85.3 miles, 2225 feet climbed
Our day began with breakfast at the Bisbee Breakfast Club. Then approximately 18 miles of generally downhill riding toward Douglas. A quartering headwind kept speeds in check. After Douglas, traffic was very light, allowing us to ride at the edge of the traffic lane when the shoulder was bumpy with upthrusting cracks or intruded upon by roadside vegetation (weeds).
As we turned northward, the headwinds turned into robust tailwinds. Instead of comfortably maintaining 15 mph or so going east, I was cruising along at about 25 mph with minimal effort. The road took us into New Mexico for a time. After the barely there hamlet of Rodeo, we headed west for about 5 miles to our lodging in Portal, back in Arizona. It was a steady light climb, requiring more effort because the tailwinds were now crosswinds.
