Tough day today, but I think we all had a great time. Today is the first day of a stretch of long mileage days in harsh conditions known as the "Gauntlet." it also happened to be the first day of the 2011 Tour de France, coincidence? It was a solid 85 miles, but conditions made it feel longer. There was a grueling headwind all day, the temperature reached about 112 by noon, and the ride involved 5,000 feet of climbing. But despite all of this misery, I loved it. The views were fantastic, and the conditions eventually just became comical. We passed through a couple mountain passes, one being called "The Top of the World Pass" (which at the top of we solicited a general store to give us free snowcones, it made my day!). When we arrived in Globe, which was once a thriving copper mining town, we were glad to be at a higher altitude where the temp was only around 105. The Lion's Club sponsored a dinner of fried chicken, pizza, and about 5 watermelons. I could probably eat watermelon everyday. No friendship visit today, unfortunately, they really brighten up my day after a long ride. Anyways, here are a couple photos of (1 and 2) a couple mountain passes, (3) the store we got free snowcones at, and (4) a small shrine/chapel on top of The Top of the World Pass.
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