages there was very little in the way of government support. The group was formed involving non-indigenous community members, outdoor enthusiasts and representatives from the local Navajo, Zuni and Hopi communities who, like the Gallup locals, could see the potential in utilising and promoting New Mexico’s best kept secret to reinforce the area’s economy. In addition, this use of the outdoors might be used as a way of addressing some of the community problems through empowerment, health, awareness and activity building. The development of hiking, trail running and mountain biking trails for all abilities which incorporate some of the most jaw-dropping desert have been a truly inclusive community success.

True to its pioneering history, Gallup’s residents are a mixture of home grown locals and those who came searching. The drive for change can sometimes be best realised through people from outside the area, the searchers, who bring new ideas and knowledge with them.

Scott Nydam is one of those people. Scott initially moved to Gallup following a very successful career as a professional cyclist. Racing as a member of Team BMC, Scott won the Mountains Classification at the 2008 Tour of California before he retired.

On arrival, Scott and his family made a choice. Instead of moving into Gallup directly, they would set up on the Reservation – becoming part of the Rez community, as it’s known here. Scott soon developed relationships and connections but more importantly was seen as a trusted member of the Navajo community.

The Navajo story is indicative of many indigenous cultures around the world. Details may differ from community to community across the globe, but the same words echo with a saddening familiarity. Displacement, marginalisation and misrepresentation. Concepts that walk hand in hand with a legacy of loss of advocacy, racial trauma, increased and under resourced mental and physical health problems, to name just a few