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There is an amazing sense of "space" out here. The vistas from the road go on clear to the horizon. You can look for miles and see no sign of human activity other than the Interstate. you'd be hard pressed to get more "away from it all" than this stretch of road. I am about ready to say goodbye to I-40 though. Other than SAG stops we spent the entire day on the Interstate.
The desert zephyr was really kind to us again today. I’m not sure what we did to deserve it, and I hesitate to bring it up for fear of jinxing us, but we had consistent 20 mph tailwinds all day long today. We blasted across the high desert of northern Arizona. I helped fix 3 flats, took pictures, stopped for lunch, and we still covered 89 miles by 1:15 p.m. Tailwinds rock! The day didn't start off fast though. My rear tire was low this morning, so I was fearing a slow leak after yesterday's two flat tires. I pumped it back up and it seemed to hold, but as the morning wore on I couldn't seem to keep up with the riders I usually hang with. I asked 3 different riders "is my back tire low?" (as they passed me), and they all told me it looked fine. After the first SAG stop my energy returned and I started riding normally again. I guess the "slow leak" was in my legs.
Today was likely a new record for flat tires. I rode with Ian, who flew all the way from England to do this ride, and he had 3 flats today. The little metal pieces from steel-belted tires get stuck in the bike tire and just wreak havoc. One rider had the metal piece go all the way through the tire and stick in the tube. Good luck finding that. I helped one gal who had never had a flat in 2 years of riding. She didn't have the proper equipment to replace a flat and was starting to freak out a little. We got her fixed up and on the road, but those little metal rat bastards are still laying in wait.
I tried Indian Flat Bread at the second SAG stop. Fried doughy cheesy goodness! An old Indian man had a little shack that he cooked out of. Good stuff.
We cross the Continental Divide tomorrow, with a forecast of thunderstorms and low temperatures. It'll be a different sort of day I suspect.
3 comments:
I've wanted to try the flatbread a dozen times and never seemed to find it when we were hungry. Maybe this trip.
Keep moving those storms out in front of you at least till Friday.
See you then.
Ah, I can finally post....I have a loaner while dealing with a dead laptop! I am astonished at what you have accomplished so far (I don't think I could even do it in a car!!) Navajo Fry Bread is great, but be sure to try a Navajo Taco! New Mexico is a beautiful state...can't wait to see where you'll be going! YOU ROCK!! (and evidently, roll!!) Hugs!
So Tom...after being on the road for several days how does the ol butt feel? Is it numb to the daily torment? How long did this take?This trip of yours is inspiring me (and I'm sure others) to consider doing longer and longer rides just for the adventure (you've chosen the grand daddy of them all right from the start). My experience with a seven day ride many years ago was my rear was recovering by day three and felt no pain by day four. Although I was not covering the distances per day that you are. How are the legs / knees doing? Come on...you invited us to peer into intimate daily details of your "Body for Life" experiment. Consider your body under the microscope once again during this historic physical adventure. Hope you took a "before" body picture/profile? Be interesting to see what seven weeks on your bike does to your body. Thanks for passing on your story during the ride. Love reading it each day.
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