On the road again

It was good to be on the road again. On Tuesday we biked to Heber, a short ride of 84 kms, but with a long climb in the middle (about 1000m over 9 kms.) Because of last week's experience, riders left early. I left at 6:15, which requires a 5 am wake up call. For the first time I got into camp before noon. I rode with Joel, a 18 year old, who was worried when we got to the top of the climb that he had slowed me down! That was a boast to my ego. The reality is that my bike does better on long climbs than his.

The afternoon was spent just chilling out at the school we were staying at. I even attempted a nap. Though we had the option of staying in the gym, I slept in the tent, as the temperatures now do cool down in the evening. But dark clouds formed. At this time of year, thunderclouds form in the late afternoon, with much lightning and wind, but little rain. We experienced that since arriving in Payson. But tonight, it did rain hard, but for a short time. But it came at a very inopportune time--just as dinner was being served. I got my food in time, but others got wet. It was early to bed for me, as I was very tired.

On Wednesday we rode to St. Johns, AZ. Though 127kms, the actual ride took about the same time as yesterday. That's because the wind was behind us and for the first two hours we were going down hill. Today's ride was through open country, with one town, Snowflake in the middle of the ride, where we stopped for second breakfast at McDonalds. Towards the end there was a short steep climb, plus a 8% grade descent. I prefer ascending hills than descending.

We arrived at St. John's at 12:30 and after setting up the tent and showering, I, along with many others, went to the library for WiFI. Temperatures are still over 100 degrees, but not hot as last week.