Our shortest and longest days so far

Friday's ride was the shortest ride so far, 69kms, as we made our way from Zuni to Rehoboth in Gallup, NM. It was a pleasant ride with plenty of up and downs. In Gallup, we stopped for a coffee before heading to the Rehoboth Campus, which is just outside of town. I was there before before noon. It is a beautiful campus, with modern facilities. We slept in the gym. In the mid afternoon I hiked to "resurrection rock" which is beside the cemetery. It gave a great view of the surrounding area. There I could also see the approaching  storm. I made it back in time before hail and rain came down upon us. It was all over in an hour, but it was a good downpour.

Rehoboth feed us supper and then offered a ride into Gallup so that we could watch the nightly Native Dance that took place in the City Square. This lasted for an hour, 7-8. Came back to campus and soon to bed. But we could hear the thunder of another storm.

In the morning the skies were clear. We were ready to head out on our long ride--a century ride, 100 miles or 160 kms. But just as some were heading out, the news came. The highway was closed. A culvert was washed out. The ride was canceled. Disappointment, with tears. But then the good news. The police will allow the bicycles to walk over the washout area. The ride was on.

What a ride it was. The roads were in excellent conditions and because of the closure we only had local traffic, which was not much. The first half flew by. It was mainly down hill, but at a gentle rate. I hit my highest speed ever--63.6 kph. For an hour we were going at a clip of high 30's and low 40's, without spending much energy.

Still it is a 100 miles. Half way through one of our riders slowed down, as he wasn't feeling well. I stayed at his pace, while the others continued ahead. At a SAG stop, I left him behind to rest and wait for his parents, who would be slower riders. I found two others ride to finish the ride. The last 20 kms were more difficult, as we rode into the wind, with blowing sand. Still I came in at 2:40, having left at 6:40. A century ride is a major goal for cyclists and I now have mine.

Obviously I was tired. But I had sweep duty, helping with supper. Soon after supper we had our Peloton meeting. At 9:30, I was ready for bed. We are staying at Bethel CRC in Shiprock

These last three stops are in Native American territory. It was good to see the ministry of the CRC in Zuni, Rehoboth and Shiprock. They are very different from each other. It is good to see and experience a different culture.

Today, Sunday the group is staying at Bethel, worshipping with them. They will feed us lunch. A day of rest from our bikes.

Tomorrow we head out, but on a different route than scheduled. Because of the smoke by Wolf Creek Pass, we cannot go that way. We will make a different route to Colorado Springs, but we will bike it!