Travels With Edwina

The most awesome thing happened today outside of Roswell, New Mexico.  We were toodling along the plateau when off to our right was a great wall of dark from the ground up to the clouds.  It looked just like Close Encounters.  Cool.  The aliens were coming.

And I knew it because the wind that the alien ship kicked up was really making life hard for my human.  Then, off in the distance….

uh….Edwina..[hush, Edwin, you can tell the story about your hand later]

…off in the distance, the alien ship let out a laser bolt and 2 seconds later, a massive crashing sound….

uh….Edwina…[Edwin, we’ll tell all about your hand later…contrary to your nightmare replays, you are not Luke]

….then the wind got even stronger and the alien ship must have taken off because it kicked up dust and dumped a bunch of water on us as it took off.

OK, Edwina….you do realize that was just a thunderstorm, right?  The human and Clyde ride those to and from work all the time…..

No way…. that was just a thunderstorm?  No aliens?  But we’re in Roswell.  Aren’t there supposed to be aliens here?  I was promised aliens.  Sigh…… darn….

But, for the important news…. my new hand arrived today and the human put it on for me.  I’m out of the lunch trailer and in the hotel room.  I might even get to ride tomorrow if my human is doing OK.  The elevation is lower and the winds should be favorable for a short jaunt.  Woohoo!

When the humans at the front of the pack get tired, they can slow down; when the humans at the back of the pack get tired….well…uh…errrr….there is no way to slow down.  We, instead, get a van “bump”.  When you’re running low and too far behind, the van puts you in and pushes you up the road.

Now, for some humans this is a terrible thing.  They’re Type A and see the bump as a failure.  But, going into this, my human knew that the fast riders are…uh…fast and my human just toodles down the road.  So, there would be days when we would get a van bump.  Today was another bump-ing day.  The altitude, the climbing and the inability to fuel the engine just took a toll.  Some days there are a lot of bumpers; other days not so many.  Today about 15% riders took a bump; yesterday almost 25% took a bump.

But, let me tell you, we still road 50 miles.  And, on the bright side, for a while I got to ride with Edwin in the van (who is still whining).

So, enough crying….we’ve been riding desert now for more than a week.  And, while it is still desert, it has changed.  We’ve seen different ecosystems along the way; places where no one would seriously want to live; other places where you could see the appeal.  But, the changes have been gradual so if you don’t stop to think about things, it seems like it hasn’t changed at all.

Today, we went through a farming area that didn’t look forced like it had back in El Centro.  We also went through a stretch of desert based on a lava flow — odd to see cactus growing out of dark black rock.  And finally, we climbed up to Ruidoso.  It was a lovely climb, albeit spooky as the area had seen a major fire a few years back.  The scrub had returned, but the trees were still black with ash.

And, along the way, we got this awesome sundog picture…

Today we crossed another state line and entered New Mexico and crossed the Continental Divide.  While we’re at elevation, we’re still in desert.  Grassland and scrub.  At one point we had another pine forest… and..oooo…a stretch of desert sage….mmmmm…

The Irish say that there are no bluer blues or greener greens than the morning after a rain.  That holds for the desert as well… the sky was brilliantly blue and the grasses and trees green.

But, today’s ride was set to be 156 miles and because of the length, had strictly enforced time cutoffs.  We made the first 2, the second by just 1 minute, but we arrived at lunch with only 5 minutes to eat.  Nope.  My human engine cannot operate without a good lunch stop so we took the van option for 23 miles and then picked up riding at the next stop.  Needless to say still a very long day.

Oh… and before I tuck my tired wheels into bed, we got to see the very large array of satellite dishes…. we were listening as we went by, but we didn’t hear any alien transmissions, either…

…on Route 66.  OK…corny again, but today we did ride upon Route 66 including past the oft filmed tepee hotel and the plaster dinosaurs.  Twas a fun ride, but given that some sections of the road have not been maintained much since the freeway went in….uh….errr…a kick in the pants.  Very rough riding on a road bike.  Heck, I’m not sure the human would have been very happy with Clyde, the commuter, on some sections.

