25th June 2018 Monday – Easier than it looked apart from the last climb

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Hello Everybody!
Route: Eureka to Austin

For the non-mathematicians out there:
Distance: 70 miles (Total 3,180)
Average speed: 12.0 mph
Calories: 1,786
Cycling time: 5h 46min
Average cadence: 78 rpm
Climb: 2,851ft, Descent: 2,694ft
Heart (yes I have one): Max 166 Aver 108
Aver Temp: 30C, Max temp 40C
Temperament: A potentially tricky day but keep your nerve Swinhoe

I set off at 7.20am so as to enjoy the lack of any wind, temperature, and traffic, almost just like yesterday and the previous cycling day.

The first 43-miles were either downhill or level so my time was pretty quick in this phase. There was a reasonable up but nothing to tricky and then back to going down. At mile 58 it started to get a bit more serious as there were two summits to complete – also the run-up to the first climb was headwind city for 5 miles or so.

At the top of the final climb I was very hot and used some of my water to wet my long sleeved cycling top – no not as in wet t-shirt contest, more like hot cyclist sweating profusely, especially from his head, contest. I think I won.

The descent into Austin was most welcome and fairly easy to complete. I did have a very cheeky blueberry and vanilla milkshake in the first cafe I saw. Very nice and my head temperature was reducing and was almost getting down to 45C. I found the Cozy Mountain Motel easily enough. However, there was a sign that said “Check-In from 3.30pm” and it was only 2ish. Back on Blossom, cycled up the hill a bit and then went into nice cafe/restaurant to have a free beer, actually, it was a root beer.

Got chatting to a youngish couple who were car touring the area and then a nice woman sat down next to me at the bar. After a while she asked me “Are you Alan?” and I confirmed that I was. She remembered me from our Facebook chat which I managed to manage.

So we went down to the Motel and I booked in. Sarah, which was her name, asked if I wanted to have dinner with her and a few friends in the Motel parking area so I said: “Yes please”. There is a LOAD of construction going on in the area and her motel is pretty full most of the time. So the people who attended were all related to the construction work. There was Mike, Leonard, Pam & Barbs. I bought some beers and turkey jerky – which was better than the previous beef jerky experience. Sarah cooked some lovely bacon, beef, peppers things with a dip and then it was pizza. The evening was very nice, we talked about relativity, religion, politics and did not argue at all. Sarah is a very free spirit and she walks a lot of the trails around Austin and around other parts of the world and USA. She is a very nice person and very easy to get on with. She also thought I was funny – go figure!

I went to bed and had the best sleep I’ve had for a good while mainly due to the bed being oldish I think i.e. very comfortable.


Good night from Al & Frank xx

 PHOTOS OF AUSTIN:





Me leaving in the morning
PHOTOS OF CYCLE TRAVEL:




























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