2017 0926, 27 and 28

2017 09-28 Silver City (0 miles)

Today is a layover day.  Over and out.

2017 09-27 Lordsburg to Silver City (47 miles)

Today started out a little warmer than yesterday.  Our ride is fairly short,  only 47 miles but we must climb over 4300 feet to reach Silver City.  The rain did not come last night, but the sky in the direction we are heading looks ominous.  After finishing breakfast and packing all our gear, we headed out of town to get back onto our bike route, as Lordsburg  is about three miles off route.  We soon found that to a day of climbing we get to add another challenge, the wind.  Yes, as if gaining elevation all day was not enough, we get to add a head wind.  Actually it was not a direct head wind, but close enough.  The miles seemed to go by ever so slowly. It took over 6 hours to go the first 25 miles.  And yet no rain, only the ever present threat we could see ahead in the direction of our destination.  We finally reached the continental divide marker, a land mark point in a cyclist’s day of a long climb.  Almost everyone stopped to have their picture taken next to the sign, a badge of achievement.

It wasn’t long after the milestone stop that the third in today’s challenges was to materialize, the rain.  Yes, nice cold rain.  Of course it came right around the time we started a well deserved long downhill.  Rain in your eyes, chilled to the bone, and for those with rim brakes, reduced stopping ability.  Did I mention how much fun we had today?  

The plan was that we would camp out in Silver City for tonight and also for tomorrow night, as Silver City is our second layover stop.  Some in the group opted to spend their money for a hotel, and before you knew it, we all opted for the comfort of a motel. Our leader then cancelled the camp ground reservations and paid for our stay in the hotel.  Sweet!   Staying in a tent after a day of rain was not appealing, and to spend a layover day in one was, well unthinkable. 

Seven of us ate dinner at the very nice Adobe Springs Café, only a few blocks away from the Motel 6 we are “camping” at.  The food was excellent and the portions very generous.

It may be of interest to note that we have cycled 780 miles since the start and we have climbed a total of a little over 46,000 feet. 

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2017 09-26 Duncan to Lordsburg (37 miles)

Today was a great riding day!  Light traffic, almost non-existent, smooth road, wide shoulders, courteous drivers, no real climbs and the mileage is short.  Fantastic! 

After leaving the park we cycled only 6 miles before crossing from Arizona into New Mexico, another milestone. The scenery changed from cactus to some kind of small bush (name unknown).  There were no services along the route, but the pleasant scenery and cooler temperatures made the time go by quickly.  It warmed to a comfortable biking temperature early in the ride, and was very pleasant for the remainder of the day. In contrast, last evening turned out to be cold.  One rider has a thermometer on his bike that read 39 degrees at 6:30 AM.  Getting out of the warmth of ones sleeping bag was not easy today, and putting on cold cycling clothing was not pleasant. 

                                                                                                     

Tonight we are staying at a KOA campground and are scheduled to set up our tents in a group tenting area.  The forecast is for rain sometime during the night.  Adjacent to the group tent area are three cabins, each having space for four people.  The price for the cabins was less than two dollars per person more than that of the tent spots.  A no brainer, as we all opted to sleep high and dry in the cabins.   It is no fun to pack up a wet tent.

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