DAY 13 OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, DAY 14 REST DAY

We crossed the continental divide for the first time today.  We had a 46 mile ride from Lordsburg to Silver City, New Mexico.  The ride started out a bit uphill and then the head winds hit.  I thought that the winds would generally be west to east.  WRONG.  Pedaling along at 4-5 mph was a real challenge.  Then we began climbing, up and down.  Fortunately the wind died down some but we had 4,100' of elevation gain.  Silver City sits at about 6,000'.  This was certainly the most challenging ride I have done.

Silver City is a rest day and is nice town with shops and restaurants and two bike shops.  My bike needed some minor adjustments.  I think this is mainly due to the rough pavement in many areas.  They have this wonderful road asphalt road surface called chip seal which is just charming to ride on and makes one yearn for shock absorbers.  The rumble strips along the roads also make riding a challenge at times.  At least it was cooler in the mountains.

My sister, Sally and my daughter, Hilary, joined me for my rest day in Silver City.