When we left Las Vegas...New Mexico that is, this morning at 7:15, the winds were already blowing and as the day progressed they only got stronger. The winds were so strong that it felt like I was riding at an angle for most of the day. There really is only one word to describe the head winds we experienced today and that is "brutal". The worst that we've expressed to date.Despite the strong head winds, I'm happy to report that I have finished my first 1,000 miles of my 3,415 mile journey. As you can see I can barely keep the sign from blowing away and the flag on my bike has been blown out of the picture!
We rode through another change in the terrain. As we descended down one mountain pass we came into what is called the Canadian Escarpment. The head wind let up a bit and we had some tail winds, but then as the road straighted out, the head winds hit again.
I rode 108 miles today in five hours and 45 minutes at an average of 17.3 mph. When ever I had a tail wind, I really cranked out the miles to make up for riding in the strong head winds. I can't forget that we also had a number of hills today too. These were mostly rolling hills not mountain passes so it almost felt like riding in Virginia.
That was until I came upon the one smooched diamondback rattlesnake I saw today. It made me realize I'm still in New Mexico, at least for one more day.
Congratulations on your 1000 miles.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you are riding in the kind of winds we have here. I wouldn't even walk in them. You go girl.