Third Day in a Row, Wowzers

APRS/GPS/Ham Radio Tracking Up the Canyon
We are truly and deeply impressed that we've maintained such a long term commitment to daily riding..... three whole days now.  Sigh.
We try, as many cyclists do, to avoid boredom by trying new routes or deviations occasionally.  We really enjoy riding east since the terrain is flatter and the hills more gradual.  But there is not much out that way to entice the eye nor the hungry innards.... no tall trees, nor trees of ANY kind, and the closest store for refreshment is the Super-WalMart in Edgewood.  So today we rode up the nasty climb to the Post Office, then the short jaunt up to the Shell Station for liquid and solid refreshment (OK, so I like the excuse for Ice Cream Sandwiches).
Then we continued east - more or less - up the Sandia Crest Road, even though it is a very very very long climb, slight in some areas and steep in others.  The Forest Service has warning signs right here at the main intersection of North-14 and Frost/Sandia Crest Road that the road is closed "ahead" but we assumed we would be able to continue as far as we wanted since, with the 3-wheeler, we are narrow enough to ride around the usual orange barrel blockades.
We started later than we wanted - almost 10:30 when we saddled up - and it was of course getting VERY warm.  It was also gusty and breezy, normally an irritation, but a blessing for the cooling effect today.  We stopped for several water and rest breaks almost immediately, finally making it to the Post Office and then on to the Shell Station maybe 1/4 mile farther on.  As we snacked and rested a CHERRY 1955 vintage Candy Apple Red F1 Ford Pickup turned into the parking area, whereupon the driver loaded it on a ramp onto a tow trailer.  Perhaps they took it to a car show, it was certainly pretty enough.  A very nice momentary diversion.  After the commercial delights available there at the Shell Bicycle Support Station, we crossed the main highway of N-14 and chugged up the road toward Sandia Crest.
My original intent had been to ride up as far as the Doc Long Picnic Area , take another break, and turn around for the return trip.  We got so hot and tired our motivation began to suffer, so - in spite of taking multiple breaks - we turned around when we got to the Forest Service road block barring passage of vehicles.  Even though someone in a white Ford pickup drove up to the barrier, right in front of us, and moved the barriers aside so he could drive past unmolested, I worried about possible consequences if we were caught by rangers on the wrong side of the barrier.  We were maybe 2 miles short of our goal, but those miles were all chug-chug uphill, so we didn't complain about turning around.   Our disc brakes complained and suffered on the way down..... a very thrilling ride, but the trike is not stable when approaching 30 MPH, so the brakes got a workout.
Who Knows?  Maybe we'll achieve the worthy goal of FOUR days in a row.
Beginning Battery Voltage:  12.9        Ending Voltage: 13.2
(Love this new LifEP04 battery, uncharged for 2 days)
Lowest Temp  83 F      Highest Temp:  89 F
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:  7.42
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  3.6 MPH                                 5.9 MPH                    30.0 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
  2 hours 3 mins                      1 Hour 15 mins           47 minutes