A Long Hard Good Day

Day 11 from Tuba City to the Grand Canyon. 82 miles & over 4,300 feet of climbing. 9 1/2 hours on the road & it was a good day! Somehow it was gratifiying for me as I was not sure with the distance, wind & climbing if I could get it done before dark. I left at about 7:30am & arrived at 5pm. Eyes were red again as evidence that the wind was still a factor. Clothing was a challenge as it warmed up but as I climbed higher the wind chill was a problem so a jacket went on & came off often. A hard day. I was very tired but relieved & happy to have done it. About 700 miles done with about 300 to go.
The day devided itself into 3 segments of about 27 miles each. The first segment was to the turn off on hwy 64 to the Grand Canyon. Nice road & shoulder but the usual open desert scenery & no significant wind (meaning it was there but not slowing me down much).
Then approx 27 miles to the entrance to the Grand Canyon park. This was the hardest climbing but good to have it done. Then into the park for the last 27 miles. Within one mile the first viewing spot of the Canyon. Wow took our breath away! Spectacular doesn't quite do it!
Then on into a beautiful forest & a welcome change from the last few days of slogging through the desert. Actually saw some live deer. The only wildlife I had seen up till then was road kill of a nice variety of the anilmals living in these parts (including wild horses).
Then it was just keeping my head down & pushing through the last few miles to the Yavapai Lodge where we are staying.
One of the major challenges of the last few days was that there was no cell phone contact. I encouraged Hazel to spend time in the different places to visit the little museums & others places of interest which I didn't have time to do. She actually has had the chance to learn alot about the very sad story of the Native Americans & the devious way they were dealt with by the early settlers to these lands. One is impressed with the poverty & the endless little stalls with them selling the things they make.I do appreciate their sense of humor. On one of the set of stalls yesterday was a big sign saying "nice Indians". I suppose that means that the only scalping is financial! After passing some stalls I also saw a sign saying "nice Indians behind you". I found that reassuring.
I digress. Often 3-4 hours would pass before she caught up with me & by then I often was running low on fluids. The alternative was for her to never be more than 30-60 minutes away which was boring for her. I think we will have better cell phone contact from now on which will give her more freedom to do things that interest her.
I had heard of the bad roads through the Indian reservations & the drunk drivers. The roads were really good although the shoulders were not always great. Luckily never saw a drunk driver but the thousands of beer bottles on the side of the road probably meant they were somewhere. The only problem they presented to me was that I was continually dodging broken glass.
A liitle about some of the logistics of the riding. I always eat a big breakfast which consists of oatmeal & an egg & toast & orange juice. I have not drunk tea or coffee except on the day of no riding at Mesa Verde & today as we take a day off to explore the canyon rim. (Don't want the diuretic effect because having to pee has been a problem the last few days with narry a tree to pee behind!) I try & keep up with the needs of fluid intake. I needed much less coming through Colorado when it was so cold but recently need to drink more. Usually start with Gatorade & then after a few hours of riding start on the Perpetuam that Ari gave me, but also drink Gatotade. I get resupplied as needed from the cooler in the car. Strangely I don't feel like food until usually about 4 hours into the ride. My main food is a peanut butter & jelly (jam) sandwich. Recently am also eating one or 2 power bars by the end of the day. Maybe a few nuts as well. Not much food but we usually have a nice dinner with pretty good food considering where we are. At Tuba City we had the simplest meal so far. We both ordered lamb stew. I think they were offering a prize for anyone who found a piece of lamb in their stew! So we had a vegetable soup! With a huge peice of fried bread neither of us were hungry. Besides we have fruit & nuts with us so can always fill any gaps. Mostly at dinner I have fish which usually means salmon.
We are in bed early & have 8-9 hours in bed. I don't sleep all that well & half way through the night will take a half of a 10mg Ambien (Zolpidem). That sees me through. I recommend the person who discovered this sleeper for a Nobel Prize for helping so many who need help sleeping. I keep an eye on my pulse to be sure it doesn't start running too fast. Usually seems to be about 100/min when riding & about 50/min at rest (so I ignore the pain in my chest-just kidding). I am aware of my age & how my body responds to day after day of 6-9 hours of hard exercise. So far I feel good & assume my legs are getting stronger. Hard to tell as there has not been an easy day. Who was the guy who planned this ride anyway! Actually there is no choice. One has to get to the next town & they are not that close together. Denver to Phoenix is a hard route & not one that I would recommend for biking (great for visting by car).
Now that we have a camera I have to figure out how to get the photos onto the blog!
Tomorrow about 80 miles to Flagstaff with 30 miles of climbing, most of which doesn't look too bad.