PAC Tour Roswell to Clovis, NM (10)

Today      112 miles   2,000 feet of climbing         7:52 elapsed time  60-100 degrees
So far   1,144           51,400                                4  3:53

Another brilliant blue sky day for cycling.  We rode on US 70 almost all day.   Wide and fairly clean shoulders and good pavement made for good riding conditions.  The fact that we had a great tailwind for the first 99 miles helped too.  We clipped along at 18-24 mph for much of the day.  As we travelled Northeasterly the land use changed from ranching to agriculture.  The change was fairly abrupt and dramatic.  Why the change?  I haven't a clue, I haven't taken Geology of New Mexico 101.  As the ride progressed the road became busier and busier.  Not an issue really, just a consequense of the increased population density. 

Here are some of our riders at the first rest stop today.  Kirby and Nancy, Jamie, Rose and Sid:

Here's an example of original American art found all over the Southwest.  This one is particularly big.

Some of us ate at Red Lobster tonight.  Shrimp fest - all you can eat.  We did.  Then we topped it off with a large milk shake soon after.  One challenge on this tour is getting enough to eat.  I don't have that problem because I'll eat most anything.  Some riders eat a large dinner then bring food back to their room to solve hunger pains that occur during the night.  It really is some fun to eat as much as you like and realize you're just fueling the ride.  





PAC Tour Ruidoso to Roswell, NM (9)

Today       97 miles    3,300 feet of climbing         8:06 elapsed time  50-104 degrees
So far   1,032           49,400                               3 20:01

Today we left our hotel and climbed the last hills we rode down the afternoon before.  It took some effort in the unwarmedup cool of the morning.  Then as we got four miles out of Ruidoso we started descending the tough climb we had made the day before.  It was really enjoyable to follow that route and experience that road in a downhill fashion.  And guess what!  I rode with Lon Haldeman today!  Of course you all recognize Lon as the great RAAM ( Race Across AMerica) rider who runs PAC Tours with his wife Susan Notrangelo (Another great RAAM rider).  Seriously, both have ridden across the country and finished first in multiple divisions (Fastest Male, Mixed Tandem, Fastest Female, Men's Tandem) and set records for the races. Its really neat to have a world class rider ride up behind you and carry on a typical rider to rider conversation.  These two are what make this expedition possible.  A bicycle tour moves on its stomach.  We're well feed, nourished physically and in spirit (A little encouragement at the right moment is a great motivator to keep the wheels turning.), and have maps, directions and clean places to sleep every night, and places nearby to eat dinner.  After you've ridden all day having the hotel ready and eating options identified is great support.

When we reached Capitan at mile 14, we turned onto route 246 and rolled and rolled and rolled for about 80 miles until we reached the outskirts of Roswell.  This is a quiet country road that meandered through the countryside with some slow rollers and large ranches on either side of the road.  There was almost no traffic.  A farm pickup truck would pass by every ten minutes or so.  There was one semi on the road all day - a cattle truck, of course.  We rode through prong-horned antelope country but didn't see any.  As we went along the brush in the pasture grew thicker and more lush.  Then more miles down the road the brush diminished and finally was absent from the pastures.  Even the cacti wouldn't compete with the grass.  If I had the time, I'd go back to school in Geology so I would understand the terrain I am passing through.

We expected this to be a "recovery" day, low mileage and limited climbing.  And it was that.  However 50 miles into the ride, the wind kicked up, slowed us down and made the ride significantly more difficult.  Nonetheless, it was a great day to be on the bike.  Riding along the country road was a great venue for our group. 

We toured the UFO "Museum and Research Center" in downtown Roswell after the ride.  The exhibits and the stories are both tired.  Without mores sightings or abductions by extraterrestrial beings, the fate of the museum my be in jeopardy.  Its a lot like the route 66 sthick.  The people who knew the stories contemporaneously are dying off.  There isn't any new blood to carry interest in the subject.

So how about a peak at the typical day of a pack tour rider?

• 5:00 wake up, brush teeth, shave
• Apply lotions ( skin salve, sunscreen, chamois cream)
• Put on cycling shorts and jersey
• Fill water bottles
• 6:00 grab bike, bowl and mug and go to the parking lot
• Eat breakfast in the parking lot (oatmeal, fruit, pastry or eggs, & coffee)
• Return to room, wash bowl and mug, brush teeth, pack
• Take luggage to the baggage truck
• Pump up tires (every other day)
• Check cue sheet
• Don helmet and riding gloves
• 6:30 Ride
• Rest stop eat fruit, fill water bottles, bio break
• Ride
• Rest stop number two, as above
• Ride
• Stop at lunch stop, eat a freshly prepared meal, relax (a little), review cue sheet, push off again
• Ride
• Rest stop number four, as above
• Arrive at hotel
• Wash bike, perform any necessary maintenance
• Check the message board for room key, announcements, restaurant locations, tomorrow's schedule
• Take luggage to room
• Retrieve bike, which has dried in the sun
• Shower
• Put on street clothes
• Congregate for dinner, eat and swap experiences with other riders
• Return to hotel
• Postpone doing laundry another day
• Blog
• Sleep

Repeat 26 times until you've ridden across the country.  Now that you know how, its easy, right?

