Part 3

I got to Hermit's Rest right after 9am - mine were the first footprints along the path - luckily the store had just opened and I got to buy some batteries for the camera!!!
It's also really fun to have a computer on my bicycle. I've never had one before - nor the immediate gratification of knowing exactly how fast I'm going at any moment. Also - Hermit's Rest is EXACTLY 8.0 miles from the El Tovar - which is fun.

When I got back to the Hermit's parking lot - there was a couple there, one of whom took my picture with my camera, the other one took my picture with her camera... they thought I was odd. In my hands are the huge-happy mittens I was wearing - they're rated to like negative a lot... I don't remember - they're overkill... but yesterday I loved them. I've just used them cross-country skiing before - they do complicate shifting - eating food - blowing my nose - just about everything. Which somewhat complicated the point of the ride (working on the eating and drinking)... the first hour I didn't consum Anything... not ideal

When the woman raised my camera to take the picture - she said "Smile" and then her partner burst out laughing when she realized you couldn't see if I was smiling or not - which of course I was - cause by then I was just soooo happy to have a functioning camera again!!!

Anyway - I'm also wearing my L.L. Bean boots, that are waterproofed - which were the only shoes I could think of that would keep my feet warm... they're not exactly performance wear - but they worked. I eventually need like, cycling shoes - clipless pedals - etc. But for now my day to day, casual boots left me quite content.

This is a picture of my Unintentional Snow Angel - and shows the conditions of the road. I only spun my back wheel out a few times - but it kept me in the saddle all morning - which may have contributed to a later problem with my left knee that will be spoken of later.

Eventually the sun came out for serious. Things melted nicely - till they melted too much... then it got slushy... and I got wet - more later.

Primarily I was trying to figure out why I had no problem going 16mph as long as I was still peddling, going flat or slightly uphill - but would get uneasy if I hit that speed going downhill... and tried to get over it. Though I will pretend it was the icy conditions.