Day 19: Raton to Clayton
Pictured above with me are the three other riders I worked with though the winds as we rode from Raton to Clayton NM.
The morning started out very cold with temperatures in the mid 20s. It was the first hard frost of the season in Raton.
Heading out of Raton, we climbed over 1700' onto the top of a mesa which gave us a nice view of the surroundings as we neared the top of the climb.
At the top of the climb, we stopped outside this stone church.
After our rest, we descended off the other side and were treated to this lovely view.
We spent the rest of the morning biking through the plains on a quiet back road.
After lunch, we spent 40 miles riding on a 4 lane, lightly trafficked highway. The winds were blowing about 30 mph from our right, sometimes a touch in our face but more often partially from behind depending on the road direction and the wind shifts. With the slightly helping wind, we were able to make good time after lunch. Since the shoulder was not very good for riding, we generally road in the right lane of the highway. Since the traffic was light, the vehicles passed us in the left lane without a problem. It was a bit odd riding in the middle of a lane of a 70 mph road, but it actually quite safe given the circumstances.
Tomorrow we have a 108 mile ride to Guymon OK. The ride could be quite fast because it has less than 700' of climbing but 2600' of descending, and we are expecting a strong wind which should be helping us most of the time.