Another great ride today!
This was only 43 miles. We left Prescott this morning, and I was feeling great. As it seems lately, I start out strong, and then run out of gas as the day progresses. Today was no exception in that regard.
I left Prescott moving very fast, actually near the beginning of the crowd. As we began our climb up Mingus Mountain however, I found myself falling back within the crowd.
I noticed that I was breathing very fast. Maybe it's the altitude. It reminded me of one of my early training runs, back in early April. I had driven my car, with my bike in it, to Goose Island. I set off from there on county road K, towards Chaseburg. As I had been climbing up K then, I noted that I was breathing fast, something which dismayed me since I had felt that I was then in pretty good condition. Today I noted the same fast breathing as I was going up Mingus Mountain. It reminded my of the earlier rides this year at home. That seems so long ago now, but it was only less than two months. (I wonder if I remember how to drive a car.)
There seems to be quite a mountain ridge that we had to cross today. We crossed via Mingus Mountain. Arduous, but beautiful. At the summit of Mingus Mountain we had our SAG. That was at 7,023 ft elevation. (No wonder I was breathing fast.)
Leaving the SAG was far more beautiful, and also absolutely terrifying. It was scarey for even the people on this ride who don't have acrophobia. For me, with my acrophobia, it was more than truly frightening. I was, quite literally, constantly riding my brakes. I was going so fast, down an unbelievably windy mountain road. This is a narrow 2-way road, with a guard rail and a whole lot of nothing on the other side of the guard rail. When two cars approached from opposite directions, I had visions of getting pushed off to the right. If that had happened, the body would have truly never been found.
Still, acrophobia aside, it was truly a strikingly beautiful ride. My photographs fail to demonstrate how magnificient this area is. Going down on the east side of Mingus Mountain, we could look ahead and see the fabled red rocks of Sedona. We head that way tomorrow.
I am well settled in now, here in Cottonwood. I have washed up myself, my clothing, and my watter bottles. What else is there to life?
Photos on this posting will include a summit shot at 7,023 ft, as well as shots of Mingus Mountain as we were about to ascend from the west side.
Hopefully more tomorrow!
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