So far 830 39,500 2 23:45
"So what did you do today?"
"I went for a bike ride."
"How did it make you feel?"
"I feel pretty good about myself."
A long day in the saddle. Fortunately after climbing for much of the first 80 miles, the conditions smiled upon us. We had a strong tailwind and downhill terrain most of the remaining 76 miles. Enjoyed wide open West vistas all day.
So I have a new "second longest ride of the year' after today. This is the longest ride of the the tour and is occasioned by the availability of hotels rooms along the route. The cool early morning temps and partly cloudy skies made for a great day of riding. Everyone was glad to ride the first 10 miles and leave arid Arizona behind. We crossed the continental divide and see more cattle on the ranches, our evidence of lusher pastures.
Our cue sheet directions for today: Leave motel...stay on Rt. 60 East rest of day. At mile 156 turn into motel parking lot. It really was that simple. There were annotations for rest stops and landmarks, but we stayed the course on route 60 all day. There were five small towns between Springerville and Sorocco. None big enough to support a hotel with twenty rooms. There seem to be two eras of abandoned businesses. One left after the travel boom of the 50's and 60's and another after the recent economic decline. Some of those five towns will wither and perish. One or two will probably thrive. But for sure there will be longer distances between centers of commerce in the old west.
What a fantastic ride -156 miles congratulations!!! Interesting observation about the decline of the American towns. We saw so much of that as well and talked about with this decline it won't be long and self supported bikers may not be able to make it. Great day for you guys 10:49-- you were flying!!!
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