Day 17 - 6/1/08
Start - El Rito, NM
End - Lake Hopewell
Mileage - 40 miles
We moved on from our home away from home today as we pedaled north on forest service road 44 away from Jack and Viki's house. Our day off could not have been an better. Relaxation, food, concrete mixing and pouring, cooking, great conversation. Funny how Jack and Viki's desire to assume a parenting role complemented our needs to be taken care of. This trip has presented me with some incredible people, and one day I only hope I can be as active and full of life as Jack and Viki.
Rolling out at 10:30 am after crossing a somewhat sketchy bridge felt good on the legs. We had a long day of climbing ahead of us- ascending about 3000 feet to about 10,200 feet and then dropping slightly to Lake Hopewell on the other side of Burnt Mountain. The climb was nice and gradual, but the legs still feel it by the end. We have decided to make it to Del Norte, CO before leaving to visit my family in Tulsa, OK for a few days, therefore we can take it pretty easy and pull 45s for the next days.
The day was near perfect and I'm finally starting to become convinced that we're leaving the desert- it's about time since we should be crossing into Colorado tomorrow! Can't wait. Lake Hopewell was talked up a good bit as a beautiful place to swim and camp, but it's sad to say that it is a little disappointing. It's a man-made lake with a very desert like appearance to it. Very pretty, just not what I was expecting. So no swimming. We took over the upper pavilion, cooked dinner, and are waiting for the sunset. A relaxing afternoon.
Tomorrow we should hit Colorado, but we have heard warnings of the upcoming passes. Word has it that they are still rather covered in snow- which could potentially result in a repeat of mud adventures of a week ago or so. This is something I whole heartedly do not want. So we'll ascend and see how it looks- if we've got turn around, so be it. We'll figure it out.
The crank I put back on at Jack and Viki's house seems to be holding up just fine. I put some loctite on the threads of the 8mm bolt, and I'm hoping I won't have to deal with it again. Time will tell. My mechanicals have been adding up, but I guess that is to be expected on a 3000 mile mountain bike journey. C'est la vie.
It's about time to move on with the night and start reading some more of the Fountainhead. I just tore out the third section from Mark- and the duct taped the binding to hold it together. Quite efficient way to share a book I do admit. That's the word. Ciao.
Start - El Rito, NM
End - Lake Hopewell
Mileage - 40 miles
We moved on from our home away from home today as we pedaled north on forest service road 44 away from Jack and Viki's house. Our day off could not have been an better. Relaxation, food, concrete mixing and pouring, cooking, great conversation. Funny how Jack and Viki's desire to assume a parenting role complemented our needs to be taken care of. This trip has presented me with some incredible people, and one day I only hope I can be as active and full of life as Jack and Viki.
Rolling out at 10:30 am after crossing a somewhat sketchy bridge felt good on the legs. We had a long day of climbing ahead of us- ascending about 3000 feet to about 10,200 feet and then dropping slightly to Lake Hopewell on the other side of Burnt Mountain. The climb was nice and gradual, but the legs still feel it by the end. We have decided to make it to Del Norte, CO before leaving to visit my family in Tulsa, OK for a few days, therefore we can take it pretty easy and pull 45s for the next days.
The day was near perfect and I'm finally starting to become convinced that we're leaving the desert- it's about time since we should be crossing into Colorado tomorrow! Can't wait. Lake Hopewell was talked up a good bit as a beautiful place to swim and camp, but it's sad to say that it is a little disappointing. It's a man-made lake with a very desert like appearance to it. Very pretty, just not what I was expecting. So no swimming. We took over the upper pavilion, cooked dinner, and are waiting for the sunset. A relaxing afternoon.
Tomorrow we should hit Colorado, but we have heard warnings of the upcoming passes. Word has it that they are still rather covered in snow- which could potentially result in a repeat of mud adventures of a week ago or so. This is something I whole heartedly do not want. So we'll ascend and see how it looks- if we've got turn around, so be it. We'll figure it out.
The crank I put back on at Jack and Viki's house seems to be holding up just fine. I put some loctite on the threads of the 8mm bolt, and I'm hoping I won't have to deal with it again. Time will tell. My mechanicals have been adding up, but I guess that is to be expected on a 3000 mile mountain bike journey. C'est la vie.
It's about time to move on with the night and start reading some more of the Fountainhead. I just tore out the third section from Mark- and the duct taped the binding to hold it together. Quite efficient way to share a book I do admit. That's the word. Ciao.
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