Quiz question : which of these most saved me from the self-pitying rabbit hole of touring cyclist's blues?
A.) Climbing to 8295 ft Emory Pass at sunset
B.) Riding more than 50 miles before noon
C.) Topping 40 mph on a downhill
D.) Riding 97 miles in one day
E.) New Mexican red chili mania
Guess first, answers later.
It's been cold, so cold. Last night, coming down the pass was scary because my ever freezing fingers went numb when I still needed them to hit the brakes. I only had five miles till my sleep spot, but it was a memorably terrifying 5 miles. I stopped to shake em out, I wore all 3 pairs of gloves I have. . . No help. I was supposed to camp outside the black range lodge, but when I got in, it was warm and there was dinner, and the innkeeper asked knowingly, 'so, do u still want to camp?' I am a sucker. Then emily, who's living there and building things out of straw bale, and I, we sat in a wood fired hot tub under the stars. And when we got too hot, we went into her straw bale sleeping hut and made a fire, drank beers, and talked. And it felt just like home.
Today, all I did was ride. And look at red chilis drying. And have lunch with a bearded, overalled man named wild bill, in hatch, the chili capital of the WORLD. 3 miles short of a century ; I considered closing the circle with some loops around the starbucks parking lot. But I drank a frappacino instead.
Oh, and guess what?! Texas tomorrow!
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