New map section! Only 4 more after this until I'm in Astoria! I also noticed that I'm closing in on the big 3,000 mile mark, I should hit it sometime tomorrow.
Tyler and I woke up at Kevin and Lucy's and were treated to a big bowl of oatmeal! We were out the door and ready to ride a little before 8am. We hit 2 continental divides during the morning but neither had any real elevation gain. We made our way to Lamont, about 33 miles in, which turned out to be not a town but just a trucker cafe. We hung out in the shade on the ground outside and had some mid-morning trail mix and decided to grab lunch at the next stop, Muddy Gap.
11 miles more and we made it to the town of Muddy Gap, and it turned out to be another 1 building "town", but it was a gas station and they had food. Tyler and I each grabbed two slices of pizza and sat down to eat. No cell reception but the place had wifi.
When we were about to leave Muddy Gap, Tyler found his rear tire flat. He pulled out his previously patched tube (his only spare) and went to work changing it. After remounting the tire and inflating it, the Schrader valve on his spare got cut open on the edge of his wheel as the hole was made for Presta valves so it was smaller. He changed over to Schrader tubes earlier on his trip on advice of a bicycle shop but ended up cutting all the valves on his wheel.
So there we were still at Muddy Gap and Tyler had to try and patch his just flatted tire. The hole in the tube was right on a section where the tube's size was written in raised rubber lettering. This posed a problem because to get a good patch seal you'd need to sand down the raised lettering. Tyler tried this and the tube held pressure so we were off to Jeffery City.
Or were we? About 5 miles out Tyler's rear tire was flat again, so we pulled over and he tried to patch it again. This didn't work either so for the next 17 miles he had to keep inflating his rear tire every few miles with my frame pump.
Eventually we made it to Jeffery City, which once again turned out to be more of just a bar than any city. There we met twin girls cycling east and they warned us to stock up on groceries before heading to Yellowstone as it got pricey there. Tyler pulled off the tube once again and we went inside to grab some food, which our only choice was tamales from a mexican festival the previous day.
I had some rubber cement and we tried using that in addition to a patch, which seemed to give us hope of working but once it was on and pumped up failed too. Tyler called the camping area we planned to stay at, Sweetwater Station (a Mormon site commemorating a handcart team that got stuck in the area during winter and was rescued by a team sent from Salt Lake) and told them we'd be arriving late as he was having bike issues.
Just as Tyler was feeling low, a father and son cyclist pair rode in. They were staying at a cyclist trailer across the road from the bar and offered Tyler one of their spare tubes. The boy was happy. He got it on his bike and pumped up the tire and everything was good again. We even had a tailwind!
We crushed the next 19 miles in a little more than an hour and made it to the Mormon site by 8pm. We checked in with one of the ladies who ran the site and learned that Mormons came to this area to camp and learn about the handcart crossing and could pull a loaded handcart 1 to 30 miles to see what it was like back in the 1800's.
We were given a campsite next to a big gathering that took up the 6 neighboring sites. They invited us over for dinner and we can't say no to free food so we joined in the fun. The men were dressed up in ol' time cowboy gear and the women in dresses and head coverings but all of them were super nice and were asking us all about our bike trip.
Eventually it got dark out and Tyler and I were both sleepy and the festivities were winding down so we made our way back to our campsite and tents. I got into my sleeping bag (can actually use it now that the nights are cooler) and fell fast asleep.
Start: Rawling, WY
End: Sweetwater Station
Distance: 87.93 miles
Thursday, July 26, 2012
DAY 44 - LONG DAY INTO WYOMING
Today was my longest day so far, almost 115 miles! Tyler and I woke up to a cooler morning (a nice chance from Missouri & Kansas), left Walden, and were treated to rolling hills and a small amount of elevation loss over the course of the day, around 1000ft.
About 25 miles into the ride we crossed the Wyoming border and stopped by the state sign to take pictures. From here the taller mountains of the Rockies started fading into the distance and the scenery has a more desert look to it with lots of bluffs.
We pressed on and made it another 40 miles, I think the cooler weather really helped, and by 1pm were in Saratoga. I was told by someone earlier that Saratoga had natural hot springs and we went exploring. Behind the town pool is a hot springs fed "hobo pool" which boasts 108 - 119 degree water.
We sat down on the rim of the pool and put our feet in first, which took some acclimating until it didn't feel like burning. After 5 minutes we both decided to go in all the way so I went and grabbed a pair of shorts and changed. I was able to last about 5 minutes in up to my neck before I noticed my head was sweating and I was feeling a little too warm. Tyler didn't last much longer so we both went into the shower room to change and continue on our journey.
