Miles 994 to 1,061, 67 miles, 1,300 feet of climb, max speed: 29 mph, avg speed 14 mph
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| Wind Warning - No Kidding! |
They have a name for her: Mirria. She was in full bloom today and in our face, hair, bikes, noses, ears, and pockets. Until 10:30 this morning the wind was calm, hardly noticeable. After 10:30 it picked up directly in our faces first at 10mph, then 15, then 20, then more. It made the route today seem completely uphill. We averaged 17 mph in the morning, and 13 mph after Mirria came to stay. Every inch of pavement was earned today – there was no gliding or coasting. Nothing I did in training could have prepared me for today. Twice I was caught in thermals, about 60 mph dust devils. The first I didn’t see but blew me off the road. The second one was in the town of Green River, and its sting was full of debris, gravel, grit, trash, and tumbleweeds, but nothing an extra 15 minutes in the shower couldn’t clean up.
Al and I were the last ones in today thanks to another flat tire and taking any opportunity to stop and shield ourselves from the wind. Cell phone coverage was sparse and we were basically left to enjoy each other’s company. We got in around 2:30. At three o’clock the staff sponsored a scenic trip for the first 12 to sign up to go to Arches National Park. It worked out well and all those who had never been there all found a seat in the van. When they came back we had a BBQ in the back of the hotel.
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| Sarge and Son |
Today was Fathers’ Day and Sarge had his dream come true. His son was able to get off of work for the Salt Lake City, UT to Pueblo, CO segment of the cross country challenge. His son is fit enough to ride at the head of the pack of riders, but he stays with his pops for the whole trip, this segment now the third day. Sarge is the happiest guy on the face of the earth. Al and I followed them for most the day, but did spend many of our breaks together. They do a lot of talking, and his son takes a good amount of pictures. Sarge suffered with the hills coming through CA and NV, but there's a new giddy-up in his step since he has his son here as a riding partner. What a great son. What a great dad.
Bottom Line: Mirria waited 1,000 miles before she made us slow down and enjoy the scenery. That’s a good thing.
If the wind was blowing that hard you should have turned around and went the other way....we prayed for you in Sunday school and I saw Glenn updating your progress map. It was a good Father's Day. Josh is back in the USA and will be home Tuesday. Say hello to Colorado for me!
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