What I Learned from Cycling from Denver to Phoenix

Trying to summarize this adventure is not easy. In time much will sink in but here are some final thoughts & observations.
I feel fortunate to have remained healthy before & during the trip. Before I left there was a lot of Swine flu around & I dreaded the thought of getting sick & having to cancel the ride after so much preparation.
I was lucky to have dodged most of the bad weather. There was snow before & after I left Denver. Getting through Colorado & over the mountain passes without snow was lucky. I must admit that I was always somewhat anxious before each days ride knowing I would be riding from after breakfast till close to dinner time almost every day.Most days presented special challenges including some or all of wind, rain,hard climbing,long distances & unfavorable road conditions & I admit that I never felt over confident.
Most of Colorado is well know to me & is of course lovely but northern Arizona was a surprise. The tribal territories were desolate but we got a better appreciation for the Native American people, their culture & their history. What an opportunity to develop solar & wind energy in those territories.
After the Grand Canyon, which defies description, we enjoyed the forests & the high altitude climate. Most of the area of northern Arizona is between 6,000-8,000 feet. It presents lots of climbing but much beauty. Arizona for us is no longer just Phoenix.
Flagstaff is a great little town & well worth the visit. Sedona is well known & enjoyed & we now know why. Jerome is an amazing town on the slopes of the Mingus mountains on the road from Sedona to Prescott & the scenery is spectacular even for Coloradans. Prescott claims to be the capital of Dude ranches & there some great golf courses in the area.
These long rides are, as with almost any challenge, a metaphor for life. Only difference is that it is concentrated & over quickly. Everyone has their list of 10 so here are mine. Things I learned & relearned;
1) Never try & visualize the whole days ride. It can appear overwhelming. Mentally one breaks the ride down into manageable segments. As each is accomplished one moves onto the next until the days ride is accomplished.
2) Long distance riding is an adventure. Bad weather & road conditions may force a change in plans. Enjoy the challenge & be flexible.
3) All hills look steeper from a distance.
4) Fear of the unknown should not dictate our actions.
5) Danger does not increase the further one is from our comfort zone.
6) Long distance riding is as much a mental as a physical challenge.
7) We can do more than we think we can.
8) Health as one gets older is a blessing. One should not waste it by physical inactivity & eating badly. Invest time in ones health every day.
9) Ageing is a process of diminishing physical ability. Exercise can slow this down but it takes more effort to be motivated.
The rewards are however obvious.
10) Don't give up anything you don't have to. Encourage both young & old to do what ever they can & resist the temptation to help unless absolutly necessary.
Let me end with a quotation attributed to an anonymous Indian source;
"I seek strength not to be greater than my brother but to fight my greatest enemy-myself"
So there it is. Only remains to add the last of the photos which I will do when I can get to an Apple store & they can show me how!
Thanks for reading!