Back on the bikes, we rode 25 more miles north and met the I-80 interstate, which we then rode west towards Rawling. I had to jump on the interstate in Illinois a few times when crossing the Mississippi River but it's still a little weird riding on an interstate, the shoulders are wide but there are tire remains everywhere.
Same as the past few days, in the afternoon storm clouds pop up all over the place and you start playing a game of avoidance if you can. We were not so lucky. 10 miles in on the interstate and we got poured on. We got an exceptionally fierce headwind but couldn't do anything but pedal into it.
Eventually we reached Sinclair, a small town 8 miles east of Rawlings and left the interstate. We found a truck stop and ducked inside as it continued raining. We sat in the attached diner and waiting for the rain to let up. About an hour or so it turned into a light rain and we decided to head out as it was getting late. We jumped back onto the interstate and pushed towards Rawling.
When we finally got to Rawlings Tyler led me to where his phone said the warmshowers host's house was but it was about a mile or so off. After giving them (Kevin & Lucy) a call, we headed in their direction and met Kevin in a car coming our way. We followed him to his house and were relieved to be finally done with the day as it was 8:30pm.
But we needed food! We had seen signs for a Thai resturant in town and we were both craving some Thai food so we told our hosts that we'd have to hurry over to the resturant before it closed at 9pm, but Kevin offered us a ride in his car and we gladly accepted. I got the masaman curry, such a great change from the food I've been eating so far, as most times its whatever the only gas station in town has.
Tyler called Kevin and he picked us up and took us back to his place. We were both exhausted so I feel we were not the most lively guests. I showered, did some laundry, updated this blog until I was too tired to see straight, then fell asleep.
Start: Walden, CO
End: Rawling, WY
Distance:114.69 miles
About 25 miles into the ride we crossed the Wyoming border and stopped by the state sign to take pictures. From here the taller mountains of the Rockies started fading into the distance and the scenery has a more desert look to it with lots of bluffs.
We pressed on and made it another 40 miles, I think the cooler weather really helped, and by 1pm were in Saratoga. I was told by someone earlier that Saratoga had natural hot springs and we went exploring. Behind the town pool is a hot springs fed "hobo pool" which boasts 108 - 119 degree water.
We sat down on the rim of the pool and put our feet in first, which took some acclimating until it didn't feel like burning. After 5 minutes we both decided to go in all the way so I went and grabbed a pair of shorts and changed. I was able to last about 5 minutes in up to my neck before I noticed my head was sweating and I was feeling a little too warm. Tyler didn't last much longer so we both went into the shower room to change and continue on our journey.
Back on the bikes, we rode 25 more miles north and met the I-80 interstate, which we then rode west towards Rawling. I had to jump on the interstate in Illinois a few times when crossing the Mississippi River but it's still a little weird riding on an interstate, the shoulders are wide but there are tire remains everywhere.
Same as the past few days, in the afternoon storm clouds pop up all over the place and you start playing a game of avoidance if you can. We were not so lucky. 10 miles in on the interstate and we got poured on. We got an exceptionally fierce headwind but couldn't do anything but pedal into it.
Eventually we reached Sinclair, a small town 8 miles east of Rawlings and left the interstate. We found a truck stop and ducked inside as it continued raining. We sat in the attached diner and waiting for the rain to let up. About an hour or so it turned into a light rain and we decided to head out as it was getting late. We jumped back onto the interstate and pushed towards Rawling.
When we finally got to Rawlings Tyler led me to where his phone said the warmshowers host's house was but it was about a mile or so off. After giving them (Kevin & Lucy) a call, we headed in their direction and met Kevin in a car coming our way. We followed him to his house and were relieved to be finally done with the day as it was 8:30pm.
But we needed food! We had seen signs for a Thai resturant in town and we were both craving some Thai food so we told our hosts that we'd have to hurry over to the resturant before it closed at 9pm, but Kevin offered us a ride in his car and we gladly accepted. I got the masaman curry, such a great change from the food I've been eating so far, as most times its whatever the only gas station in town has.
Tyler called Kevin and he picked us up and took us back to his place. We were both exhausted so I feel we were not the most lively guests. I showered, did some laundry, updated this blog until I was too tired to see straight, then fell asleep.
