Sandia Crest Ascent, Finally

(This ride occurred on Friday;  I finished editing this post Saturday evening)
Today's rather effective tracking

I started out this fine morning planning to ride a different route, up Sandia Crest Road to the Doc Long picnic area and back.  As I got closer, however, the idea of trying to make it all the way to Sandia Crest swelled up in my tiny brain.  So, after a potty break, I continued on up Sandia Crest Road instead of returning home.  I wasn't feeling extra strong this morning, but I thought if it got too tired out I would just turn around at that point.   However, the farther I went, I both got more tired and more into the realization that this was IT.  If I didn't make it this trip, I prolly would never attempt it again.  Several years ago Jacque's Uncle Max came out here from Prescott at age 80 and rode his carbon fiber bike up to the Crest just so he could tell his buddies he'd done it.  A "guy" thing, no doubt.  Jacque and I accompanied him for a couple miles on our recumbent bikes but he got so far ahead we lost track of him and gave up the chase after a couple more miles struggling up that long steep climb.
Nowadays I have this Catrike, see, that has not only 27 gears but a great Granny Gear that allows me to pull almost any hill, slow though it may be.  Thus my foolish ambition to try it again today.
The first 10 miles or so were tiring, to be sure, but not discouraging, so I kept going.  I thought the road signs along this road posted the miles remaining to the Crest and thought I'd be able to guage my progress from that, but I never saw ONE mileage sign along the way.  Which is just as well.  If I'd seen how many more miles it was AFTER I was already hopelessly exhausted I would have aborted and turned around.
A funny thing happened on the way to the Crest.  As I passed one of the near-vertical walls of rock adjacent to the pavement, I heard a loud CRACK! ~ and in a blur of dust and gravel, a few chunks of rock about a foot in diameter fell loose from high up the face of the bluff and crashed to the shoulder of the road maybe 20 feet in front of me.   We see these free-fall rocks out in the roadway from time to time but this is perhaps the only time I've actually witnessed such a thing.  I was both glad the rocks weren't bigger AND that I wasn't closer to them.  Of course, as usual, my camera was perched on top of my helmet but OFF at the time, so I have no video of it.  Oh Well.  As usual, the only time anything interesting happens, the camera is either missing in action or OFF.  Sigh.
By the time I'd made it about HALFway up the road, I was getting a bit over-tired.  BUT, lacking accurate mileage information, I assumed it would be "Just a Few More Miles" and that I should keep going.
The farther I went the more I remembered how long this climb is in a CAR, with a working MOTOR.  You wind around bend after bend, hairpin after hairpin, picnic area after multiple trailheads, and still no Crest in sight.  Then, when you finally SEE the radio towers poking above the trees, you think you're almost there.  No so, at least for a few more miles and more multiple switchbacks.  Well, this is not a short trip in the CAR and it's even more drawn-out when you're exhausted and cranking away on a people-powered machine.

I started hurting and my knees began complaining, and truly I wished I had never started it, but still couldn't bring myself to give up and turn around "so close to the goal".
The last few miles were pure agony, with me having to stop and catch my breath and rest my weary legs every few minutes, resulting in a VERY low average speed.  I probably could have WALKED the distance about the same average speed, though of course if I carried all the water and other baggage on the bike I'd have walked slower if at all.  I started the ride foolishly, not planning on the long climb, and had only 2 32-ounce water bottles on board along with a few cookies in sandwich bags and oatmeal breakfast bars.  I soon ran out of everything edible and drinkable, and literally drooled at the thought of buying some water and food from the restaurant at the Crest when I finally got there.
Did I mention I also ran off without my cell phone, so  I  couldn't easily call my rescue crew (Jacque) ?
Dum, Dumb, Dumb.  Long long story short, I finally achieved the Crest.  I could hardly walk and was quite dizzy and had to brace myself along the rail as I walked down the steps into the restaurant, where I promptly picked up an ice cold bottle of water and a 12 ounce can of Classic Coke.  It cost me a whopping $5.30 and I was happy to pay it.  I drank the Coke first, and it was a sweet nectar indeed, and almost immediately I started feeling human again.
I took a couple of shots parked there as undeniable "Proof" I'd actually made it.

Looking into the entry of the Crest Restaurant

Looking Outward from the Restaurant toward the Radio Towers

In summary, if I'd known how much of a struggle it would be, I wouldn't have done it.  Now that I've done it I can claim only limited bragging rights since I know literally hundreds of others have done it with a lot less struggle, and dozens who do it at least once a week.  ME, I hope I never do it again.  Hardest thing I've ever done.

The ride back down the mountain, of course, was much quicker and pleasant than the ride up.  I cracked a new speed record as well, even though I was riding the brakes all the way down and glad they were disc brakes so they would hold all the way.

I'll probably need to replace the pads after this run but it will be worth it.

Elevation at Start: 6,800 feet   Elevation at Sandia Crest:  10,678
Ride Started: 7:31 AM    Ride Ended:  3:47 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:   14.0   Ending Voltage: 12.8  Lowest:  12.7
Beginning Blood Glucose:  140   Ending BG Reading: 78
Lowest Temp  60F      Highest Temp:  84F  
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  31.95
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  3.9 MPH                            5.1 MPH                    37.4  MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
8 hours  13 mins                     6 hours 15 mins         1 hour 58  minutes