We are Riding Through the Saudi Arabia of Wind

This is my first post about why I'm riding, and here's where to donate to Water Life Hope.  This is something you really want to do.

April 9: Romeroville to Santa Rosa, 64 miles

Santa Rosa's Route 66 Auto Museum
Any number of places in the US have been called the Saudi Arabia of wind.  We may be casual observers but I think that we would nominate Northern New Mexico today.  Steve looked at the weather report last night and noticed it would strengthen throughout the day.  Our route meant that we'd have to ride like fiends to avoid having cross winds over 20 MPH for part of the day.  For a lightweight bike like mine, that makes it hard to steer the bike.

We weren't able to completely avoid it, but we only had to deal with it for about 15 miles.  Then we turned and the wind was at our back.  Sometimes we were cruising over 30 MPH.  We crossed the Pecos River twice, once in the middle of nowhere and once in the middle of Santa Rosa.   The hotel we chose was on the east side of town, and the wind helped us up the considerable climb from the river. 

Pecos Bar and Grocery, Santa Rosa
We usually have really fun encounters to report on these rides.  But in this part of the country it's pretty exciting to see a cow, and they don't have much to say.  There are very long stretches without stores of any kind, so Steve meets us with the bus every 20 miles or so.  It gives us a chance to refuel, and a place to sit down and get out of the wind.  Sometimes Steve and Carol often switch out bus driving and bike riding responsibilities.  There aren't any other people, though, to meet.  This, along with the Mojave, constitutes America's Empty Quarter.

Santa Rosa's downtown wasn't quite as depopulated as the rest of the landscape we'd crossed but it clearly wasn't doing well.  Carol was more motivated than I.  She fought the wind to get back into downtown and did her own tour, including the Route 66 Auto Museum.  Steve and I found vegan and vegetarian food at the Silver Moon Cafe next door to the hotel.

Tomorrow we go to Tucumcari.  And, yes, we're willin'.  Especially since, for the first time in a long time we're less than a mile high.  Hallelujah.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Biked Across LA and Lived to Tell About it.

Image
Here is my first post about why I'm riding and why donating to Water Life Hope will make Godot arrive promptly. Steve in the old neighborhood March 13: 25 miles We started a bit late on Wednesday, I'll allow.  Steve and I went down to Venice and hunted down a couple of places I used to live.  They were there, but the Marathon Meatless Mess Hall has vanished along with it's famous signs painted by my buddy Arnie, once the only fruitarian in the Texas penal system.   The whole place is more prosperous, or more precisely now demands prosperity.  The Arnies of the world have been banished. The bikes were all prepared the night before.   Cameras went on courtesy of friends  Paula  (donated a front light) and Charles (made a custom mount for the rear light).    We stocked food, and got more spare tubes Near the start of the ride .  So Carol and I headed to the Santa Monica Pier with some confidence....
Read more

Ride FAQ -- Probably a Work in Progress

Image
Carol & Sara on their first ride Here are some questions that people usually ask about the ride, with the best answers I have at the moment.  If your question isn't here, ask away.  Don't be shy.  Some of these answers need a longer explanation, and you can expect these to get their own blog entries. And don't forget to donate to Water Life Hope. The Fundraiser Does the money we give fund the trip? No.  0%.  Definitely not.  We don't touch the money.  You give it directly to Water Life Hope, and 100% goes to water projects.  No part of it goes to administration or fund raising. How did the fundraiser happen? I was at an Outreach meeting at Holy Trinity Parish  (HTP), telling folks I was going to be gone for a while.  We started talking about using the trip as a fundraiser.  The parish has given to Water Life Hope over the years and its founder, Ed Buckley , goes to HTP and lives just a few blocks away from...
Read more

We're Home

Image
This is my first post  about why I'm riding, and here's where to  donate to Water Life Hope .  The ride is complete, but it's still possible (and wonderful) to donate.  I'll do a couple of more entries, one with equipment reviews for those who might be contemplating something similar and another about  Warm Showers .  Then I'll close the blog.  Might open another one if we do something else interesting, but this one will be done.  Thanks so very much for reading this one.  It was really fun to have you with me on the ride. Most of the group.  Let to right: Matt Yurman, Paula Grad, me, Steve, Jude Lomas, Al Greenberg, Mike Martinez. Missing Gardner Neely,  Henry Slack, John Cargile, Andy Blakemore, Charles Shapiro May 17: Dallas to Decatur, 44 miles. Steve and I woke up in Carol's guest room.  It was time to get home.  I prepared to ride one last time: make peanut butter sandwiches, put hydration tabs in one...
Read more