2 mile high club

3 days ago we reached our highest point of the ride, during the longest ride of the trip. The distance for the day was 140 miles which brought us throught the Cumbre Pass which is about 2 miles about sea level. We were welcomed by hail. Since that was the highest point it must be all down hill from here.Spending a full day riding a bike is a journey in itself, considering the range of emotions and sensations one experiences. It is so epic, that what you are feeling at 9 a.m. feels monumental at the time, but by 3 p.m. is long forgotten as you are wrestling a new "life changing" experience. The end of the day like that is pure ectasy for most, probably mostly out of relief with a springling of accomplishment. The physical fatigue usually appears to be the dominant sensation, but the weight of our cerebral experience is often underestimated, if not already forgotten. Our arrival in Taos, was the end of half the groups' journey, as well as the end of a big day. Big Party. Good thing that yesterday was a rest day. A day for recovery, a day for good-byes, a day to embrace change.The party is over now and today we got a taste of whats to come. A beautiful ride through Cinamaron Canyon started the day, but a 20 mph ended a day that took us out of the mountains and onto the plains of NE New Mexico. The next week will be Oklahoma...long flat and windy.