Sunday Rider

Partial Track of Today's Ride via spotty Radio coverage

Today was General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, so we watched the sessions from home via the internet.  The sessions were broadcast from 10 AM to 12 Noon and 2 PM to 4 PM.  I originally thought I'd sneak in at least a short ride right after noon and make it back in time for the afternoon broadcast but Jacque wanted to snuggle and who can resist that?
After the last session ended at 4 PM I decided to take my ride.  We ordinarily don't ride on Sundays because we seldom have time before or  after meetings, although some months ago I rode my bike home from Church by carrying it there on the car rack.  Jacque had to leave early so I chained my bike to the flagpole (no bike racks at our chapel, unfortunately)  and rode it home, tucking my dress slacks inside my dress boots just like I knew what I was doing.
The reaction from those who saw me saddling up on the bike was pretty funny.  It's only 11 miles or so from Church to home but they thought I was insane and repeatedly offered me a ride, trying to save me.  I would love to ride TO Church but have not figured out how to arrive un-stinky with sweat and road grime, and I know of no showers to help overcome such obstacles.
Anyway.  Today.  I worried a bit because, as usual, "spring breezes" were gusting today, along with being a bit colder than usual.  Howsomever, as I've noted before, if I wait for perfect weather I would be lucky to get in a few weeks of riding per year instead of the other way around.  So I took my usual load of windbreaker layers and varied thicknesses of gloves, etc, and took off.
The wind was surprisingly cold and blustery and when I got down to the pavement of Frost Road it was even worse.  I wanted to ride east a few miles and back but didn't want to face that howling wind on the return trip.  So I rode a route I've done a couple times before;  riding east to Sedillo Hill Road, going under I-40 just west of Sedillo Hill, then west on Route 66 to Zuzax, across the I-40 bridge to the North Zamora Frontage Road, then west maybe a mile to Gutierrez Canyon Road, then wandering that road north back to Frost Road and then the last mile or so back to our goat-path turnoff and the last difficult climb up the gravel and ruts mile to our house.
This ride is not bad, and much of it was partially protected from the wind.  The biggest complaint I have with it is its terrain:  It's deep in the bowels of Tijeras Canyon, Gutierrez Canyon is a box canyon that severely blocks radio signals, and it is difficult to talk on the radio OR get my GPS positions effectively transmitted to any relay stations.  Thus the abbreviated display on my APRS tracking.
At times I thought I was gonna freeze, then the wind would abruptly slow and I'd warm up again.  All in all a ride I'm happy to have undertaken, even though it was great to arrive home and get out of the cold breeze again.  I can stay reasonably warm while pedaling but standing still in such wind...... sucks.

Trip Started:  4:23 PM    Trip Ended:  6:24 PM
Beginning Battery Voltage:  13.2        Ending Voltage: 13.1
Lowest Temp  46 F      Highest Temp:  57 F
Stats from the GPS:    Total Miles:  13.77
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
  7.0 MPH                                8.4 MPH                    27.9 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
1 hour  58 mins                      1 hour 38 mins         19 mins 41 secs