The Snow is Melting... Again

Today's Half-Track Tracking

After another snowstorm, dumping around 4 inches on Friday night and Saturday morning, it was great to see the sun come out Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, melting the stuff quite rapidly.
It was bright and sunny today, Monday, as well, and I was bound and determined to ride today even if I had to tow the bike in the trailer all the way to Albuquerque to do it.  Yesterday on the way home from church the road and shoulders were just swamped with salt and red cinders from the efforts of the highway crews clearing the roads.  I noticed, however, when I got up on the pavement, that the road crews must have already made a pass or two with the street sweeper, since most of the red cinders and salt was cleared from the shoulders.  So much so that I decided to "stay home" and ride my own neighborhood again.
Other than being breezy and cool, it was a wonderful day for riding.  I wound up wearing my outer layer windbreaker throughout the ride, taking it off ONLY while climbing hills where I got warm enough to do so.
The reason I refer to the GPS tracking as "Half-Track" is because about half the route is beyond radio range and thus did not get positions reported.  Gutierrez Canyon is a lovely scenic area to ride or visit but it IS in a deep canyon and below radio visibility until you top the hill overlooking the edge of the canyon.
I rode the Gutierrez Canyon loop backwards from my normal preference:  North to south.  Just to do something different today.  It seems to have more steep hills, although the height ande elevation change is the same since you start and return to the same place.  The wind and cold-blast got especially vicious as we approached the frontage road of I-40 at the south end of the canyon.  I feared I would be facing a howling wind along I-40, since that's the way it usually works, but it was relatively calm once we turned that way and all along Route 66.  I wound up with several more miles than I expected.  I'm going to have to shoot for 10-milers instead of 20-milers since I have too much work to do, taking priority over keeping healthier with longer bike rides.  BAH
At the top of Sedillo Hill there is a drab little "tourist stop" with modern looking exterior and large gas pump bays, but the "store" is always almost empty of goods and snacks, with lots of bare shelves.  Their gas prices are always the highest in the area, reducing the number of people who stop in, and many area residents wonder how they stay in business.  As "the girls" and I walked around the area taking a potty and snack break, I noticed 2 outdoor  cell telephone cabinets inside the trash bin fence.  Surprised, I looked around to see where there could possibly be any cell antenna towers, and was surprised to spot them.... the 2 poles supporting the tourist stop's big "66" sign are in fact...... cell towers.  Thinly disguised.  The tower space payments obviously help the business keep the lights on in spite of low traffic.
Since Jacque couldn't take either of the doggies to her sewing buddy's place today, I took them both on the ride, with Jazzy in the belly pack and Tink riding in  back.  They went berserk, as usual, when they saw me putting on my screaming yellow cycling shirt, and then complained and grumped from boredom throughout most of the ride.... as usual.
My solar panel experiment seemed to work today.  The battery voltage stayed quite steady from start to finish, only dropping two tenths of a volt.  I notice after about 3 PM the sun is so low the angle of sunshine is too shallow to provide much to the panel.  We'll see how it does in the coming weeks with longer and longer days and the associated higher sun angles throughout the day.
I likely won't be able to ride every one of the sunny days forecast this week.  I have projects needing time, which is a shame.... sunny weather is much too valuable to waste!

Ride Started: 12:47 PM    Ride Ended:  4:12 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.2   Ending Voltage: 13.0  Lowest: 13.0
Lowest Temp  31 F      Highest Temp:  60 F 
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  18:49
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  5.2 MPH                              8.2 MPH                    29.4 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
3 hours 33 mins                     2 hours 14 mins         1 hour 18  minutes