| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
81.94 miles
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Altitude Gain:
7,099 ft
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Avg Speed:
13.55 mph
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Route:
Chiso Basin-Rio Grande Croton Springs
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Avg Grade: 0 %
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Max Grade: 0 %
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Max HR: 0 bpm
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Avg HR: 0 bpm
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Terrain: Road: Steep
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Bike: Look 585 Carbon Road
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Club: Schuyler County Cycling Club |
| Weather Conditions: Sunny 75F Gusting wind from SW |
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Started the day with sore legs and the small chainring. I had two goals for the day- the six mile climb to Chisos Basin and a 35 mile trip out to the Rio Grande in the eastern part of the park. I chose to do the climb first since I had nearly run out of sunlight yesterday and did have to cut my ride short and wouldn't want to miss out on the high point of the trip due to lack of sunlight. Turned out to be a good winding climb without any steep sections over 10%. Climbed out of the desert and hit the treeline at 5000 ft. Kept pedalling upward into panther country. One was seen two nights before in the area by several people and I tried to keep my cadance high and my motion smooth so as not to look like panther kibble. I wasn't too worried as all the people that I had read about being attacked by panthers while bicycling were riding mountain bikes at dusk and most were female. I was a little disappointed when the climb crested at the Lost Mine trailhead at 6200ft at the five mile marker. There was a mile long descent into Chisos Basin at the end of the "six mile" climb. After the turnaround at Chisos it was a 25 mile downhill from the crest at the Lost Mine to the desert floor below. I did stop at the Panther Junction Visitor Station to fill my bottles. Had a good tailwind on the descent and didn't really even have to pedal for nearly an hour. I did pedal to keep the legs loose but I don't think it made much difference. Rode all the way to the Rio Grande and watched the Mexicans ride horses across our well defended border to stock thier trinket 'stores' they had set up on the river's edge. Of course there were signs saying it was a $5000 fine if I crossed the river and something like a $1000 fine if I bought anything that came from the other side of the river. Doubt that it was enforced, but I had little desire to either wade across the river or purchase the trinkets. I was a little disturbed by the signs in the trailhead parking lots that said vehicles left unattended were frequently broken into. Kept telling myself I was enjoying the 35 mile 80 degree climb into a headwind back to my campside. I ended up the day sunburnt, windburnt and dehydrated but quite satisfied with 80+ miles and over 7000 ft of climbing. Temperatures forecast for tomorrow are highs near 40 with winds over 20 MPH and an overnight low near 20 F. Plan on foregoing the bike tomorrow and hiking up Emory Peak to the 7800 ft mark. Would rather be on the bike but given the inclement weather a 10 mile hike at high altitude will be a good substitute.
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