103 miles, 9800 feet of climbing.
New day, new terrain! It's amazing how quickly the terrain changes on this trip. Yesterday was just rocks, and today was trees, grassy valleys, and cows.
The ride started somewhat cold, with rain threatening. After a couple hours, the rain made good. At the end of a long descent into Durango, I (Ed) was quite chilled, so I pulled into a sandwich shop to warm up. After a few minutes, a couple other riders on the trip walked in and told me that everyone else was warming up at a pizza place a mile down the road! So I jumped back on the bike to join the gang and see downtown Durango. It's a very cute town.
Remember how Nancy and I rode in the van yesterday? We were the first people to ride in the van because we were simply tired. But we started a trend. Today about a third of the group was in the van :-)
The rest of the day was long and cold, with a lot of climbing and constant headwinds. Nancy is starting to get a bad-sounding cough, but she soldiered on to the finish.
Tomorrow is a big day--140 miles to Taos, NM, with lots of climbing. I hope our legs are recovered!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Day 11: Mexican Hat, UT to Cortez, NM
0 miles, 0 feet of climbing.
Nancy and I were tuckered out today and decided to take a day off. We rode in the van as our guide zoomed up and down the route, filling bottles, chasing down riders who took wrong turns, and setting up the lunch stop. It was great! So much easier than riding a bike across the desert all day.
Nancy and I were tuckered out today and decided to take a day off. We rode in the van as our guide zoomed up and down the route, filling bottles, chasing down riders who took wrong turns, and setting up the lunch stop. It was great! So much easier than riding a bike across the desert all day.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Day 9: Grand Canyon to Tuba City, AZ
85 miles, 4000 feet of climbing.
Today was an easier day on the road, so our guides decided to set out the water and snack table later and encouraged everyone to take their time getting started and on the road, because nothing would be waiting for us in Tuba City except maybe an internet café, plus it would be a chilly morning. We took this advice and rolled out at 9:00 am, only to find that we were the very last ones to leave. Most people had left an hour before us, and were rehydrated, showered and massaged by the time we finally rolled in.
We took our time and dawdled all day, stopping at scenic lookout points on the Grand Canyon along the way, taking photos, and trying to be kind to our bodies. It was a pretty spectacular day, with occasional breathtaking views of the canyon. We left the forest and re-entered the desert, only this time with red sand and stone formations, and found ourselves in Navajo Nation territory. Lots of little roadside craft shacks, as well as “dinosaur footprints.” (We didn’t stop for either.)
We’re finally hitting that mental wall of “why in the world did we think this was a good idea?” Getting started and excited in the morning is taking longer and longer, but we feel better by the afternoon. The next four days until the rest stop are going to be brutal, all over 100 miles, with one final 140-mile push to Taos on Saturday. We’ll be happy to pass through Monument Valley tomorrow, though, and lots of other great sights to take our minds off our butts. E-mails make us happy! So does the promise of a day off this weekend =)
Today was an easier day on the road, so our guides decided to set out the water and snack table later and encouraged everyone to take their time getting started and on the road, because nothing would be waiting for us in Tuba City except maybe an internet café, plus it would be a chilly morning. We took this advice and rolled out at 9:00 am, only to find that we were the very last ones to leave. Most people had left an hour before us, and were rehydrated, showered and massaged by the time we finally rolled in.We took our time and dawdled all day, stopping at scenic lookout points on the Grand Canyon along the way, taking photos, and trying to be kind to our bodies. It was a pretty spectacular day, with occasional breathtaking views of the canyon. We left the forest and re-entered the desert, only this time with red sand and stone formations, and found ourselves in Navajo Nation territory. Lots of little roadside craft shacks, as well as “dinosaur footprints.” (We didn’t stop for either.)