Today we saw more grass prairie that eventually become rolling hills as we rose in elevation to 7000′.  Overall a pretty ride…until the weather changed.  T-storms moved in, the lightening struck, the thunder sounded, the breeze became a 25 mph headwind and….we called it quits.  When the van rolled by we jumped in.  So, we lost 20 miles of riding, but given the looks of the front riders, it was a good choice to pull it in.

But I’ve been pampered and am ready for tomorrow; the human visited Barb The Message for a “flush” — such a weird sounding term but if it keeps the human riding and me rolling down the road, they can call it whatever they want.

…in Winslow, Arizona….

Too corny of a posting title even for me?!?!?!?  But, you have to understand that I’m very tired and very punchy.  It was a really long day.  And, yes, we’re in Winslow.

While the total elevation gain was less than yesterday, the climb was long, continuous and steep.  Then, when we should have seen a downhill, we had a headwind.  Argggh….

But, we climbed into a gorgeous high pine forest so it was worth it.  After lunch we played up on the ridge in the forest and then came out onto grassland/scrub prairie.  That’s where the winds picked up and our ride turned into a bit of a slog.

Initially it was quite pretty, but we had more 40 miles of pushing in the grassland.  I was reminded of stories of the meseta along the Camino de Santiago.  It is also a high grassland that goes on forever and ever and the pilgrims are known to hallucinate.  OK, not quite that bad, but, as you approach Winslow you can’t see the city.  So, even though you know you’re 3 miles out, still all you see is grassland.  Heck, even at 2 miles, nothing but grassland.

But we made it and are staying at a really cool hotel… La Posada.  It is an old Harvey House with an amazing restaurant.  But…. do I get to see the inside?  Nope….. lunch trailer for me…. and I have to listen to Edwin whine, “you get to do all the riding and I have to sit in this trailer all day… and then they took my shifter and gave it to you..will I ever get to ride….” Whine, whine, whine.

But, Edwin’s human found him a shifter… well, Bob Olsen from Wheelwerks in Crystal Lake, Il found him one and is shipping it ahead.  Edwin will be back together in no time.  Bob should be Edwin’s hero and will be as soon as Edwin stops whining.

Sorry, dear readers, but I cannot tell you of my travels today.  I am recovering from transplant surgery.  My rear derailleur brifter went wonky and Edwin was kind enough to offer up his (since his human won’t be riding for a few days yet).  I’m feeling a little tired after all of the attention I got, but please let it be known I got my human over the 104 miles and 8500 feet of climbing.  8500 feet.  3 large absolutely gorgeous mountain passes.  And my reward?  A hand transplant.

But I’m back together (did I mention once before that PAC Tour crew are the bestest?) and ready for <argh> another 7000 feet of climbing</argh> tomorrow.  Hope the human’s legs hold out.  Today we were last wheel (human is a flat lander)…. but… we never fell too far behind so we got to finish.

I’d tell you more, but I need my rest.

One state down…a whole bunch more to do.  Today we crossed the border into Arizona.  Did you know that saguaro cactus are not allowed into California?  Not true?  I think so.  In California we saw lots of cholla, but it wasn’t until we crossed the border that we saw our first saguaro.  So, clearly, it must be the case that California has blocked the emigration of the saguaro from Arizona, eh?

But as we moved further north and into higher elevation not only did the desert become more interesting, but so, too, did the temperature moderate.  While the human still insists on that stupid sock of ice (which, btw, made my chain squeak), at no point did that engine overheat today.  Currently (at 7:30PM) the temperature is a pleasant 93F.

Over the last couple of days, one is constantly wondering what would possess travelers to cross the California desert.  It was hot, rocky and formidable.  Yet, multiple times we crossed the stagecoach lines so you knew that people were crossing along the route we took.  Clearly you needed to be driven by something — be it desperation or something tantalizing (aka, gold) on the other side.

Of course, one would also then have to question what would possess a bicycle to ride across that same desert, but…. no…. one would never question that….