 

 

 

PAC Tour Socorro, NM to Ruidoso (8)

Today    105 miles     6,600 feet elevation gain      12:10 elapsed time  52 - 100 degrees
so far     935             46,100                                3  11:55

More riding through the vast, scenic, unpopulated West today.  We rode for miles through lava fields.  The geologic anomalies in this part of the country are amazing.  We passed through three small towns along our route today.  The vastness defies description. 

Our usual peace and serenity of the ride was interrupted many times today.  The annual Alpencade motorcycle fest wrapped up in Ruidoso, our destination today, so we saw many convoys of motorcyclists along the way.  Some congratulated us on our gas mileage and on being "real" cyclists.  I'll be glad to accept those compliments. 

We did some killer climbing today, long grades at 2-4% all day and some 6-8% grades at the end of the day.  We averaged 5% for 1.8 miles at mile 100.  Grind it out.  Its so much fun riding with these riders.  They're all strong and know how to ride.  We share the same mental ability to take on the tough grades and pedal on.  I had a nice email from Jean Wells Hutson saying its all about the journey.  Jean, your wisdom is spot on. 

I haven't turned on a television in ten days, although I'll admit the bar where we had dinner tonight had the Emmy's on and later, football.  The television was ignored as we swapped stories and experiences during dinner.  There is an inner peace that comes during riding for long parts of the day and being in the out of doors.  Pedal on.

PAC Tour Springerville, AZ to Socorro, NM (7)

Today   156 miles    4,900 feet    10:49 elapsed time   41-88 degrees
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.

PAC Tour Winslow to Springerville, AZ (6)

Today   121 miles   5,200 feet     10:17 elapsed time   52-90 degrees
So far    674          34,600         2 12:56

A great day traveling the wide open spaces of Arizona.  Much of today's ride was through ranching territory.  We also passed by the Petrified Forest.  A pretty flat ride for most of the day until the last 40 miles when we did most of our climbing.  Today's ride was the second longest ride I have ridden this year.  Despite some latent lethargy in my legs and body, I feel pretty good.  We spent some time riding old US 66 today.  The pavement was brutal, but the opportunity to get a shot of the original jackrabbit by the side of the road is priceless.  The "historic 66" culture and theme seem to be fading.  The nostalgia for the good old days when the family packed the wagon and hit the road with the kids has given way to Disney World and theme parks I believe.

Great dinner tonight at a local restaurant.  Eight cyclists at the table and the stories fly.  Polished off a rib-eye and had a blueberry malt for dessert.  This exercise allows copious consumption, and even requires it.  According to my Garmin (cycling computer) I burned 2,900 calories on today's ride.  That's a lot of additional food to fit in a day's consumption. 

A short post today because of an early start tomorrow.  Please enter your comments.  I'll publish them daily when I blog.  (Comments have to be "moderated" before they're published).

PAC Tour Cottonwood to Winslow (5)

Today   92 miles  5,600 feet     8:44 elapsed time  Not hot
So far  553          29,400         50:39

Today started with a  sighting of a hot air balloon outside of Cottonwood.  It must have gone up at sunrise.  After twenty miles of cruising we turned up abruptly, climbing almost 4,000 feet in the next 25 miles.  Quite a climb, especially after yesterday.  After lunch we were treated to a long, gradual downhill run almost all the way into Winslow.  What's more we had a strong following wind which allowed sustained speeds of almost 30 miles per hour.

We rode most of the day through the Coconino National Forest.  Our parks are treasures.  We were able to avoid traffic but still had good riding roads.  Our country is vast.  Riding all day, day after day, and seeing so little infrastructure and so few people makes me begin to appreciate how vast our country is.

For dinner tonight our tour directors suggested a change of pace.  We dined at La Posada, a restored restaurant and hotel in the historic Santa Fe railroad depot.  The food was excellent.  I ate Elk medallions and recommend it if you have the opportunity to try it. 

As you may imagine, the days are beginning to run together a bit.  But with the populations of the towns of our overnight stays growing, we expect to have more opportunity for diversions.