We ate dinner last evening in
the hotel room. The fold down table stationed against the front window worked
perfectly with the three room chairs. Dinner consisted of a sundry collection
of purchases from the stop-n-go across the street. It was actually quite
convenient if you were not interested in real food. It was our best option in
Sanderson.
During dinner we discussed
options for tomorrow’s anticipated tough ride. I submitted my two cents, but it
was not even a consideration. I was certain that the ride would be a meat
grinder. The elevation gains were 2300 up and 3800 down. The wind was forecast
to be 20 mph all day with gusts to 30, in our face. We were going to ride from here
to there, into a relentless wind.
We got on the road before the
sun came up to allow extra time in case we needed it. We have a full complement
of lights, so illumination was not a problem. Leaving early also gave us a head
start on the wind that was only churning up at a rate of 16 mph. Mother Nature
must not be a morning person. We made exceptionally good time in spite of the
headwind. Downhill east out of Sanderson we continued to follow the Sanderson
Canyon. It had been with us since midday yesterday for about 30 miles. Today,
at about the 15-mile mark, we climbed out of the Canyon for the last time. The
continuous downhill was over and we entered rolling terrain. On the uphills we
pedaled against a subdued wind until near the top when the invisible bandit
came roaring over the rim. On the downhills we had to pedal so as not to come
to a stop. The rolling terrain gave way to flat land meaning that we had no
respite from the wind. For nearly the entire 60 miles I used only my three biggest
rear cogs. It was pathetic. We stopped in Langtry where Susan picked us up. We
drove to Del Rio for better accommodations and in the morning Susan will return
us to Langtry to finish the 60-mile ride back to Del Rio. Oh for the comforts
of a nice hotel.
 |
| Our overcast morning |
 |
| One of the day's many climbs |
No comments:
Post a Comment