Across the Continental Divide

Another very cold morning ,2°C at 06.00,with the temperature diminished by a cold wind.We started riding into the old town and then onto a quietish road parallel with the I40.Eventually we merged onto the I40 and then the trouble started.There were road works and fairly extensive ones at that,that left only one lane and no hard shoulder on the right side.To make matters worse we then came to a climb.It felt very dangerous.Tom came up behind us in the van,and used the van to block all the traffic whilst we moved over to a remaining shoulder on the left side.Still not good but better.Eventually the road works finished but we were then stuck in the middle of the highway,our hard shoulder ran out and all we could do was wait for a break in the traffic so we could shoot across all the lanes to the proper hard shoulder.An experience one would not wish to repeat.
 Soon after we left the highway and cycled up to the Continental Divide and a refreshment stop.Photos all round but sadly we now had a significant wind shift,as it blew in from the Atlantic ,and left us with 65 Kms into a 35Kph head wind.Slow progress.
 As we cycled slowly along myriad trains passed us,all long,all laden with containers and pulled by 5 or 6 diesel engines,usually 4 up front and two in the middle.Sometimes the containers were replaced by the trailers of lorries or liquid containers,but most frequently 2 containers piled on top of each other.
 No punctures today ,which was a great blessing,but I am sure that the Highway authorities are in league with the inner tube manufacturers,we often have 20 flats a day between us,and sometimes many more!
 Eventually we progressed despite the wind to complete our 105 Kms for the day and arrived in Grants.Nigh on 800 miles down(794.7 to be exact)and passed the 30,000 feet climbed.
 A sandwich and a bit of feet up!b