Category: Luna Lakes Tour

Luna Lakes Conditioning Ride Day 2

Posted on July 15, 2017August 5, 2018 by Rich

To our delight, this was one of those truly great-to-be-out-here days. We needed it after yesterday. Eggs and bacon at the Largo Café for breakfast. The cook then brought out 2 huge pancakes for each of us. Who are these for? (They come with breakfast.) Phil and I could barely touch them. To the general store for provisions. For me that’s Fig Newtons, Skittles, and a can of 7-up. Oughta last 40 miles, along with 4 liters of water and the Pop-Tarts I had. Certainly reflects a riding mode, being so carb intensive. South down NM32. The air was humid

Luna Lakes Conditioning Ride Day 1

Posted on July 14, 2017August 5, 2018 by Rich

Phil and I decided to test our mettle on this tour as part of conditioning for the Northern Rockies later this month. I’d actually ridden this back in 2008 on my Trek road bike, and then again in 2010 on the Surly unloaded, both times supported by the GABA Tucson group. But this time we’ll ride it unsupported and thus carry all our clothes and provisions in panniers. We did decide to stay in motels, alleviating the need for tent and sleeping bag. Quick summary of the ride is shown in this map: We drove up Thursday evening and stayed

Luna Lakes 2008: Reserve to Springerville

Posted on May 26, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Monday May 26 – We decided to leave earlier this morning, but I guess everyone else had the same idea. We enjoyed a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and sausage, and an interesting pumpkin streudel with a tasty topping. I had a rare cup of coffee that gave me a good morning jolt. After stowing our stuff for the truck, we found ourselves again the last riders on the course. Monday’s route started directly into a 14-mile climb from 5770 feet in Reserve up US180 (the Colorado Trail Scenic Road) to the Luna summit at 8000 feet in the San Francisco

Luna Lakes 2008: Quemado to Reserve

Posted on May 25, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Sunday May 25 – Electing not to use an alarm, Mary Ellen and I awoke about 6:20AM the next morning. Unfortunately, our pre-paid breakfast was 5 – 6:30AM at the high school, nearly a ½ mile walk from the hotel. We dressed in a flash and practically ran there, arriving about 1 minute late, then grinned and pleaded our case for service. I was happy to see cold cereal and milk, my favorite, and downed several bowls. They also served leftover chocolate cake, which Mary Ellen started with, then added 2 pancakes on top of that. On our walk back

Luna Lakes 2008: Springerville to Quemado

Posted on May 24, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

Saturday May 24 – We arose to temperatures in the low 30s and spitting skies. Riders met in the Safeway parking lot, tossed luggage into a truck, and we were basically ready to go. I took observation of riders’ cold-and-rain clothing, which ranged from full head-body-and-shoe rain gear to poncho and jeans tucked inside knee socks. I wore all of my new purchases, with several layers inside the rain jacket. The route headed due east on US60, with temps in the low 30s, and skies heavily overcast. Mary Ellen and I made two small climbs to reach the New Mexico

Luna Lakes 2008: Preface

Posted on May 23, 2008November 28, 2014 by Rich

I’ve been riding with the PMBC for a couple months off and on, and I’ve started to meet other riders, particularly those who ride about the same speed I do. We call ourselves “tweeners” since we can’t quite keep up with the fast group, but always pull away from the slower group. One is Mary Ellen, a device manager who works for Medtronics. On our Saturday rides, she is a popular and sociable member of the club, and a strong rider. In April, she mentioned the Luna Lakes Tour, a GABA sponsored ride out of the Tucson chapter. I was