Week 46

Date
November 14, 2017

Distance
100 miles

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Week 46

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This week I did an out-and-back on 82. I've done the climb up to Cloudcroft (about 20 miles in), but the rest of the route was new to me. It's a good route. There's a long, gradual downhill from Cloudcroft. It's a scenic ride and not much traffic. There's no shoulder most of the way, but I never felt like I needed one. 

I'm not sure if I'm just picking bad days or if it tends to be windy up there. Today was pretty windy, and so was the ride I did in the higher elevations 2 weeks ago. It wouldn't surprise me if the wind is normally stronger up there. The good news is that it's usually a tailwind on the climb up to Cloudcroft.

Speaking of the climb to Cloudcroft, it has similar stats to Mt. Rose in Reno, but for whatever reason Mt. Rose feels like a much more difficult climb. Here are the Strava Links: Cloudcroft, Mt. Rose. Do 2 extra miles make that much more of a difference? Mt. Rose has a few ups and downs, while the climb to Cloudcroft is fairly steady, so that could be factor. Maybe it's the wind? There tends to be a tailwind for the Cloudcroft climb. Not so for Mt. Rose. However, I've ridden both on a calm day and Mt. Rose still feels more difficult than I would predict from looking at the stats alone. I'm not sure what else it could be. It's not the elevation. Both end above 8,500 feet.

Don't get me wrong. The climb to Cloudcroft isn't easy. I'm fortunate that I've been able to live close to such great climbs. I'll tell you what, though. I doubt I have ever done Mt. Rose as late in the year as November 14th. I did this descent today wearing just my normal base layer, a normal jersey, sun sleeves, and a thin jacket.

Week 45

Date
November 9, 2017

Distance
100 miles

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Week 45

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I did an easy ride this week. It was cloudy when I woke up and I really wasn't feeling it, but you know how that works. As soon as you get out there riding things start feeling better. The clouds also cleared up and it turned out to be a pretty nice day.

I rode 54 south towards El Paso. This is part of the route I used when I rode from El Paso to Canada earlier this year. It's a divided highway, but there's plenty of shoulder and it's easy to ride. I still remembered which gas station I stopped for when I was riding through back in June. It's funny how that was less than 6 months ago and I had no idea at the time that I would be living here in the future. It makes me wonder what will be happening 6 months from now. Truth is, I have no idea. I have plans until March and the future is a mystery after that.

Week 44

Date
November 1, 2017

Distance
100 miles

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Week 44

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My camera died this week, so the video isn't great. Today I did the climb to Cloudcroft and continued on to 244. The scenery was great out there and the road was nice and quiet. It was a little windy today, but pretty warm considering that it's November 1. I can't wait to do this ride in the summer when it's nice and hot.

I know it's still the honeymoon period, but so far I'm loving Alamogordo. There are flat roads, there's this long climb to Cloudcroft, and I was recently told about a climb in town that is 0.4 miles at 16%. I've done it twice now and it's a nice little lung burner. There's not a wide variety of climbs like I had in Reno, but I'm pretty sure the winter weather here is going to make up for that. And did I mention that my house was super cheap?

Week 43

Date
October 28, 2017

Distance
106 miles

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Week 43

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From now on you can call me Adamogordo. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Anyway, this is my first weekly ride from Alamogordo. One of the nice things about Alamogordo is that I can ride in all 4 directions. I can head south towards El Paso, north towards Carrizozo, east towards Cloudcroft (climbing), or west (ok, really southwest) towards Las Cruces. That's going to be nice because I will always have the option to plan my ride around the wind if I want.

I rode the north/south options earlier this year when I rode from El Paso to Canada and I've been to Cloudcroft via automobile, so it made sense to head out towards Las Cruces and see what that was like. It turned out a lot better than I thought. There is a very wide shoulder the whole way, which I love. Early on the route passes by White Sands National Monument. You can't see a whole lot from the highway, but a few sand dunes are visible. I don't know why, but it seems to add a little excitement to the ride.

The route is super flat, but there are mountains off in the distance and the views are nice. Then, about 44 miles into the ride, there's a little climb up to San Augustin Pass. It's 5.5 miles at 5%, which is nothing to write home about but is a welcome change from how flat the rest of the ride is. The views are pretty nice in that area, too. The road doesn't twist and turn very much, so I'm sure this is a tough climb when there's a headwind.

This is sure to become one of my regular routes, especially when the winds are W or SW.

Week 42

Date
October 22, 2017

Distance
100 miles

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Week 42

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This was my last weekly ride in Nevada. I went out to Carson Pass for a nice view of Red Lake. That's probably my favorite view (easily accessible by bike) in the area. I had to see it one last time. The foliage was a little bit past its peak, but beautiful nonetheless.

I'm going to miss living here. When the weather is good the riding is incredible. I've been lucky to live in northern NV for the past 7 years or so, but at a certain point you have to be able to give something up if you want to experience new things. I'm a little sad to leave, but more excited to see new places and ride new rides. Thanks for the memories, Nevada. It was fun while it lasted.