Let me tell you all about Day 21! Holy cow. Today was in a word: Epic. I departed Carrizozo just after sunup to an amazing tail-wind. My route South to Alamogordo was for the most part flat. I was amazed at how fast I made the just under 60 miles before turning West. I set out on Highway 70 West and passed Holloman Air Force Base with its Air Base Brown buildings, warning signs, and BX into the basin that is White Sands Missile Range. The bright white sand dunes at the White Sands National Monument are an amazing sight. On my first trip there years ago, I remember wanting to explore for hours, only to be stopped by the stifling heat. Luckily today was a far cooler day. For those in a car, the ride from one side of White Sands to the other is a relatively boring drive. For those on a bike....it can be a few hour long boring ride. I spent a good amount of time dodging the incredible amount of broken glass on the side of the road, calculating how much water I needed vs. how much I had with me, and wondering if the mountains in the distance would ever get closer. As I approached the start of the St Augustine Pass, the road with an incredible ascent out of the White Sands basin and into Las Cruces, I hit 100 miles on my odometer. At the same time, I had the opportunity to meet Michael, a Border Patrol member who decided to join my ride at quite possibly the worst moment. Michael, from El Paso, had his wife drop him off a ways up the mountain pass so he could ride down and out into White Sands to find me. Instead, he found me on my way up.....and up we went. Just after we started our ascent, I ran over a piece of broken glass and had my 8th flat for the trip. After a few minutes of a now, old trick, we were back in action. There are no words to describe what that mountain pass was like as we fought and fought to stay moving upward. With a starting altitude of roughly 4,000 feet above sea level on the basin floor, Michael and I climbed near 2,000 feet in just a few miles. Adding to my fun was my miscalculation of water carried vs. water ingested ratio that allowed for empty water bottles about half-way up. It was awful.... ...Until we reached the top. Reaching speeds topping 30+ mph on the road out of the mountain, Michael and I rode miles of declination into Las Cruces to top out at nearly 126 miles in a 9.5 hour day. It was truly awesome to have Michael along with me today, and he takes with him my thanks to his brothers and sisters back at his station. Tomorrow is a light 66 mile day to Deming, NM and then only a few days until I reach my goal. I look forward to sharing these final few days with everyone! I hope you have a great night and a wonderful start to the week. - T
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 04:57:46 +0000
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