Hello everyone,

There are some days that make all the pain worth it. Today was one of the most scenic days on the route. Most of the day was climbing but we had some serious descents at the end as we rode into Cottonwood.

I inserted a few of the photos of the climb up Mingus Mountain. If you remember a certain red Porsche almost hit another rider and I as it spun out of control and over an embankment. There is a photo of the Porsche in the video that Andi so artfully put together for me.

We started riding and i rod e much of the way with Randy and Herm. I had some mechanical difficulty with my derailleur and Herm graciously fixed t for me. Herm is a crack bike mechanic, pin ball aficionado (he works on those too. In his spare time he was a scientist for Pfizer for many years. Really nice guy and he reminds me in some ways of my other order friend , Mike K from XC 12 who reside in Michigan as well.

Most folks said that todays climb was harder but I thought it was easier because I shed about 20 pounds of useless stuff that I was toting on my rides. We took our time and took a lot of photos.

At the top of the Mingus Mountain climb, Robin, Carol and Eileen were there to greet us, feed us, and provide much needed support. They always have smiles, hugs and kind words of encouragement. Carol had prepared a special treat – a tripe of bean salad that was delicious.

We continued on into Jerome and I was dismayed to see that Alice’s Restaurant had close . We ate lunch atThe Haunted Hamburger and were joined by Stuart and Joann from N. California. A really cool couple who have been in California for many years by way of Canada.

The descent into Cottonwood was treacherous and very fast. I don’t like descents were I can approach speeds that are meant for cars.. I tend to ride my rakes and by the bottom, my hands are cramping.

I saw Geoffrey in the lobby and asked how he was doing and he said that he was a very sore bum. The same ailment that i had last year that makes it extremely painful to sit in a saddle.

So far the ride has been a revelation for me in more ways than one. I am experiencing certain things anew and remembering encounters with friends from XC 12. Sometimes I see places that we stopped, or had a bite to eat, fixed a flat. It is fun remembering all my friends from XC 12 and meeting new ones from XC 14.

I don’t have a roommate this trip but in every place that i stay, I think of my good friend Larry E who was my roommate for almost 2 months. We got along famously and he was a good sport for all the teasing that I imposed. Larry was a courageous rider who pushed through pain that would have stopped me. I would love to hear from him,

Tailwinds

Chuck