Day 5 -January 13

Today was a fabulous day of cycling.  It was a tough day as well. It was supposed to be a 77 mile day but then was changed to an 86 mile day due to having to go to a different desert camp site.  Well it turned out to be a 90 mile day when it was all said and done.  They said to expect a slow steady climb for 57 kilometers.  The climb was for 65K with a 3 to 6% grade and some 7 & 8% thrown in just for fun.  For those non cyclers that means a LONG ASS CLIMB.  Also Mother Natures Egypt branch decided to through in a headwind to boot.  Even with all that it was still fabulous.  The landscape scenery up and in the mountains was great.  I took a bunch of pictures and will post a couple below.  They do not do justice to what I saw.  The mountains and passes and rocks and sand were exceptionally beautiful.  Not quite like anything in the Rockies or mountains in the US.

We were climbing and climbing for hours.  At about 42K a guy from the Egyptian Cycling team came up and said... Climbing is finished.  I was so excited that it was over... NOT!  I guess I learned that in Egypt a 2 & 3% grade does not equate to climbing.  Because the climbing continued for another 23K.  My legs were really complaining at one point so I addressed them directly...  Legs I said, according to Egyptian standards we are no longer climbing, so shut up and keep pedaling.

My bike started developing a ticking noise yesterday and it intensified today.  I listened intently and began to think it was sending me a message.  I think it was morse code for...  stop this and take me to the Carribean for a real vacation.  My answer was keep going or we will crush you into an end table.  But I should have listened more sympathetically as it was trying to foretell events that were to come.  At about 85K two dogs came sprinting out of a shack with the thought of ankle for lunch.  I picked up the pace to out run the little devils.  But the bigger one had more acceleration and dedication to the task.  He was about to succeed in his endeavor so I stood up and cranked hard to put him in my dust.  That worked for about four good strokes until the pedaling got very easy.  I looked down to see why the pedaling was so easy...  I no longer had a chain on my bike.  The chain had snapped and dropped to the ground.  I had luckily put enough distance between me and the dog.  But when I looked back there he was standing there panting right next to my chain.  I waited til he retreated then recaptured my failed chain.  Thanks to my bike classes I was able to triage the bugger and get back on the road.  My repair was temporary as I didn't have the right part actually fix it right.  But I only had 60K to get to camp.  Little did I know the chain had other thoughts.  It snapped again at 5K left to camp.  This time I took out a section and got it back together.  With a feeling of great relief of frustration and anger I launched the section of chain into the Sahara.  Once I launched it I thought... Oh s#^t I needed that.  Oh well, it felt good at the time.

Tomorrow on to Luxor and a day off of sight seeing in the Valley of the Kings!

Another beautiful Egyptian sunrise 

Moon like scenery with rock everywhere 

You can see how the sand has filled in the valleys to make a beautiful scene

Our fabulous Coke stop along the way.  Drank a nice ice cold coke.... Ahhhhh