Today we woke up in our new time zone so it had a different feel, the sun was coming up later and we were starting later. We rode up to the Continental Divide at 6,355'. The first 15 mi. or so was felt to be our toughest stretch so far because of the very strong headwinds in addition to the elevation gain. We did get some long downhill stretches down the otherside though. We stopped in Silver City for a late lunch and to check out the bike shops and everyone was super friendly. One man offered us his pickup truck if we wanted to leave our bikes in town for repair. In the end I think he might have driven a few to the CI hotel. We had a farewell dinner for Nancy from Boston who is leaving us because of her broken arm situation. Her friend Emily came to fly home with her and brought champagne and chocolate for all.
At dinner we marveled that we are already one-quarter of the way through our trip, I calculated 732 mi. It seems like it will go on forever but I suppose it won't. No one seems to mind living out of suitcases, going from hotel to hotel, no decisions to make, NO COOKING and that sort of thing. The four SAG drivers and our sous chef have many additional duties that make for long tiring days for them. They help with the dishes and prep for meals carrying water and such, thoroughly cleaning the kitchen and SAG vehicle on rest days, filling it with gas, preparing snacks, putting the bikes on and off the roof, the job description goes on and on.
I'm actually writing this on our second rest day. It came just in time after eight days of riding, just after and before big climbing days. I got up and had breakfast, did laundry, cleaned my bike, made a few adjustments and walked 1.5 mi. into town to look around and have a bite. Back to the hotel to lounge around, perhaps inspect the pool / hot tub and rest, because it's rest day. Also, we must decide where to go for dinner because we would NEVER miss a meal!
Nancy is in green.
