July 8 - 10: Shiprock, NM to Alamosa, CO

I have internet access tonight so I'll try to fill you in on the last three days.

Monday, July 8

We packed up and left Shiprock at the break of dawn.  This was likely one of the best rides of the trip.  There were some early climbs on the route but there was little wind and the temperatures were in the 80's.    The group of riders I was with stopped for coffee in Farmington, NM.  We were greeted outside the cafe by a Native American.  He wanted to know what we were doing.  When he found out the tour would end in New York, he became very excited.  He wanted us to look up his daughter who lives in Queens.  I gave him one of our Sea to Sea cards and told him that it would be easier if she could check our route and come and meet the Sea to Sea riders when they arrived there.  Doug Lutke, one of our riders, invited this man to join us for breakfast.  We found out his name is Water Eagle and he promised to draw a picture for us in gratitude for purchasing his breakfast.    I was amazed at the picture he was able to draw for us since he never stopped talking.

Today I rode for awhile with Ross Lurtsema.  Ross is a distant cousin of "Benchwarmer Bob" Lurtsema who played for the Vikings.  Ross is about as big as Bob Lurtsema so he was a good person to draft behind.  Ross Lurtsema owns the trucking company(ALTL, Inc.) that is pulling our kitchen and gear trailers. Ross is an excellent biker and a super friendly guy.

We biked the 62 miles to Turley, NM in about 4 hours.  We camped at a vineyard called "The Wines of  San Juan."  It is more of a winery than a vineyard since the owner only has about 5 acres of grapes.  The owner gave us a tour of his winery and explained the process of making wine from the grapes.  We all slept in our tents and used the outdoor showers from the hose.  I'm starting to get used to these cold showers.    We had a large mesa on two sides of us.   It was a beautiful night and I was able to sleep well.

Tuesday, July 9 -  If Monday was one of our easiest rides, Tuesday had to be one of the most grueling rides.  It was constant hills.  When we made it to the top of one, there was another in front of us.  Plus there was a stiff wind in our faces the entire ride.   The wind held us up when we were trying to coast downhill.   It was also hot.    Have you ever driven through the mountains and the road appears to be going downhill and is actually going up hill?  This happened to me a lot today.  I thought I had reached the crest of a hill and wanted to coast down hill but my bike would stop because I was actually going further uphill.    We started to see the change of landscape from the mesas to mountains with pine trees.  We crossed the continental divide on our route today.

  We had to bike 87 miles to Chama, NM.  At mile 83 my front tire went flat.  I contemplated walking the last 4 miles but Clarence V. came by and helped me change my tire and I was able to ride into the camp.   I was totally exhausted.  I understand a number of people were sagged into camp and weren't able to finish the ride.   We were staying at campsite near the small town of Chama.   We did have showers available to us.  After a shower and dinner, I had a small amount of time to do some laundry and then it was off to bed.  Most of the bikers are in bed by 9:30 pm each night.  Before bed, I did share some of the brownies my wife sent in the care package with Clarence V. and his wife in thanks for helping me change my tire.

Wednesday, July 10:  I was on my bike by 6:30 this morning.   We spent the first 25 miles climbing through the Cumbres Pass and the Manga Pass.  We had to climbed to an elevation of over 10,000 ft.

There were  beautiful sites along the way with the strong smell of pine filling the air.  It was awesome to see the high mountains surrounding the green valleys.  There were a lot of cows grazing in the valleys.   Some people were fly fishing in Bear Creek, which ran along side the road.  I could help but to say "the whole earth is full of His glory."    It took me about 3 hours to climb to the summit and about 3 minutes to go down the other side.  I put my brakes on often and didn't go faster than 38 mph.  Some of the younger riders were going over 50 mph coming down.    We left New Mexico and entered Colorado.
After coming down from the pass, the road leveled out and for the next 40 miles we went through farming country, where they grow a lot of alfalfa.  The pine smell changed to the smell of newly mowed hay.   Some of the riders were caught in rain and hail storm on the route.  Fortunately I was just ahead of this storm.   It was still windy today which made some of the ride  much tougher.   Our camp site tonight is next to the Recreational Center in Alamosa, CO.  We are able to use their showers but will be sleeping in our tents outside.    My body is holding out fairly well but my seat is not accustomed to this many hours on a bike and it is getting very sore.  That has been the most painful part of the ride so far.