| Distance | 66.80 kms | 41.63 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Climbed | 932 meters | 3,058 feet |
| Ride time (hours) | 5.67 | - |
| Avg speed | 11.8 kph | - |
| Distance | 2,488.77 kms | 1,546.59 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Climbed | 18,654 meters | 61,201 feet |
| Ride time (hours) | 188.21 | - |
Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017
I felll asleep at about 9pm last night, consequently I'm up well before dawn. I don't feel like waiting for 2 hours for the sun to get over the ridge to the east so I brave the cold to pack up and hit the road. My legs feel particularly strong for some reason this morning, the bike seems like it's gliding up the dirt-road hills to get back to the campground overlooking the lake. This is a good sign as I'm probably in for some climbing today to get over Montezuma Pass.
It takes some work to get over the pass, but the road is in pretty good shape so I don't have to deal with a slipping rear tire in spite of the steep grades. At the top it is windy and cold. I put my fleece on and make lunch at the rest area. A few people stop by to chat. A Japanese woman says I look too skinny to be able to ride that heavy bike.
I slip and slide my way down the other side. They've just graded it, leaving a soft surface that my wheels dig into too much. Pavement appears near the bottom and I fly for what's left of the descent. I run into two women on road bikes coming in the other direction. They stop to chat for a bit; one of them has done some touring, we exchange notes on Thailand. She's from the area and says there isn't much in the way of campgrounds nearby. I have a bad feeling abou this valley. It looks like fenced-up ranchland without much vegetation for cover.
I ride about twenty miles into the wind towards Bisbee. I'm keeping my eye open for possible places to camp but I'm not seeing much. The sun is getting low and it starts to get urgent; in the end the debris-strewn highway shoulder decides it for me: I get a double flat. I can't remember ever having both tires go flat at the same time. At any rate I don't have two clean tubes, I'll need to patch; I'm not in the mood to do it in the dark so I wheel the bike through a cattle gate and up a rocky road until I find a minimally hidden spot to set up camp. I have to clear a bunch of prickly bushes to get an area large enough to fit my tent. A pickup truck drives by me about 20 yards away but they don't see me. Pretty much a miserable spot, but such is the life of unplanned bicycle travel, some times it doesn't work out all that well. I leave the flats for tomorrow, make dinner in the tent, and call it an early night so I can get out of here before dawn.
