What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was a good ride, albeit with some traffic. Today was all about climbing, and it was brutal. One section near the start of the day was eight miles long with a 7% grade. The later portion, which began around the 35 mile mark was a 12 mile climb, 8% grade, long switchbacks. By the time I reached the summit, I had run out of gears! I have a triple ring at the front, ten sprockets at the back, and I was as low as I could go, hanging on to a cadence that got me over the top. That was followed by some great rolling sections, but my legs were so tired, even the easy parts were a chore.
Thankfully, tomorrow is a short one, somewhere around 37 miles, with some climbing up to Silver City for a rest day Saturday.
Tonight we're camping at a so-called RV park, which is more like a rundown park model village. We have one bathroom for the 14 of us, which will make for some interesting juggling in the morning. Because today was so difficult, and some riders didn't get in until after dark, we went out for pizza for dinner. I get to help with breakfast, which means I have to be up earlier than the others. However, since tomorrow is a short day, breakfast isn't until 8:00.
One thought about Arizona: for all the good things about the state and its climate and facilities, the amount of garbage, beer cans, and broken glass beside the roads was atrocious. I don't know if it's because there is no recycling program in place, or people just don't care, but if I were a citizen, I'd be embarrassed.
And that's my sermon for the day. :)
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