Day 15: Taos NM to Raton NM

95 miles, 6400 feet of climbing.

Today was a nice, easy day to ease us back into the daily grind after our very lazy day off in Taos. It started with our guides telling us they had changed our route to make it take an alternate road, thereby saving us 20 miles of riding and one nasty climb where the weather at the top of the pass was uncertain. Good start to the day! We rode out of Taos in about 41F temps --have we mentioned the past few days have been frigid and we've been wearing all our warm clothes almost all day long?-- and began climbing a nice road lined with trees and hills on both sides.

After lunch, we began descending-- and we descended right out of the Rockies and into the plains. (See the photo of Ed waving so long to the mountains. They won't be missed!)

The rest of the day was gradual descending, flats, and really small rollers. All very pleasant, and well earned. The temperature rose enough for us to be riding in just shorts and jerseys for the first time in about a week. We even saw buffalo on the plains! That's when I started serenading Ed with "Home on the Range," except all I knew was the part about the buffalo roaming, so the song was short.

It was one of those rare days when you get to the hotel and say "We're here already?" We might be having more of those, since the big mountains are behind us and the plains and straight roads are stretching out in front of us. Hopefully, the shorter riding days will also give the guides a chance to recupe-- I am SO glad I'm not guiding this trip, because it's hard to imagine doing twice as much work as I'm doing every day, and that's exactly what Katie, Dave, Matt, and Nate are doing. They're also getting sick just like everyone else, but they still show up smiling, with everything dialed and ready to go each morning. Give these people a raise!!!

Sadly, we haven't seen any UFOs in New Mexico yet. But we're looking...

Day 13: Pagosa Springs CO to Taos NM

My rear derailleur cable snapped early on, and that combined with a hacking cough made me (Nancy) take it all as a sign and pull off the road for the day. Ed made it to 80 miles and to the top of the major climb before hail and thunderstorms forced him to pull off. A few fellow guests were able to avoid the patrolling guides and got through the hail, wind, and lightening flashes all the way through to Taos. A cold and miserable day-- luckily, an official rest day awaits in Taos!






140 miles, 11,000 feet of climbing.

Day 12, Cortez, CO to Pagosa Springs, CO

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!

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.

Day 10: Tuba City AZ to Mexican Hat UT

105 miles, 6000 feet of climbing

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 =)

Day 8: Seligman AZ Grand Canyon AZ