CAUGHT IN A SNOW STORM!!!

After our wasted day yesterday, Zach and I decided to make the most of Sunday and ride to Mammoth. It's at least a 100 mile ride with plenty of climbing. The sun was (mostly) shining, so we were in high spirits (a sharp contrast to the temperature, which didn't want to rise for the occasion). We made it to Mammoth with ease, we had sunshine most of the way and a descent tailwind (pushing us uphill). At the gas station in Mammoth we watched as dark clouds rolled over us, so we decided to spit in a hurry.

The ride out of Mammoth to Oracle is a elevation gain of some 2200 ft. or so. Zach dropped me plenty of times... as we began to get rained on. The rain did not stop as we climbed. In fact, it turned to snow. Now, I was ready for some bad weather near Oracle, the high point in the ride. I wasn't ready for what happened. The temperature dropped 25 degrees and the precipitation turned from sleet to snow. As we left Oracle I remember thinking that we were making a commitment because the next shelter of any kind was in 10 miles.

We froze; all appendages went numb. It was miserable. I have a hard time remembering when I've been that cold on a bike before. I know it's happened, but I'm sure that I wasn't wet and going 23mph at the same time. We finally made it to Lupe's, mile 91 of Oracle Rd. They were kind enough to keep the coffee coming, while we ate and waited for Todd to pick us up. Let there be no mistake about it: We got caught in a snow storm while dressed for mild weather, and IT SUCKED. There are few words to describe how miserable I was.

As Todd drove us back to Tucson the rain was relentless. We got home, took showers and attempted to raise our core temperatures. Outside the temperature was dropping and the rain was taking a different form...