Day 16: Las Vegas to Tucumcari, NM

Note:  Sorry for the delay.  We had internet issues in Tucumcari that prevented a timely posting of the following content.

It was 42F when we left the hotel in Las Vegas NM for Tucumcari NM.  Once again I wore arm warmers, a light jacket, knee warmers, toe warmers, and long-fingered cycling gloves.  These extra pieces of clothing are SOP for me in temps 40-50F in Michigan, so I saw no reason to change that practice.  We were also greeted with a light breeze and blue skies.  Getting out of town was quick, one left turn about a mile from the hotel put us on SR104E.  We took that road all the way to Tucumcari.

Early morning on SR104E -- the road to Tucumcari.

View from SR104E -- small windowless and doorless shelter adjacent
to windmill, water tank,  and cattle pen seemingly surrounded by nothing in the middle of nowhere.

Our first SAG stop at Mile 27 also marked our 1000th mile of the tour!

We were told this former gas station at the SAG stop was in a scene of the movie "No Country for Old Men".  

Around Mile 33, we began a rapid winding descent along an escarpment.  This descent lasted for approximately 5 miles at grades -4% to -7%.

Already descending the switchbacks along the escarpment, I stopped to photograph the road ahead just
before it appeared to open up for a panoramic view of the valley below.

View of the valley below from the escarpment descent

At Mile 66, we encountered "The Wall" -- a 0.7 mile climb at a consistent grade of 6-9%.  CrossRoads staff members were at the top shaking cowbells enthusiastically and cheering us on to the top.  They also had a ice-filled cooler containing energy replenishment drinks, including chocolate milk which tasted a lot better at that point than I'm sure many would think it would.

Approaching "The Wall"

The final 40 miles of the day along SR 104E consisted of short and long rolling hills through a red sandstone desert filled with green scrub bushes, flowering cacti, and bright, colorful wildflowers. 

The rounded surface and vein-like shape of this red sandstone reminded me of the lava fields seen a few days earlier.

As the terrain and climate changes, so do the roadside blooms.  Little spots of beauty growing in the starkest of environments -- barren land immediately adjacent to the road shoulder typically containing loose gravel, discarded junk, and other road debris.

OK, one more.

Although we actually lost 2500 ft in elevation while cycling from Las Vegas (approx. 6500 ft) to Tucumcari (approx. 4000 ft), we climbed approximately 3900 feet along the 108-mile route.   It was a tough day of riding, though certainly not a hot one.

Day 16 Google Earth image and Elevation Profile
Las Vegas to Tucumcari, NM

Tomorrow we cross over into the Texas panhandle and into another time zone (Central). It is expected to be a hot 96 miles.