Day 7, Springerville Arizona to Socorro New Mexico
Saturday, September 17, 2011 Category: Bike Ride
Today was the longest day of our journey. The stats on my Garmin bike computer were: 154.18 miles; 8 hours, 32 minutes in the saddle; 18.0 mph average speed. I was very satisfied with the ride. I thought I would be real tired at the end of this, but was surprised. Part way through the morning, I had some stomach issues, but after lunch, things came together. Also, right before lunch, about the last two miles before the stop, it rained fairly heavily. And of course, when it rains in the desert Southwest, the temperature drops. So, it got rather chilly when we stopped for lunch. We had a pace line going through the Plains of San Agustin, and we were probably averaging 25 mph plus. The great tail wind helped, otherwise, we would have had some real issues getting to Socorro. Also, after passing through Magdalena, we moved with great speed to the last rest stop, about 18 miles from our finish. Fought a head wind into Socorro, but it was mostly downhill for the last 14 miles or so.
It was very green in New Mexico and Eastern Arizona. Awesome scenery, and we passed through Quemado, Pie Town, Datil, and Magdalena before arriving at Socorro. The scenery has been one of the best things on this tour. One of the more interesting things we saw today was a covered wagon on the road. The wagon was a living history display on the move. The person driving the wagon said that he was on his way to California.
So far, I have been very pleased with the journey. It has not been easy, and I didn’t expect it to be so. I am very impressed with my riding partner Jamie. She is an awesome bike rider, and it has been great riding with her. She has had some issues on the trip, but has come through like a real trooper!
I have some real issues with saddle sores, and I really hope this does not cause me any major problems. Feet are getting better, and I have not cramped since the first day. Health wise, things seem to be going good.
Tomorrow, the ride will be 106 miles with 6700 feet of climbing. The ride will be from Socorro to Ruidoso, a mountain town in the Lincoln National Forest. We are going to be leaving an hour later, so should help with getting a little extra sleep.
Click here for today’s pictures
It was very green in New Mexico and Eastern Arizona. Awesome scenery, and we passed through Quemado, Pie Town, Datil, and Magdalena before arriving at Socorro. The scenery has been one of the best things on this tour. One of the more interesting things we saw today was a covered wagon on the road. The wagon was a living history display on the move. The person driving the wagon said that he was on his way to California.
So far, I have been very pleased with the journey. It has not been easy, and I didn’t expect it to be so. I am very impressed with my riding partner Jamie. She is an awesome bike rider, and it has been great riding with her. She has had some issues on the trip, but has come through like a real trooper!
I have some real issues with saddle sores, and I really hope this does not cause me any major problems. Feet are getting better, and I have not cramped since the first day. Health wise, things seem to be going good.
Tomorrow, the ride will be 106 miles with 6700 feet of climbing. The ride will be from Socorro to Ruidoso, a mountain town in the Lincoln National Forest. We are going to be leaving an hour later, so should help with getting a little extra sleep.
Click here for today’s pictures
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