The American Solar Challenge is on again in July/August 2021, and will (per an ASC announcement) be following the Mountain Route on the Santa Fe Trail (see my previous post series). It is going to be a trifle warm.
The Mountain Route crosses the 7,840 ft (2,390 m) Raton Pass. The “big climb” at the 2018 American Solar Challenge (following the Oregon Trail) was 902 m in 35 km (2.6%). Starting from Trinidad, CO, the Raton Pass has a similar climb of 558 m in 22 km (2.5%), with a maximum grade of 6% on the steepest sections.
Scientific Gems 