I woke up at half past ridiculous, but having gone to bed early, I was refreshed and ready to go. An hour before sunrise in Portales, New Mexico, I opened my motel room door and found out it was colder than a mother in law's heart. Twenty seven degrees was a bit chilly for riding.
So
I bundled up with everything - long johns, t-shirt, flannel shirt,
fleece jacket, liner and finally, my riding jacket. Long johns, riding
pants liner, then riding pants. Fur-lined gloves with liner. I felt
like the Michelin Man.
Dawn
was just breaking as I left town, heading west across the last
cultivated land I would see the rest of the day. After an hour, I just
had to stop for coffee and breakfast. My hands were very cold.
But,
coffee, eggs and sausage warmed the heart and hands and I was off
again. The land slowly changed from scrub to short grasses and scruffy
bushes, then
finally I came to the New Mexico I love - the sculpted
rocks with mountains. And yes - the famous fifty four shades of brown
of the New Mexico landscape.
Lunch was in Socorro - New Mexico style enchiladas, meaning they are served flat rather than rolled, with green chile (of course) and an egg on top. Oh yum - heaven in my tummy.
And
the rest of the high altitude ride (my GPS showed over 8,000 feet), was
wonderful, riding through
places like Pie Town and Datil.
The bike? She gave me a scare as I left Portales as the headlights did not work. But I think this was the first time she had been below freezing. After a little warmth, the lights came on and she ran beautifully for the rest of the day.
Bedtime
found me in the White Mountains of Arizona. A shower was much needed
and much enjoyed. The weather forecast said it would be below freezing
again in the morning, but as the day wore on, I would be riding down out
of the mountains into Phoenix - where it would be in the 80s. Hmmm -
gonna have to find a place to shed the long johns and flannel shirt.
Life is good.