We’re finally hitting that mental wall of “why in the world did we think this was a good idea?” Getting started and excited in the morning is taking longer and longer, but we feel better by the afternoon. The next four days until the rest stop are going to be brutal, all over 100 miles, with one final 140-mile push to Taos on Saturday. We’ll be happy to pass through Monument Valley tomorrow, though, and lots of other great sights to take our minds off our butts. E-mails make us happy! So does the promise of a day off this weekend =)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Day 7: Kingman AZ to Seligman AZ
85 miles, 4000 feet of climbing
Today was our recovery day from yesterday's long, long day. It's pretty sick when you start looking at 85 miles as a "recovery ride," but we have to. We (and most of the group) took it really slow today, still feeling yesterday a bit in our muscles but mostly on the seat. Can I (Nancy) just say that there was a good 5-mile steep climb at about 100 miles yesterday, and Ed tore up it like he'd just rolled out of the hotel and had fresh legs? Amazing. I, meanwhile, was a little less graceful. But we made it and were still smiling when we rolled in.
We got our kicks on Route 66 today, spending the whole ride on this historic road. The scenery in the past 2 days has gradually changed from barren dessert to something more plains-like. Rather than flats, rocks, sand and cacti, we've now got small mountains, long grasses, bushes big enough to duck behind, and even some small wild sunflowers on the side of the road. The road could be a whole lot smoother-- couldn't they have repaved it for us? =)
We are really in the middle of nowhere. I'm shocked this little motel in this little outpost has wifi! And good pizza. Dinner tonight is at the local Roadkill Cafe. Speaking of which, this trip has introduced whole new species into my roadkill vocabulary, including a rattlesnake and a coyote. The grasshoppers here are massive-- I'm talking the size of my two thumbs together. We figured out why when we saw one eating a dead grasshopper. Cannibalism has it perks.
Hopefully today's slow ride, post-ride nap, and a good night's sleep will re-energize us for tomorrow's full day to the Grand Canyon.
Today was our recovery day from yesterday's long, long day. It's pretty sick when you start looking at 85 miles as a "recovery ride," but we have to. We (and most of the group) took it really slow today, still feeling yesterday a bit in our muscles but mostly on the seat. Can I (Nancy) just say that there was a good 5-mile steep climb at about 100 miles yesterday, and Ed tore up it like he'd just rolled out of the hotel and had fresh legs? Amazing. I, meanwhile, was a little less graceful. But we made it and were still smiling when we rolled in.
We got our kicks on Route 66 today, spending the whole ride on this historic road. The scenery in the past 2 days has gradually changed from barren dessert to something more plains-like. Rather than flats, rocks, sand and cacti, we've now got small mountains, long grasses, bushes big enough to duck behind, and even some small wild sunflowers on the side of the road. The road could be a whole lot smoother-- couldn't they have repaved it for us? =)
We are really in the middle of nowhere. I'm shocked this little motel in this little outpost has wifi! And good pizza. Dinner tonight is at the local Roadkill Cafe. Speaking of which, this trip has introduced whole new species into my roadkill vocabulary, including a rattlesnake and a coyote. The grasshoppers here are massive-- I'm talking the size of my two thumbs together. We figured out why when we saw one eating a dead grasshopper. Cannibalism has it perks.
Hopefully today's slow ride, post-ride nap, and a good night's sleep will re-energize us for tomorrow's full day to the Grand Canyon.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Day 6 - Parker, AZ to Kingman, AZ
Today was the longest day so far: 130 miles, 9400 feet of climbing, 8 hours 35 minutes of riding.
We got rained on for a little while at the beginning of the ride, but it soon cleared up and we had a hot, sunny day. The day was so long we had two lunch stops. I (Ed) was feeling pretty lousy at about the 80 mile mark, but a Coke from the support van perked me up, as well as some cheesy 70's music. Nancy teases me about it, but "Stayin' Alive" really works for me when I'm on the bike.
Our second lunch stop was in Oatman, AZ, a town known mostly for the burros that roam free around town. They were pretty much the highlight of a long day.
Leaving Oatman we had a hard climb, our first of the trip. Most of the climbs have been gentle, but long. They feel kind of like a headwind. This one you noticed. The views from the top were great, too.
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