Wild Hogs

Day 8, April 30 Albuquerque to Las Vegas, New Mexico

Data: 136 miles Riding time 8:52 (15.3 mph avg)

Today was a LONG ride! Notice my average speed, which was slow considering it wasn't THAT hilly. I recommend you read the tour leader's website to get a description of today's route. The wildest place we went was Madrid, which is where much of the movie Wild Hogs was filmed (motorcycle movie starring John Travolta, Wm H. Macy, Tim Allen, and Martin Lawrence). Here is one of the touristy shops there.

We had good weather today - AGAIN. Can't believe our good luck so far. In fact, I've needed to wear my jacket and leg warmers on only one day, and even then I shed them at the first rest stop, tossing them into the bin on the van. Today was overcast, so no need for sunglasses. Just for the fun of it, here's a shot of us at our breakfast, downing as many calories as we can.

The ride north to Santa Fe, on the Turquoise Trail, was scenic with long climbs and rolling hills. There were homes scattered across the landscape, and they blended well into the scenery. Later, however, riding on Interstate 25 for 70 miles, was not so great. Here's today's version of "the road ahead", which is actually in the morning as we rode north out of Albuquerque. I'm the rider at the back.

The good news is, once we arrived in Las Vegas, we have NO MORE INTERSTATES for the rest of the trip! Today I rode more slowly to rest up, but the long hours on the bike still has made me pretty pooped out tonight. At least I still avoided a flat tire. Knock on wood, I'm one of only two or three now.

One spot we passed as we were on the interstate was an "amateur" memorial to The Gettysburg of the West. It described the Battle of Glorieta Pass, in March, 1862, between New Mexico troops and the Confederate Army. Here's a photo (with Jerry):

I did laundry again this evening, but not at the hotel. I had to get back on the bike and ride about 1 1/2 miles to a laundromat, with all the clothes in my backpack.

We've had some injuries lately, unfortunately. Knees, Achilles, tiredness. More people are riding in the van for all day or segments. One fellow, John Goodman, had chest pains two days ago and had to go to the hospital for tests and observation. They haven't found anything wrong yet, so there is a chance he'll rejoin us.

Finally, here is an artsy photo the tour leader took of me in his rear-view mirror.