Hello everyone,

What a difference a year makes. I remembered the ride to Las Vegas with a degree of dread. Two years ago that was probably the low point of cross country trek. Very early on, I was separated from the other riders, never caught up and was buffeted by a blustering side wind. This year, the weather was cool, the winds favorable, the legs strong. I felt strong coming into Las Vegas and we stopped at DQ for lunch and allow time for the rooms to get ready.

We did have quite a bit of climbing today and some of them were quad busters . We did cross quite a few cattle guards which are very well marked on our queue sheets. Unfortunately, I came upon one today which was on the next page right after a turn like a matter of yards. I hit it at high speed and had no issues but I usually like to pick my line or walk across if the rails are twisted or sharp.

We also had to ford some mud on a closed road. I took odd my shoes and walked through the mud which wasn’t too squishy. If mud gets into my speed play cleats, it is impossible to dismount or click in until you clean out the muck. This is sometimes not very easy was the sand and grit tends to stick in them. Alan had a bit of that issue and had a funny moment award when he couldn’t clip to when stopping. He didn’t crash but supposedly looked pretty foolish hopping on one foot. It actually was a good save to not fall.

We saw a lot of mountain pine today and crossed the highest elevation of the trip at around 7500 feet – not high by mountain standards. The roads were in pretty good shape and much of the climbing was accompanied by nice descents. We also hit some climbs that i would describe as Missouri rollers. f you hammer down the descent, your momentum will take yup all or part of the way up the next climb.

I was chased by one dog today and it was the one area marked as such on the queue sheet. I have one rule when dealing with dogs – always ride with someone who is slower than yourself so the dog gets them and not you. Unfortunately, I was alone at the time and frantically sprinted up a hill and the dog (big) seemed very interested in my yellow shoes. Shades of doing “sprints with Eddie” in the movie American Flyers.

Like I said today was a nice day. We ate at K-Bob’s and the waitress was outstanding and the steak and shrimp excellent. I probably consumed at dinner all of the 4000 plus calories that I burned on the ride.

The highpoint of my day though was when Eileen came up to me before Route Rap and handed me a $5.00 bill. Eileen is one of our marvelous support crew and one awesome lady. What is this for I asked? Eileen said she was at a gas station and a man asked if we were riding for anything. Eileen said, she knew that I was ridding for the Wounded Warrior Project. Eileen said the man’s face lit up like a candle and he reached for his wallet and said ” I am a vet , please give this to him and thank him for doing this!” In reality it si I who am thanking him for his service and his donation. Bless You Sir!!

Here’s to a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. Please remember our heroes.

Tailwinds

Chuck