Couldn't get WiFi to work in Grants, NM.
Composed Wednesday, May 20th.
We left Gallup at 9:00 mountain time. Since we usually start our rides at 7:00,
this was a bonus of two extra hours sleep.
Beautiful blue skies & temps in mid to upper 70's. As we rode, the horizon was full of Mesa's, red rocks and changing vegetation from the lower desert we have been through. It made for another interesting run.
There were yet new challenges today. New Mexico's particularly strict about bikes on the interstate. If you cross the white line from breakdown lane into travel lane they will arrest you. There was a particularly nasty stretch (couple miles?) where the breakdown lane was abysmal. It reminded me of one of the travails the Hobbitt Frodo and friends went through on their way to toss the ring into the volcano. Or maybe the wind and miles were just getting to me.
After that nasty stretch we finally crossed over the Continental Divide today. Stopped for a few photos and refueled. SAG wagon had chocolate covered Strawberries, cream cheese sandwiches and usual assortment of gels, power bars, bananas, and Gatorade.
From the divide we had nice 10 mile downhill stretch until headwinds kicked in. Tough slog into the 10-14 mph winds. At a Dairy Queen 5 miles out from the hotel, I saw a line of fellow rider's bikes parked in front so I just had to refuel. I couldn't have done another 5 miles in those winds. Even though it was a short 65, miles my bum felt like it was dragged much further.
Meeting tonight reviewed route to Albuquerque and Thunderstorm protocol as we expect high winds and 65% chance of T-storms riding into ABQ tomorrow. We also celebrated Jan's birthday with Cake!
Conquering each day's challenges makes it all alright. Even though one rider had 6 flat tires today, we ended the day in good spirits knowing we have another one on the books and can look forward to tomorrow. All in all it was a good day.
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