The Road Ahead

Tuesday, June 9    Day 3   Truth or Consequences to Sorocca, NM   82.6 mi

For many of our miles today, we rode next to Interstate 25, as in this photo, or for several miles, on it! This picture shows Paul, Bob, and Neil. I took this photo by just sticking my camera out to the side and snapping, without knowing if the cyclists were even in the viewfinder. It came out perfectly!

When we departed our lodge in Truth or Consequences, we immediately had to climb a steep hill. Lots of comments about cruelty and inhuman punishment. Haha  But the temperatures were cool and we all had a great ride on frontage roads along Interstate 25. Then it was time to actually get on the interstate:

And there we are rolling down the onramp. It might sound scary, but riding on an Interstate is not so bad - the shoulder is wide and in our case, smooth. And, you gets boosts of tailwinds every time an 18-wheeler flies past you. We call it "the lorry effect" (the British term for a semi is a lorry).

Once we were on, here was our view ahead. Pretty neat looking. That's Bob. Funny that there didn't seem to be any vehicles on the highway when I took this picture. And check out the mountains in the background!!

Long lonely roads in many places! That's Sue waving, and Corey behind her. We were just at one of our rest stops to get snacks and water, sunscreen if we needed it, and encouragement.

Look at the straight road ahead! As far as the eye can see - straight. That's the interstate next to us. We did have more riding scenery than just what I've captured in my photos, but these sorts of scenes impress me. We continue to cross or ride next to the Rio Grande River, which is the ONLY river we've seen with any water. We have crossed over many a dry creek.

We were pretty pooped when we arrived in Sorocco. I could never get on the Internet, so I'm writing yesterday's blog entry tonight in Albuquerque. Our restaurant was a small, intimate family-owned Mexican place. Lots and lots of family photos on their walls.

It rained hard again during the late evening. Glad that so far, all our big rain has happened once we're in our hotel rooms.