Day 48

I had a really big climb out of Del Norte and I wasn't really looking forward to it. I stocked up on some groceries and was on my way. I had looked at the map beforehand and knew I had to gain about 4,000 feet in elevation in about 20 miles. What I didn't really anticipate was after getting over the pass I had to ride up and down at 11,000 feet for another 15 miles. It was cold and windy up there and I started to hate the ride shortly after I got over the inital pass. I started to get a little light-headed, I was cold, and I just wanted my descent that is the reward for doing such a big climb. By about mile 10 I was ready to banish this ride to the 5th ring of biker hell. I eventually got to go down, but by that time I was hungry, angry, and bitter. It took a long time too. I pulled into my campsite at about 8:00 and was riding in dusk for about 3o minutes. The only redeeming thing about the ride was I got some really cool pictures. Not my best day, but I got my 50 miles in, dove in my tent, and hoped the next day would be better.