Day 15: Silver City, NM to Kingston, NM

Day 15: Silver City, NM to Kingston, NM
Miles: 47.89
Theme: Climb Every Mountain

We knew heading out today that it was going to be a climbing day - we will climb to the highest point of our journey, over Emory Pass (8255 feet). I think there was some nervousness, excitement, as well as some sadness.

Yesterday afternoon Marge found out that her sister has ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Needless to say she is devastated. We all feel for her as the biggest concern for many of us coming on this trip was what if something happens to a loved one while we are away. Our thoughts and prayers go our to Marge and her sister... It is so, so hard. She is riding today, but needless to say she has a very heavy heart.

The ride from the hotel was a bit nerve racking because we were cycling directly into the morning sun. I was worried about cars noticing us. On top of that I was worried that I couldn't eaily see if there was glass or gravel on the road. Fortunately after just a few miles we turned north so the sun wasn't an issue after that. Because of the coolness this morning everyone was bundled up - so we were happy to see the Sag Wagon (and Kathryn of course) at 9 miles. Kathryn stopped at an vista point for Kneeling Nun. Diane was asking were was the Kneeling Nun. It was a rock formation off in the distance. While she was looking for it, Tex got down on her knees in a prayer position. I kept saying to Diane, no the kneeling nun is right here. It took her awhile, but she finally saw Tex. The main order of business at this Sag stop was to get rid of any extra clothes we didn't need. When we started today it was only 36 degrees. But once the sun comes out, things heat up quickly, especially when you are riding uphill!

The other thing that happened at this Sag stop is that Kathryn's brother John called her back. A day or so ago I had told Kathryn that I was having trouble with my toe falling asleep - like pins and needles. Often near the end of a riding day it is extremely painful. So - she immediately said I am calling my brother. He is a very well respected orthopedic. And so it was John returning Kathryn's call. Kathryn handed me the phone and he asked about why I was riding a recumbent... and then said, "the issue is most likely a nerve issue stemming from the back. I'm not sure you can do this, but you really need a good sports massage therapist to help take care of the issue." Such a nice man! I thanked him and gave Kathryn back the phone. I will try to see if I can get an appointment with someone in Kerrville. We will be there in about 2 weeks. We have decided that John is our official team doctor!

After that, it was back on the bike and more climbing! The next time we would see the Sag is mile 22. You can guess that this is an uphill day because of the frequent Sag stops and the fact that we are only riding 48 miles. Despite the climbing I continue to find the scenery fascinating! We moved from desert to pine trees as we increased in elevation.

The scenery brought me back to my backpacking days with Sea and Summit. As I was climbing one hill I thought of a lesson that I learned while at Sea and Summit. One day while backpacking everyone who was in my staff training group was hiking along. We were tired and wanted to get to our destination for the day. All of a sudden from the end of the line - Amos asked everyone to stop. He had a candy wrapper or some such piece of trash in his hand and said, "I can't believe that not one of you stopped and picked this up!" We all looked down kind of sheepishly. I have always remembered that lesson and find it difficult to go past a piece of trash on a path. So today, in the middle of a very steep climb, I see this red rag on the ground. I pass it by and feel a pang of guilt. I continue on and I come to another rag. (By the way, these are great bike cleaning rags. I passed it and feel guilty again. But this is a steep hill and stopping in the middle of a hill makes for a very hard start on a recumbent. And then thought - what are you doing? I stop, unclip from my pedals and roll back down the hill about 10 yards to pick up the rag. Ah - lessons learned that we keep with us!

I get back on the bike and continue up the incline. I feel better for picking up the rag! To my surprise after about the 20 mile mark, there is an amazing decline. My legs needed the break! However my head was also saying, you are going to pay for this, because what goes down - must go up - when you have a pass to get over! Climb every mountain... We came back down from the pines, back to more desert type landscape.

The Sag was near the bottom of the hill at Harrington Ranch. The scenery - spectacular! The blossoms on the cactus were bright yellow. We soaked in all the beauty and then headed out again. Next destination - Emory Pass. On the cue sheet it said that Emory Pass would come at mile 40. According to Liz the grade was from 6 to 10% on the climb. It just kept going up and up. I can say that with the increased altitude the going was tough. What is so disheartening is when it looks like it is flat and I can hardly get up any speed. You expect to give your legs a quick break and yet you are pedaling very hard. I was in my granny gear for a good part of the day! At one point as I was going along I looked up at the cliffs and saw Jesus. Was I really that dehydrated? Was I seeing things...? I stopped my bike, though there wasn't any shoulder and I was on a curve. I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked up the sheer cliff wall and sure enough there was a statue of Jesus. I had to take a photo!

I got back on the bike and continued to climb. I figured at mile 35 I would take a little break and then finish the last 5 to the summit. Climb every mountain! It seemed to take forever to get to mile 33, then slowly to mile 34. At 34.45 lo and behold there is Little Bo Peep (the Sag Wagon) and Kathryn. It was so nice to see her - and totally unexpected. I was grateful for the rest! I ate my PB & J that I had slapped together that morning. I figured a little more fuel would help me get to the top. After getting more water and finishing my sandwich - off I went. Oh those last miles were steep. 36 miles down, 4 to go, 37, 38, 39 --- and finally the summit! I can't tell you how happy I was to see it. Carol was there with Alice who needed a bump today. Turns out after only 3 or 4 miles into the ride she was feeling the effects of altitude sickness. At first she didn't want to get in the van and insisted they go on. As Carol looked in the rear view mirror Alice bent over and lost her breakfast. Gently Linda told her that she needed to get in the van, there would be plenty more riding another day.

There is a vista point at the Summit that I was told was spectacular. After waiting for a few more to summit, Kathy, Tex and I walked up to the viewpoint. I have seen a lot of amazing sights in my years of backpacking and traveling. This was without a doubt breathe taking. You could see forever and the view went from pine trees to desert to distant mountains. It was stunning! Pictures can never do it justice!

We walked back down to our bikes and began our 8 mile descent to our destination for the night. The road down was quite rough, so there was a lot of braking. It was nice not to have to pedal. My legs were glad! We got to our destination: Black Range Lodge. This lodge is built of straw bale construction. It is a great place. Lots of amazing carvings, a pool table, and best of all, I have my own separate room with a private balcony. But things get even better. Gary who works here is a sports massage therapist. Just what the doctor order. So I have to stop blogging now and take care of this toe issue. More to come later.

Ah - back from the message. My toe is not tingling. This place is really fantastic. Right now everyone is downstairs waiting anxiously for our turkey dinner that the owner is making. It smells heavenly. I'm going to sign out now and join in with the conversation and laughter taking place downstairs. This group has really grown close and enjoy spending time together. I don't want to miss out on the fun. Blog with you tomorrow evening!