June 13, 2020
St Johns - Chambers, AZ
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1,935 elevation gain
I asked Jacinto if we could ride together through Navajo Nation. We have big miles, but not much climbing. I’m going to start out a little earlier than him and we will ride together when he catches me. High temperatures now are 88-90, which seems perfectly civilized compared to the beginning of our trip. Most importantly, we should have a strong tailwind the next two days. We had scheduled a rest day before and after the 77 miles into Chinle. Because of the virus and the benefit of the big tailwind, we are going to try and push through without any rest days. As I’m the weaker rider, I get to make the executive decision each day when I arrive in town. I don’t think we will have trouble changing reservations anywhere in Navajo Nation. Motels are open, but empty.
I’m off now. That tailwind looks good outside!
Later -
The tailwind was indeed fine. I had an 18 mph average for an ego satisfying amount of time. There were several short, rolling climbs today. Nothing difficult or extended. Again I saw a variety of terrain, from empty desert, to sagebrush, some volcanic rock areas (why didn't I photo those?), to piñon and cedar trees.
I had a delicious five miles of fresh pavement with a clean shoulder. I was hoping it lasted all day. No. I appreciated every mile. I kept glancing at the tall grasses bending over as I passed by. Thankfully, the wind was favorable.
About 15 miles into the day, I saw a cyclist coming the other direction. Jerry stopped to talk. He lives in his RV year round, moving to different areas throughout the year. He had been coming to an RV park down the road for more than a decade. Usually he spends summers in Colorado at the Renaissance Fair, but it's canceled this year. We rode together for a few miles, but I needed to stop to eat before an upcoming climb. Jerry kept going and I never caught up.
We had ridden a long, smooth downhill. But I could see the payback in front of me. It was an equally long uphill. Long and not so slow with the tailwind. Yes! Today is a great day. I'm feeling like Chinle tomorrow is a GO.
At the intersection for Zuni, there was a liquor store out in the middle of nowhere. Customers were lined up a huge distance apart. I'm sure there had to be markings. They looked far more than 6 feet. I kept on moving.
When I had asked Jerry if the long uphill was 'the' hill for the day. His voice got high and loud and he answered, "Oh, no - you've still got Hardscrabble Hill to climb." That sounded ominous. We have a Hardscrabble Pass in Colorado. It's tough. I wondered at every rise if this were 'the' hill. None seemed difficult enough. Then I came to Hard Scrabble Road. Two words. I confirmed with Bertha - yes, this was my high point for the day. Just as I was anticipating a fast sail into town, the wind changed. Hmmm, had the road taken a turn? I would like it to curve again, please. No. Now I had a side wind. That's tough with my long bike. It was a strong enough side wind that I had to apply the brakes on the downhills, taking away the reward of the climb. I kept hoping the wind would get behind me, but it never happened. Sometimes I had an almost direct headwind. Other times, a strong sidewind. Starting at mile 38, my day of freebie tailwind miles was shot.
Ah, well. I'm almost to town. Sort of. 25 miles to go. I was still feeling good. Happily so. Miles ticked away. Not as quickly as before, but the computer kept turning. I could see the interstate in front of me. I would get on the frontage road for five miles. I debated riding on the interstate, hoping the semi trucks would pull me along. I didn't do that, but took the left turn onto the Frontage Road. Now I had a direct west headwind. My mileage went as low as 6 mph on level ground. This was no fun at all. I kept my eye on buildings and trees ahead, hoping they would block some of the wind. That did help. My mileage went up to 8 mph! Heck, at this rate I'll be to the motel in 45 minutes. I kept doing mental calculations on how long it would take me to arrive. I was very happy I had the tailwind most of the day.
I checked on Jacinto's Strava link. He appeared to be right behind me, very close, but on the interstate. I looked backwards. Hmm, I didn't see any bicycle riders. The frontage road curved away from the highway. My speed went up, with more trees to help me. I could see the Days Inn sign in the distance. I couldn't wait to arrive! My face was an unpleasant mix of sunscreen, dirt, and sweat. Shower, here I come!
Finally I pulled up to the front door. There were a number of signs in large black print. Masks required. Stay 6 feet apart, etc. I dug my mask out for the first time since Tucson. I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm my breathing before putting on the mask. As soon as I did, I didn't feel I was getting enough air. How could anyone possibly exercise wearing a mask? I held it slightly away from my chin as I registered, the better to get some fresh air.
There's Jacinto! He was perhaps 5 minutes behind me, but on the interstate. We aren't used to getting to town at the same time. We were both trying to do the get to town routine at the same time. I opted for the shower first, the better to get my dirt mask off my face. Jacinto ate the last of his pistachios. It was a momentous moment.
The restaurant opens at 5, take out only. I have changed our motel reservations so we can arrive in Chinle tomorrow. I did not book a second night. I'm hoping to have a good day and we can continue on to Kayenta on Monday. If we need a second night, I'm sure rooms will be available. This has not been a good year for having prebooked lodging. Usually we do just fine, it's even a necessity to book so far in advance in certain areas. With COVID, I could book a week at a time and do just fine. But we didn't know that back in December. Ah, well.
We've checked the wind tomorrow. It will be strong again from the SW. Not a total tailwind . . . I think I'm leaving early. I might not have as much helpful wind, but if it ends up being unfavorable, I won't have as strong of a wind to fight. Riding into Chinle is our longest mile day of the trip and 3,000 feet of climbing. I'm feeling good. I think it will go just fine. Jacinto's happy to get some real riding in. He said he stopped exactly once the entire day, to check if Chambers Road was a short cut to Chambers. It wasn't. At the beginning of the trip I had given him the assignment of taking three photos a day. He has not done a good job at all with his work. While Jacinto admits that stopping occasionally would help with his hot foot problem, he won't do it . . .
I forgot to say - I saw a pronghorn antelope today. I was eating an apple and riding. I didn't have a spare hand to try and get my phone out for a photo. He and I stared at each other for a significant amount of time before he bounded off. His coat was a deep chestnut color with white. His horns were upright, but twisty. He was right next to the fence. I had a good view.
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Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 594 miles (956 km)
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