And then came the heat. Up until this point, our days have been temperate, even chilly at times. That ends today and, I suspect, every day hence. 

We decide to treat ourselves to a scenic ride, and drive to the lip of Palo Duro Canyon. This is often called the “Grand Canyon of the West, except for the Grand Canyon.”

Rather than having you read purple prose about the beauty of these surroundings, I will simply say this: after a steady diet of regular rides, we found this desert-erode to be a road dessert. [A pause for applause]

We had a long and steep descent into the canyon and a scenic ride along the canyon floor flanked by soaring rock walls. The climb out was a challenge, with a sustained 10% grade in the hot afternoon sun. Each rider attacked the hill with gusto: Matt watched Greg shoot up the hill; Bill rode his tandem trike solo and, despite occasional spin-outs to the back wheel and chain issues, he managed the ascent well. I climbed out at my lumbering pace, ignoring the lactic acid that was becoming my dominant body fluid. I was particularly grateful for Joyce, who could have passed me numerous times but didn’t.

We moved on to our residence for the next few days and we were greeted by Matt Smith [Matt2] who will join us for the trip from Amarillo to Phoenix. At first glance, anyone could tell that Matt is a serious athlete of high calibre, despite his team’s performance in Corn Hole that evening.

It was a busy evening: some working on accommodations, others on routes, and most of the remainder on a fantastic home-cooked dinner.

It is a blessing to realize that you are in the good ol’ days right now.