Thu-Fri, June 1-2 – Days 13-14
Yesterday I cruised the full 65 miles into Abiquiu, thinking I was going to get my rest day. But, 5 minutes after I get into town here’s Tim Davis grinning at me from across the street. Turned out it was only about 65 miles on the road, so he did it in one day. So there went my rest day. But it was probably for the best, since the only hotel charged $70 a night (and that down from $140 after we threatened to camp).
Up at 10,000 feet it’s a whole different ball game. It reminds me of the Porkies – cooler and moister than anything else so far. I spent the whole day with my layer on, and even then I got cold on the descent.
The descent was nuts – from 10,000 feet back down to around 6,000. I must have coasted for 25 miles or more. But all the jerking around (or maybe it was powering up a short climb in the middle of that long cold downhill) made my tendinitis flare up. So, I rolled into Abiquiu wondering if I was going to be able to ride today.
But, I was careful to stretch and spin today, and it held up fine. It’s a touch sore right now, but still a lot better than it was. I guess it’s just trying to teach me that despite my best efforts, a big part of this trip is out of my hands, and I just have to trust that it will work out.
There were some interesting things to look at along the way here both days. Yesterday I saw two different single elk along the roads, and snuck up pretty close to one. Once they saw me they took off through the timber, crushing everything in their path. One went off the road at a spot so steep I would have had to crawl down on all fours to get down, but he made it somehow.
Today the sights were more of the human variety. It never ceases to amaze me how much junk people have around here, or how many abandoned houses there are. People just pile crap anywhere, until they fill up their yard, then either move down the street and leave the works behind or pile higher. What a crazy thing.
But, my camera crapped out yesterday, so no pics of any of this. Sad but true. I’m going to try to get Sarah to get me a new one off eBay.
Day 13 stats:
65 miles
2000 feet climbing (up & down up top)
Day 14 stats:
40 miles
3500 feet climbing
Up at 10,000 feet it’s a whole different ball game. It reminds me of the Porkies – cooler and moister than anything else so far. I spent the whole day with my layer on, and even then I got cold on the descent.
The descent was nuts – from 10,000 feet back down to around 6,000. I must have coasted for 25 miles or more. But all the jerking around (or maybe it was powering up a short climb in the middle of that long cold downhill) made my tendinitis flare up. So, I rolled into Abiquiu wondering if I was going to be able to ride today.
But, I was careful to stretch and spin today, and it held up fine. It’s a touch sore right now, but still a lot better than it was. I guess it’s just trying to teach me that despite my best efforts, a big part of this trip is out of my hands, and I just have to trust that it will work out.
There were some interesting things to look at along the way here both days. Yesterday I saw two different single elk along the roads, and snuck up pretty close to one. Once they saw me they took off through the timber, crushing everything in their path. One went off the road at a spot so steep I would have had to crawl down on all fours to get down, but he made it somehow.
Today the sights were more of the human variety. It never ceases to amaze me how much junk people have around here, or how many abandoned houses there are. People just pile crap anywhere, until they fill up their yard, then either move down the street and leave the works behind or pile higher. What a crazy thing.
But, my camera crapped out yesterday, so no pics of any of this. Sad but true. I’m going to try to get Sarah to get me a new one off eBay.
Day 13 stats:
65 miles
2000 feet climbing (up & down up top)
Day 14 stats:
40 miles
3500 feet climbing
posted by Mike at 11:50 AM
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