Today's 61 mile ride was somewhat of a mixed bag. The surprisingly heavy truck traffic combined with a narrow shoulder made it difficult to enjoy the beautiful scenery and great weather. It would appear that truckers use this portion of Highway 160 to cut between I-40 and I-25 - nothing else would seem to explain the large number of 18-wheelers.
It was 37 degrees when we started riding this morning, so I began the day with three layers of clothing, full gloves, and a nifty biking hat with ear flaps which I wore under my helmet. However, I began shedding layers after about the first hour of biking and was down to one layer before lunch. We can leave our discarded layers with one of the Trek Travel support vans which we typically meet up with about every 10-15 miles.
As we approached Pagosa Springs, the view of the San Juan Mountains was magnificent. The town gets it's name from the Utes who called the sulfur-rich mineral springs "Pah gosah". The hot springs are located at the Springs Resort where we are staying tonight. But the smell of the sulfur and the "lobster pot" analogy are sufficient to keep me from wading in.
Well, tomorrow is the big day - 142 miles and 8100 feet of climbing - as we make our way over the Continental Divide to Taos. I have thought about this ride since signing up for this trip at the beginning of the year - and not all of my thoughts have been positive. However, tonight I am feeling positive, confident, and actually looking forward to the ride. And why not? I'm riding strong, my aches and pains are pretty much gone, and the weather looks great.
See you in Taos!
Steve
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