Is it ever not fun?

I don't want to spend a lot of time on this (complaining, that is), but yesterday was brutal. My goal was to ride from Durango to Holbrook or Show Lo AZ. A storm came through that caught the weatherman and the locals by surprise, and when I rode out of Durango it was raining and windy. Not my favorite, but manageble.

I was riding south where I expected the temp to rise and clouds to disappear within 30 miles or so. According to the radar I was on the bottom edge of the storm. Well, the rain turned to sleet and the temperature dropped dramatically to the point that I was freezing and soaked. My hot-blooded little Triple wasn't even running at full normal temp.

I laughed out loud in my helmet when I entered NM and saw the welcome sign: "Welcome to New Mexico, Land of Enchantment". I didn't feel very enchanted while being pelted with ice.

I finally reached a gas station in Aztec NM and called Ashley. I felt like a baby, but I was in a panic. I was so frozen that I couldn't pull the clutch. He was driving from Denver with his and Mel's bikes on a trailer, but he refused when I told him he might have to come get me. After much hot chocolate, research, radar-checking, glove drying under the hand dryer, and general pep talking, the rain cleared a little and I knew I was thawed out enough to make it 10 miles to the next town where there was a dealership that had battery operated heated gloves. And hotels. Ashley had called and had it all set up for them to take care of me.

Well, they didn't have the batteries that fit the gloves (!), but they took me in, warmed me up, fed me more hot chocolate, wrapped my feet in ziplock bags and new motocross socks, and stuck a hot air hose in my boots to dry them out. An experienced gentleman who works there helped me figure out the best route and sent me on my way. By that time the sun was almost out! It was still too cold for the gear I had, but by stopping every 40 minutes or so to warm up, I made it to Holbrbrook.

Little Trip is a dirty boy, but he
took care of me all day.

I had the choice to stay the night in Gallup, which was 100 miles shorter than my goal destination. But I didn't take it. For the next hour plus I talked to myself about why I didn't stop when I could have. I was still freezing, rain was threatening, and I had to do that last stretch on I40 (yeah, I know, an interstate, my only interstate of the whole trip).

Except for the stint in the sleet, I pretty much convinced myself the whole day that I was having fun. That's what this is supposed to be, right? Fun? Well, in the end, it was, because of the sense of accomplishment, the knowing that I was succeding and that it wasn't easy, that I would figure out a way to reach my goal of making it to AZ today--with the reward of a great ride tomorrow!

It would have been nice to have my wing man by my side, I have to admit. And, I had several hours to decide that both the New York City and Boston Marathons were easier. Without a doubt. I'll pack extra gloves and socks next time, and I'm hoping Santa will bring me winter boots or heated gloves or grips this year. But for now...I can't wait to tackle the Salt River Canyon today!