Another day in the desert, my friends.  Another hot day.  Another day of salt and water dripping from the human onto my pretty frame.  And, to add insult to injury, the human filled one of the water bottles with jamaica.

For you gringos, that is ha-MY-ka, not the island (sorry Odette) and it is hibiscus tea and when you buy it at the taco stand it has plenty of sugar.  Great for the human, but eeeee-yewww it made a mess of my finish.

But with an awesome tailwind and a relatively flat day, the human had plenty of time to pamper me with a wash and oil my chain.  So I’m looking pretty good and feeling OK after 3 days in the desert.

So…. what did we see?  Let’s see… we pulled out of El Centro with the sun barely over the horizon.  So we didn’t really see anything but sun for the first 5 miles… but wait, that’s not what you’re asking, eh?  Well…. in 100 miles (102.6 to be exact) you get different terrain.  More desert with green ocotillos; a lot of desert with interesting rocks — copper and iron ores coloring the rocks; and sand dunes.  Edwin’s human snapped this shot…. dunes as far as the eye could see.

All things considered a rather pretty, uneventful day.  If all days were like this one, we’d do OK.  But…desert climbing again tomorrow…..<shudder />

I could tell you, dear reader, about the day, but it would be hard to express in the day in just words.  Lovely 65F start in Julian down a gorgeous canyon descent (one that we hardly ever use the brakes for…wheeee!), to high desert with fully leafed out ocotillo to dry desert to rocky desert, scrub desert, cultivated hay fields (egads, there was a lot of hay).  As we progressed, the temperature rose to a balmy 112F.

But, instead we need to assure you, dear readers, that Edwin (and his human) are fine.  Edwin’s human doesn’t ride very well in the desert so his human is currently on one of the lunch crews.  Not that the humans are eating much food in the heat, but the lunch crews put out a great spread (Edwin has promised to write a post about the more “unusual” lunch requests later).

But, let me tell you, dear reader, there are no better support people in the world than PAC Tour crew.  Yesterday when the human overheated and cramped up (along with almost all of the participants), the crew was pushing salty foods, salty water, offering encouragement and support to make sure the humans could continue to ride.

Today, when the human was starting to flag in some headwinds, out of apparently nowhere came Susan N. to provide encouragement.  Then, just as the water was emptying, there was Allen with the Caravan offering ice and fresh water.

These are hard days in the heat, but it isn’t the riders who are accomplishing  a lot… it is the crew that makes it possible.

And we haven’t even hit the real desert!  Heat wave in San Diego brought the temperature into the high 80s with high humidity..like a bad Wisconsin summer day.  The human was overheating…and one point she was dripping sweat and water from the ice sock such that I was checking the road to see if was really raining!  Eeks.

But, we made it.  Lots of breaks.  A heck of a lot of salt tablets most of which was sweated out (oh, have mercy on the finish of my bike).  But my human wasn’t alone.  Everyone had black shorts that had turned a shade of gray; most of the humans cramped; some had to do partial sags.

But, the sad part is that the humans really didn’t get to appreciate the scenery.  Once we pulled out of San Diego, the mountains opened and the views were absolutely gorgeous.  But…well…I looked and I kept telling the human to look and well….that worked for a while and then it was back to climbing and stopping for salt….salt….salt….more salt….

And lest I forget I must pick on the human.  We had just gone through a section of 14% grade and the human was faltering (hmmmm….I tell the human to eat at the rest stop — eat more — but does the human listen?!?!?).  Along the side of the roads were signs.  Brightly colored; each offering different fruits and vegetable.  About ever 3 sign was honey.

The signs went on as we climbed up; the human was getting more tired; the signs kept coming.  That honey sounded amazing — wet sugar….mmmmm.  After about 1/2 mile of uphill there was a driveway to the farmer’s stand.  Woohoo!  It was open.  There was the honey, but the smallest jar was a pint mason jar.  Crazy on a bike, but that didn’t stop the human.  Bought it.  Opened it up and drank it.  Not the whole thing, but over the next several miles we went through more than 1/2 cup….manna….manna from heaven (or in this case, the bees)