Rollin' through beauty

Holbrook, AZ to Gallup, NM: 94 miles. Best weather to date. Started in the low 40s and got into the high 50s. A few sprinkles, but nice cloud cover with occasional sun. Calm morning with increasing quartering tail wind in the afternoon.

Yesterday we had to hustle to stay ahead of the storm. Today was a more relaxing pace. There were storms, but they were off in the distance. 

I am always surprised by how far you can see in each direction out here.

Wind and water over the last few million years provided beautiful scenery all day.

The staff says the first week is Hell Week, given the number of miles and steep climbs. At dinner, someone said, "the hardest part of the ride is done." The most experienced rider reminded us that the weather, not the terrain determines the difficulty of each day's ride. BIG dose of reality.

Water in the desert: we carried 70 ounces on our back and 32 ounces in our bottles. Linda still carries her water on her back, as it is easier for her to drink from than pulling water bottles off her frame. A bunch of us still wear the backpacks without water to put layers of clothing in as it warms.

Why so many darn flats?

When we drive on the highway, we all see retreads that have separated from 18 wheeler tires. Over the last week or so we have all learned that when a steel belted radial tire separates from the tire, it spreads small pieces of steel wire all over the place. While we can avoid the chunks of rubber, you can't see the small wires. These small steel wires love to embed themselves in our tires. Even though we ride on gator skins with Kevlar linings, given the pressure of the tire on the road and high number of tire revolutions, these wires work themselves through the Kevlar and into the tube, and a puncture occurs.  We check for wires every time we stop and pull them out. Sometimes they break off and you don't see them...down the road you get a puncture. 

Everytime we replace the tube we pull the tire and look diligently for wires or whatever caused the puncture, on the inside and the outside of the tire. 

I felt a small piece of wire the other day on inside of my tire when I changed the tube and I could not get it out for the life of me, even with the tweezers we carry. Then a fellow rider who was a surgeon said, "I can't see it, but I can feel it." A minute later he had it out. 

The senior mechanic that travels with us has done this trip 21 times (not a typo). He is a beast on a bike. He says there is nothing you can do, you will get flats due to the wires. It is almost like radom number generator on who gets them and when. The second mechnic got 3 flats today. Linda had one. The difference is the mechanic probably fixed all 3 of his flats quicker than we got hers done. 

Bottom line: I now wake up thinking, I have to fix a flat or flats today. It is an uncontrolable. 

We are headed for roads less traveled by trucks; the flats should lessen.