Start: Walden, CO
End: Rawling, WY
Distance:114.69 miles
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
DAY 43 - LAST PASS IN COLORADO
Today Tyler and I hit the last pass of Colorado, the Willow Creek Pass @ 9,621ft! Started from Kremmling, we had to climb 2,000ft but had a decent 50 miles to do so. It turned out to be an easy climb except for the last two miles where we gained 500ft or so. This pass had a simple sign at the top but nothing exciting like Hoosier.
I was expecting a nice decent after the pass but the route turned into up and down hills. I'm sure we lost altitude overall but we had some short climbs where we were expecting nothing but some fast decent miles.
Just like yesterday, the sky got dark in the afternoon and we found ourselves once again being chased by a thunderstorm. Then one popped up on our left in the distance, then our right. We were surrounded!
We rolled into Walden with thunderstorms following close behind. Tyler spotted a sheriff and confirmed with him that we'd be camping in the town park. When we got there we spied a nice park gazebo which we could set our tents up in and keep them dry, but it was currently being used by some tweens, so we sat down at some picnic tables. A few minutes later rain started dropping and we decided to take over the gazebo by just walking inside with our bikes and plopping ourselves down. That was enough for the tweens as two minutes later they left, leaving the gazebo all to us. The wind picked up and it started hailing, so even though the gazebo was covered, loads of hail found its way inside the gazebo, causing us to play "dodge the incoming projectiles."
Undeterred, we waited out the storm and eventually it passed and we set up our tents and turned in early as we wanted to cross over into Wyoming and get to Rawlins, 110 miles away tomorrow.
Start: Kremmling, CO
End: Walden, CO
Distance: 82.05 miles
I was expecting a nice decent after the pass but the route turned into up and down hills. I'm sure we lost altitude overall but we had some short climbs where we were expecting nothing but some fast decent miles.
Just like yesterday, the sky got dark in the afternoon and we found ourselves once again being chased by a thunderstorm. Then one popped up on our left in the distance, then our right. We were surrounded!
We rolled into Walden with thunderstorms following close behind. Tyler spotted a sheriff and confirmed with him that we'd be camping in the town park. When we got there we spied a nice park gazebo which we could set our tents up in and keep them dry, but it was currently being used by some tweens, so we sat down at some picnic tables. A few minutes later rain started dropping and we decided to take over the gazebo by just walking inside with our bikes and plopping ourselves down. That was enough for the tweens as two minutes later they left, leaving the gazebo all to us. The wind picked up and it started hailing, so even though the gazebo was covered, loads of hail found its way inside the gazebo, causing us to play "dodge the incoming projectiles."
Undeterred, we waited out the storm and eventually it passed and we set up our tents and turned in early as we wanted to cross over into Wyoming and get to Rawlins, 110 miles away tomorrow.
Start: Kremmling, CO
End: Walden, CO
Distance: 82.05 miles
DAY 42 - HOOSIER PASS!
I woke up to a cold morning, the first real cold morning of my trip. The Schroeders and Halvorsons take Sundays off, so Tyler and myself joined together to push ahead. They found my little watermellon suprise before we left and took some picture of the watermellon in the trailer and me next to it.
The route from Fairplay to Alma wasn't too bad but the last 6 miles up to Hoosier Pass was just one long uphill that kept going, while we had to suffer through the high altitude and the heavy weekender traffic of campers and RVs.
But eventually we made it! And it felt great. This was a huge milestone for myself and most cross country cyclists, as Hoosier Pass is the highest point on the TransAmerica trail.
After hanging out at the top for a while and taking pictures of us and our bikes, it was time to decend! The northern side of the pass was full of switchbacks that kept me constantly on my brakes. Tyler was a little more abitious and at one point passed an RV on the left side because it wasn't going fast enough.
About 10 miles down the north side the skies opened up and it started raining, then hailing! Tyler and I ducked under the overhang of a garage as the hail came pouring down. Appearently there was a charity ride going on today too, as we saw a few groups of riders braving the hail to keep on going. Eventually it let up enough where it was only sprinkling and we made our way to Breckenridge. In Breckenridge we stopped and ate some lunch at the Breckenridge Brewery to celebrate our achievement.
After our lunch we headed out of Breckenridge via the bike paths and before we knew it, we were in a group of cyclists for the charity ride. For the next several miles we basically sat in a pack of cyclists racing down the trail, all these guys on race bikes and us two guys on loaded touring bikes!
