It's a Long Way to Tucumcari
Monday May 27, 2019. Las Vegas, NM to Tucumcari, NM. 109 miles
Ascent +4,278 feet. Descent- 6,611 feet
Cumulative= 1,132 miles
Similar weather today. At our usual 7:00 AM start the temp was again in the mid 40's reaching 89 by the end of the ride. We also had another wind advisory with winds steady in the low 20's mph with gusts over 40. We followed NM Route 104 which is the only option to get to where we were going, and really an excellent road for a bike ride; the road surfaces were good virtually the whole way and encountered only occasional cars or trucks. Within a few miles I thought that we had left the mesas and mountains behind for a rolling prairie, but the mesas and high ridges returned, and at one point nearly 100 miles east of Sante Fe we able to still glimpse the snow capped Sangre de Christo Mountains.
We a reasonable amount to climbing, but even more descent and with an initial following wind we were able to reach the second of our SAG stops shortly after 10:00 AM. This was our lunch stop, a little less than half of our mileage covered,. After a quick PBJ and the other usual SAG fare and loading up our water bottles we were off again.
To give you an idea how remote this area was, we generally have SAG stops where there are rest rooms, but today the first stop was at an abandoned mobile home (featured in the movie "No Country for Old Men" with Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Woody Harrelson). The lunch stop was at a picnic table in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't until our last SAG over 76 miles into the ride where there was a restroom, which means that everyone had to improvise until then, easier for the men than the women.
As the day wore on, the wind direction became generally less favorable as we meandered indirectly between a northerly and southwesterly direction due to the terrain. The last 15 miles of our 109 mile day were right into the teeth of an unrelenting headwind, so needless to say the bikers were tuckered out tonight.
I was surprised to see my sister and brother-in-law, Prudy and John Lawson at the last SAG stop. I did expect to see them in Tucumcari.but it was really nice surprise to see them before the las 30 some miles to the hotel. I was able to enjoy a beer with them before dinner with the group (maybe two beers), and we spent some more time catching up after dinner. They will be following the tour for a few days and then visiting some friends in Colorado, maybe meeting the tour one more time before returning home to South Carolina. I am honored that they made the exceptional effort to see me along the tour. It's great to have them here. Prudy has even offered to do my laundry. I will let you guess whether or not I took her up on her very gracious offer.
Ascent +4,278 feet. Descent- 6,611 feet
Cumulative= 1,132 miles
Similar weather today. At our usual 7:00 AM start the temp was again in the mid 40's reaching 89 by the end of the ride. We also had another wind advisory with winds steady in the low 20's mph with gusts over 40. We followed NM Route 104 which is the only option to get to where we were going, and really an excellent road for a bike ride; the road surfaces were good virtually the whole way and encountered only occasional cars or trucks. Within a few miles I thought that we had left the mesas and mountains behind for a rolling prairie, but the mesas and high ridges returned, and at one point nearly 100 miles east of Sante Fe we able to still glimpse the snow capped Sangre de Christo Mountains.
We a reasonable amount to climbing, but even more descent and with an initial following wind we were able to reach the second of our SAG stops shortly after 10:00 AM. This was our lunch stop, a little less than half of our mileage covered,. After a quick PBJ and the other usual SAG fare and loading up our water bottles we were off again.
To give you an idea how remote this area was, we generally have SAG stops where there are rest rooms, but today the first stop was at an abandoned mobile home (featured in the movie "No Country for Old Men" with Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Woody Harrelson). The lunch stop was at a picnic table in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't until our last SAG over 76 miles into the ride where there was a restroom, which means that everyone had to improvise until then, easier for the men than the women.
As the day wore on, the wind direction became generally less favorable as we meandered indirectly between a northerly and southwesterly direction due to the terrain. The last 15 miles of our 109 mile day were right into the teeth of an unrelenting headwind, so needless to say the bikers were tuckered out tonight.
I was surprised to see my sister and brother-in-law, Prudy and John Lawson at the last SAG stop. I did expect to see them in Tucumcari.but it was really nice surprise to see them before the las 30 some miles to the hotel. I was able to enjoy a beer with them before dinner with the group (maybe two beers), and we spent some more time catching up after dinner. They will be following the tour for a few days and then visiting some friends in Colorado, maybe meeting the tour one more time before returning home to South Carolina. I am honored that they made the exceptional effort to see me along the tour. It's great to have them here. Prudy has even offered to do my laundry. I will let you guess whether or not I took her up on her very gracious offer.
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