Our route took us on I-70 96 miles to Grand Junction Colorado. The scenery was much the same with mesas, plateaus and painted mountains in the distance. When we came into Grand Junction we rode along the Colorado River. It was beautiful with Grand Mesa in the background. Sorry I was to hot and tired to stop for pictures.
I drank an enormous amount of water and Gatorade today in an attempt to stay hydrated. The ABB staff was really conscientious about being sure we had plenty of water. They stopped twice on I-70 and refilled our bottles with cold water. When it is so hot the water is not refreshing and hard to drink. At 91 miles Rick and I stopped and got a subway sandwich and a cold drink. I really needed that to get me the last 5 miles to the hotel.
I had another flat today. It was no fun fixing my tire in the hot sun. Today was the toughest day so far. On days like today it is a little hard to maintain focus. The big thing is the goal of getting to the next SAG stop where we get cold drinks and snacks. When I'm tired and hot, I am thinking how far do I have to go to get cold water and a break from the bike seat. When the scenery is great I'm just taking it in.
After showering and getting refreshed at the hotel a bunch of us went to the local bike shop to get needed items. When we returned we walked next door to the A&W root beer stand and got a free root beer float. It was sooo good!
Tomorrow is a recovery day with shorter mileage. We will not be traveling on the interstate so photo ops should be good.
5 comments:
I'm glad you made it over 1000 miles before getting into serious heat. At least today's forecast seems a little better, with some nice clouds in case you have another flat. Were your flats from the little steel wire tire debris? Once you are off the interstate those should become more rare.
Rick mentioned that your GPS was not working. Is it fixable?
It sounds like yesterday's trip was a challenge with nearly a hundred miles of riding and encountering significant heat as well. Here's hoping that as you head south east away from I70 the roads will be more pleasant and the scenery more interesting so you won't feel the heat and the saddle quite as much.
Jay, I think my previous comment did not make it, your decription of going down a mountain on I-80 made me want to do the same down Afton Mountain on I-64!
Good job watching the heat. I went out in the 90+ degrees and the 1000% humidity, drank both of my large bottles dry and still got bonked. Good luck!
Jay. Congratulations on making it through this 91 mile, extreme heat day. There may have been times when you wondered why you are doing this, but they are balanced with the many more ecstatic moments you are experiencing. Maybe you can get the sag wagons to carry your own drinks, e.g. V-8 or apple juice, for more palatable thirst quenchers. //Ron
Sorry to hear about the flat, but I am sure that the rootbeer float almost made up for it! Hope Tuesday's ride was more enjoyable!
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