April Fools Day

We had no internet, and I had no phone service last night, so this post covers March 31 and April 1.  Yesterday’s ride had me worried from the first time I saw the itinerary, as it was over 5500 feet of climbing.  About 15 miles into the ride I developed a headache, rare for me, and I felt like my legs were made of lead.  Guess I don’t do so well at altitudes over 8000 feet.  Ten intrepid riders finished the ride exuberantly, while four of us came along in the truck.
Since today’s ride was going over 9200 feet and I was still having headaches, I elected not to ride.  This turned out to be a very smart decision, as there was so much snow on the supposedly open road, (we had checked with locals), that after slogging through snow for more than 2 miles, all the bikers turned around, back through the snow and 12 miles down the road to the little town of Alpine, where they waited for transport.  Fortunately, everyone is fine, and I had a chance to watch the UCONN women’s basketball team make it to the Final Four.  Go Huskies!

That’s me, a little low on energy.

Literary allusion: “Cactus in the crannied wall”

We climbed out of the truck for one more border crossing.  It’s not the same as riding up.

View from the window of our lodge in Alpine.

This is a bike route???

The area we were in parts of yesterday and today were burned in a major fire in 2011, yet are considered healthy forests today.  I think you can see fire damage on these trees, but as fire management in these national forests allows for burning to control undergrowth, it helps reduce fire threats and damage.  I’m not sure if my explanation makes sense, but it was evident to me in looking at these trees.