https://give.michaeljfox.org/barbarasbigride
Today's Ride
The Stats
92 miles
2,657 ft. climbing (with crazy headwinds much of the way!)
Miles Completed: 723
Miles to Go: 2,673
States Visited: 3 of 15
Feet Climbed: 30,946
The Ride
This was a tough one all around. Coming off yesterday's 95-miler (where I felt pretty good, boosted by all those downhills), today challenged the group overall. Aside from all the flats (I was lucky with only one--some had as many as 5!), we were on the I-40 for all but the last 5 miles. While the shoulder and pavement were pretty good, comparatively speaking, the road was busy and noisy, with headwinds posing an even greater impediment.
There wasn't much to look at in the early part of the ride, other than a glorious sky, the mere expanse of it all, and some cheap land for rent.
We once again were following the Santa Fe Railway tracks. I kept thinking of the folks that traveled by train before there were airplanes, and those who built those tracks to open up the grandeur of the western US to the rest of us. The trains fittingly reminded me of the Lionel trains my dad collected when he was a kid and which now sit in our basement in cardboard boxes, but for the sole car that was kindly framed for me by my family for a recent birthday!
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| The picture could be better, but that's a train in the background! |
(don't ask -- just try it!), though the sole woman both taking the orders and cooking the breads evoked memories of the Soup You Know What on Seinfeld ("No frybread for you!").
It also made for a color-coordinated "bike lean" photo for my "Look at my bike leaning against stuff" Facebook group!
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| Navajo Frybread Lean |
The scenery improved as we approached the New Mexico border, and it felt like an accomplishment to cross another state line, but we all could've used the hour we lost by crossing into the Mountain time zone! And nice as it was, it didn't quite compensate for the headwinds or the traffic.
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| One of the better state signs on the trip! |
The billboards were a reminder of the political and social issues that have so divided this country, but which I've personally opted to ignore as much as possible on this journey!
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| We made it! |
Employee(s) of the Day
Amazon Drivers
With another all-day interstate ride, I feel compelled to give a shout out to the those Amazon truck drivers. It seems like every time I looked up and attended to what was on the road, there was another Amazon truck, in that now-noticeable sky blue, declaring "There's more to Prime. A truckload more."
And indeed, whenever I looked up, there was another "truckload more," with someone driving that truck. While I may be crazy enough to voluntarily spend my days on two wheels along the shoulder of the I-10, the Amazon drivers are not on sabbatical and are working hard to get those things we drunk-order at 11 p.m. to us by the next day. It never ceases to amaze me how that happens, and now I know at least a part of it. So thank you, Amazon drivers (even if I didn't mean to order half the stuff I do!)
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| Confession: I didn't stop to take this photo. Just downloaded it! |
And indeed, whenever I looked up, there was another "truckload more," with someone driving that truck. While I may be crazy enough to voluntarily spend my days on two wheels along the shoulder of the I-10, the Amazon drivers are not on sabbatical and are working hard to get those things we drunk-order at 11 p.m. to us by the next day. It never ceases to amaze me how that happens, and now I know at least a part of it. So thank you, Amazon drivers (even if I didn't mean to order half the stuff I do!)
My L&E Geekout
I've read and reported about many cases about "last-mile delivery" Amazon drivers and whether or not they fall within the transportation workers exception to the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). (I don't have the bandwidth to explain this, but there are many resources on Practical Law that can!) All I can say is that having been on the interstate highways, driving between Blythe, CA, and Wickenburg, AZ or between Holbrook, AZ and Gallup, NM clearly seems to be an act engaged in "interstate commerce" even though they are places within biking distance (at least for us fanatics)!
Desiree at the Hilton Garden Inn Bar in Gallup
So, after a less than satisfying dinner at Denny's next to our hotel (another "first" for me), I ventured two doors down to the Hilton Garden Inn (I had made a mental note on the way to the hotel that they had a bar). Desiree is a hard-working, dedicated, and very professional bartender, remembering my brew of choice and immediately offering to get the wifi password for me from the front desk when I arrived. Combined with the chocolate-and-caramel-sauce-topped ice cream to satisfy my sweet tooth (which I'm entitled to indulge after today!), what more could I ask? So thank you, Desiree!
Quote of the Day
As I was leaving the bar, I was talking to Lance, who lives nearby in Gallup. When I told him where I was biking from and to, and showed him the map, he said, "That's a f---'in long way!" He speaks the truth, so it's off to bed for me!
(By the way, he maintains the power grid for the Navajo Nation, so we can thank him further for keeping the power on as we charge all our devices tonight!)
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