Rose Pedals . . .: A Headwind is Simply an Invitation to Stay

Day 10
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Ruidoso, NM to Roswell, NM
97 miles
3,084 feet of climbing

Another absolutely fantastic day of riding! Today, we left the mountains and headed for the plains of New Mexico. We had a bit of climbing for about 25 miles after we left Ruidoso - up and over big sweeping rollers. After that, it was rolling terrain with a slight slant downward for most of the remaining miles. The miles clicked by rather quickly for that stretch. Around mile 50, however, we were faced with a fairly stiff headwind that stayed with us for the remainder of the ride, and grew stronger as we rode. So, unfortunately, our gradual descent didn't feel like much of a descent. I think of a headwind as Mother Nature's way of wanting you to stay where you are - like a gracious host not wanting her guests to leave. But we had to places to go, so we powered through the headwind as best we could - slow and steady. There were several live critter sightings today - turkeys, rabbits, and a large bull snake crossing the road. Although there was a chance of rain in the forecast for all the locations on our route, we enjoyed mostly sunny skies and warm temperatures all day. It was not until well after we all arrived at our hotel in Roswell that the skies opened up and we had a torrential downpour. it just rained and rained and rained. Ever since, we've all been receiving alerts on our phones warning of "flash flooding" in the area. The forecast calls for rain during the night and a fairly good chance of thunderstorms all day on our route tomorrow. Should be interesting. I'm really hoping the rain passes, because I am not one of those people who looks good wet. : ) At least I have my very fashionable rain gear.