I knew I was in trouble before I woke up this morning. After watching the news last night, I saw that a cold front was moving across this area which would bring strong east winds along with thunderstorms. The most important is the winds. Strong headwinds can be a deal breaker, leaving you in a standstill while pushing with all of your power. I have always said that I would rather climb a mountain than to have strong headwinds. I was on I-10 at 5:30am hoping to beat some of the winds. By 6:30am I was at a near stop. The winds blowing due east at 20 to 30mph. All kinds of thoughts ran through my head. Do I retreat and go back to my motel I was in last night, and try again tomorrow? Do I get off the bike and walk it for awhile, hoping the winds die down? Do I stick my thumb out in hopes that a kind-hearted soul feels bad for me and gives me a ride into town? Or do I just fight this wind for the next 6 to 7 hours? I choose to fight it. It was so bad, that I texted my friend Kevin was is bike touring just north of me. I told him that if he hadn't left yet, don't. He took my advice and stayed put for today, and was happy that I clued him in on the horrible conditions. I was already 15 miles into the ride today and didn't want to turn back, but didn't want to fight this wind all day either. I was stuck. It's very frustrating and tiring pushing into a headwind all day. I was happier after I looked over my map and saw I had a town (Sierra Blanca) that I could call it a day at just 35 miles. When I arrived at Sierra Blanca, I decided to continue to push on to my next town (Van Horn). Not only was it a headwind all day, but I seemed to climb most of the day as well. Just west of Van Horn, I crossed into Central Time Zone and just one hour back from EST. I was never so happy to see Van Horn come into view. I was tired and ready to wave the white flag at least for today. The bad news is that this cold front is going to stay put for 3 more days. That means 3 more days of east winds, and that's not good. After I settled in and got cleaned up, the skies got real dark. Then for the first time on this trip, the skies opened and it poured for an hour straight. I called Kevin to see how his day was and tell him how smart he was to stay put. Its then that he told me that it is snowing where he is. Kevin is in the town of Cloudcroft, NM which is at 9,000' elevation. What a day! What will tomorrow bring?
Photos: Sunrise over the Sierra Blanca Mountains - I-10 exit to Esperanza, TX - My bike and the Quitman Mountains - Road work - Eagle Mountains - Closed cafe in Sierra Blanca - Ranch - Victoria Peak at 6,350' - Crossing into Central Time
You are having some hair-raising adventures here, Mike! But one great thing was being settled when it began to rain...that was good.
ReplyDeleteWe're having some nice spring rains here in NY, but the cold front is due to get here tomorrow...brrrr. In the low 30's at night.
- Linda