Blustery day in Gallup

I am competing w/ Wait Wait don’t tell me.

40 mph gusts, 36 mph average out @ high desert ride. Good trails in desert. Will ride again b4 leaving. Started out w/ sprinkles and hopes that more rain would not fall. I was told that when the soil gets wet it becomes sticky and binds up wheels. No fun, don’t ride. 19 miles, 1939′ climbed. Wind made climbs into head wind hard and dicey on narrow trails. 7000 foot elevation rides like Fruita and Moab Sovereign trails.

Back into town to buy beer. GPSd package store fom trail guide: way out in country, bit of hard neighborhood but it was closed. GPS worked but need screening tool to vet choice.

Stopped @ Safeway for groceries. Parking lot plugged. Walking in parking lot was sporty as many drivers seemed to be using me to sharpen their fine motor skills. Store was more than plugged. There were like maybe 50 people waiting to be checked out. Just too many to even put food on my table tonight. I noticed a laundromat out near ride was plugged. DO all these people come into town on Sats? Might try again later this afternoon to see if the crowd returned home.

Rode w/ these young people @ their local trail that is home to dawn to Dusk ride where you win based on how many laps you ride. The elevation got me on every hill but kept up on flats & downhills. they told me that after their race the trails would be like butter as all the wheels would ride out old ruts and foot  prints. We shortened our ride because of sprinkles. I wore my rain coat and the rain stopped. Later I took the coat off and the sucker hole was long enough to finish ride. 40 mph winds head on to back of van where the road bike was hiding under the rain cover. The bike and rack were moving in the wind. Cover made a perfect wind stop.

Parked just off end of airport runway head into wind and van is still rocking. Why yes, I am alone and I am typing this.

Pedals didn’t arrive via USPS so I am here at least until Monday.

Will probably go back to Quaking Aspen TH for another night of 7800′ elevation sleeping.