The last couple of days have been oddly difficult. I don’t fully understand why, but for certain the 60 mile rides both felt like centuries. I’ve chalked it up to the cumulative effect of not being fully past this illness along with a poor desert diet and not the best sleep. My legs don’t feel sore, tired would be more appropriate and they demanded a breather. My hands are both numb from having to carry all the extra water on my back. Around mile 30 yesterday I decided to ride past a northern turn towards the Grand Canyon and on into Flagstaff where I could grab a rental car. This morning I rode into GC National Park where I can now cover much more ground of personally unexplored beauty than I could have on the bicycle. Now the 40 mile out-and-back north rim loop won’t be such a set back to me and I can even do a day hike from there down into the canyon. After checking out the south rim today I’m super excited to park the car and travel in by foot. Best of all I’ve got a cooler full of food and water so I can spend a few days not worrying about the next meal while also getting fruits and veggies that the dust bowl gas stations didn’t have. I’ll drop the car off in Cedar City, Utah and continue the ride to Tahoe from there. I’ll be back in the desert then with 70+ mile stretches of no water stops. Tackling those rides with full strength will be critical! I’ll post again when I’m westbound back in the saddle.
No comments:
Post a Comment