The Hotter n' Hell in Wichita Falls is coming up in less than two weeks. This is the mother of all rides in Texas. I've ridden it several times and I always look forward to it. The ride is on a Saturday. Wichita Falls is about 6 hours from here by car. With 10,000 or so riders spending Friday night in Wichita Falls, accomodations are be tight. A room can go for as much as $250-300 per night and there is a two night minimum. I usually take Friday off and drive up with whoever is riding with me, usually my girls. We spend Friday night in Duncan, Oklahoma where hotels are cheap and plentiful.The weather for the ride is variable from year to year. In 2005 we had mild temperatures (80-90F) and a moderate winds. The ride was a pleasure. My daughter Aimee and I did the 50 mile route and pledged that we'd do the metric century the coming year. In 2006 it was very hot. We struggled through the 62 mile route, battling the heat and headwinds. When we finished at around 1pm, the bank tower in town showed 106F. We completed the ride but neither of us felt very well on the ride home. We've decided this year to check the weather carefully before deciding what we're going to do. More later.
