We rode 110 miles today along Highway 104 from Las Vegas to Tucumcari. Neither Dan or I slept well last night as we were very worried about the winds today and we really didn’t know how severely they would affect our ride.  The forecast called for sustained winds of 25-30 miles per hour by noon today with gust climbing to 35 miles per hour in the afternoon.  We  debated waiting another day before departing, but the Sunday forecast was only marginally better (and it was much colder).

We left the hotel as early as possible, hoping to ride as far as we could before the winds overwhelmed us.  Highway 104 runs southeast out of Las Vegas through a vast expanse of prairie and rolling hills and through some mountain chains.  It was the most desolate ride of our trip so far.  We didn’t see a car in either direction for the first hour and we saw very few cars all day.  

The first 25 or 30 miles of the ride provided us with slightly favorable winds; we felt pretty good about our decision. By 9:00 am, we turned into the wind and our progress was terrible. We rode for 5 miles almost directly into a 25 or 30 mph wind and it took us almost an hour. I think both of us had an overwhelming anxiety that we were not going to make the full trip. To make matters worse, there was no place to stay along the route and we were not even sure if there was a convenience store to replenish our supplies.

The route eventually turned easterly, giving us a wind boost, and allowing us to make our pit stop at the 77 mile mark. We stop at the little store and had a great lunch (microwaved frozen burritos) and filled up with water and fluids. We came in the remaining 33 miles after lunch and eventually found our way to our hotel. 

Tucumcari is a neat and tidy town, but appeared vacated this afternoon.  I think most were bunkered in their homes due to the high winds. We walked next door to pick up take-out, opting to eat in our room.  Right now, we are very grateful to be inside and out of the wind.  Shortly after arriving at our hotel, the news reported that gusts had been recorded at 44 mph.  We have had enough wind for the day.

Our ride today included 4700 ft of climbing.  Overall, it was a physically challenging ride and not one that we could have completed without a rest day and some help from Mother Nature in the end.

View off Mountain Side Along Highway 104

Oasis at Mile 77

Dan Enjoying His Burrito and Mountain Dew

Tomorrow’s plan is to head to Dalhart, Texas. It will be a 95 mile ride and the winds will still be active.  However, given our heading, it appears that we will enjoy a wind on our backs (or at least wind-aided). That, coupled with the lack of mountains, should give us incentive to get out of bed in the morning.