Silver City, NM to Kingston, NM

3/23/18
Today was another one of those days that I was afraid that i wouldn't make it. It was 47 miles with almost 5000 ft of climb. It is the highest point we will cross on the Southern Tier. It is Emory Pass!

We started off with rolling incline hills. At mile 22 we had a SAG stop. I felt good at this point. We had a tailwind and the hills had some descents that helped in relieving the leg pains. We had another SAG stop at 31.5 miles. It was a welcomed stop. I ate some fruit and cheese and filled my water bottles. As I started to climb the 8 miles to the top of the pass I was alone. There was very little traffic and I could hear the wind blowing through the trees. The first few miles were great! The incline wasn't too bad and the forest scenery was fabulous! Then the incline started to increase. The last two miles up were tough. With each curve of the road the wind would change from a tailwind, to a side wind and then to a headwind. My gps finally said a quarter mile left. I was so thrilled when I came around the curve to see the SAG van there. I had made it! I rode to the top to see the incredible view. It was unforgettable!
The wind at this point was pretty strong with big gusts. I now had an 8 mile descent down into Kingston. I honestly was kind of scared to ride my light bike down the descent with that wind. As I started down the wind decreased some and only on a few curves did I feel the wind pushing my bike sideways. It ended up being a good ride down. Nothing super fast but I made it down in one piece.
Kingston is a small town with the population of 32. We are staying at the Black Range Lodge. They made a wonderful Turkey supper for us and sang songs afterwards.

Total Miles: 821
Flats: 2
Ruined Tires: 1