Since we would enjoy a good amount of decent today, we decided to push it to Kremmling. As we cycled the sky grew darker and darker and a thunderstorm presued us as we headed north. We were doing a good job staying directly ahead of it, until Tyler hit a rock and got a flat tire. He had just gotten the tube out and the sky opened up on us. I put on my rain shell and gave Tyler my windbreaker as he didn't have anything other than his riding shirts and a sweatshirt. As small hail landed on us, Tyler told me he didn't have any spare tubes and it was going to be a little hard to patch his tube in a thunderstorm. I tossed him one of my spares so we could get a move on.
We eventually rolled into Kremmling kind of late and Tyler and I shared a "cyclist hostel" room at an old hotel. The owners let us store our bikes in the garage and showed us to our room. These rooms had two beds and had to share a common bathroom, dorm-style. We both showered and I went out on my bike in search of a laundromat as I was on the 3rd day of both of my riding clothes sets and I really wanted to wash them. I finally found the laundromat but it was to close soon at 9pm, but the owner who came to lock up let me stay there and wash my clothes! Afterwards I went hunting for some food but everywhere but the gas station was closed. I grabbed a pizza for Tyler and I and made my way back to the hotel where we ate and then both passed out.
Start: Fairplay, CO
End: Kremmling, CO
Distance: 81.81 miles
The route from Fairplay to Alma wasn't too bad but the last 6 miles up to Hoosier Pass was just one long uphill that kept going, while we had to suffer through the high altitude and the heavy weekender traffic of campers and RVs.
But eventually we made it! And it felt great. This was a huge milestone for myself and most cross country cyclists, as Hoosier Pass is the highest point on the TransAmerica trail.
After hanging out at the top for a while and taking pictures of us and our bikes, it was time to decend! The northern side of the pass was full of switchbacks that kept me constantly on my brakes. Tyler was a little more abitious and at one point passed an RV on the left side because it wasn't going fast enough.
About 10 miles down the north side the skies opened up and it started raining, then hailing! Tyler and I ducked under the overhang of a garage as the hail came pouring down. Appearently there was a charity ride going on today too, as we saw a few groups of riders braving the hail to keep on going. Eventually it let up enough where it was only sprinkling and we made our way to Breckenridge. In Breckenridge we stopped and ate some lunch at the Breckenridge Brewery to celebrate our achievement.
After our lunch we headed out of Breckenridge via the bike paths and before we knew it, we were in a group of cyclists for the charity ride. For the next several miles we basically sat in a pack of cyclists racing down the trail, all these guys on race bikes and us two guys on loaded touring bikes!
Since we would enjoy a good amount of decent today, we decided to push it to Kremmling. As we cycled the sky grew darker and darker and a thunderstorm presued us as we headed north. We were doing a good job staying directly ahead of it, until Tyler hit a rock and got a flat tire. He had just gotten the tube out and the sky opened up on us. I put on my rain shell and gave Tyler my windbreaker as he didn't have anything other than his riding shirts and a sweatshirt. As small hail landed on us, Tyler told me he didn't have any spare tubes and it was going to be a little hard to patch his tube in a thunderstorm. I tossed him one of my spares so we could get a move on.
We eventually rolled into Kremmling kind of late and Tyler and I shared a "cyclist hostel" room at an old hotel. The owners let us store our bikes in the garage and showed us to our room. These rooms had two beds and had to share a common bathroom, dorm-style. We both showered and I went out on my bike in search of a laundromat as I was on the 3rd day of both of my riding clothes sets and I really wanted to wash them. I finally found the laundromat but it was to close soon at 9pm, but the owner who came to lock up let me stay there and wash my clothes! Afterwards I went hunting for some food but everywhere but the gas station was closed. I grabbed a pizza for Tyler and I and made my way back to the hotel where we ate and then both passed out.
Start: Fairplay, CO
End: Kremmling, CO
Distance: 81.81 miles
DAY 41 - CAMPING AT 9,950FT
The morning came too quickly and as I awoke I noticed that it was actually cold out. Well, it was cold in my cabin, when i finally got up and opened the door I found that the outside was much warmer. That made things easier as I packed up and headed out a little before the Schroeders and Halvorsons crew did.
I gained about 1,400ft elevation between Guffey and Fairplay but none of it was that bad. I made my way over my first pass of the trip - Current Creek Pass @ 9,404ft but there wasn't even a sign to mark the pass. I made my way to a little cafe in Hartsel for lunch and when I was almost finished with my meal the families showed up and I hung out with them while they ate, 12 people put a strain on this little cafe's ability to make food. Near the end, another west-bound cyclist, an 18 year old named Tyler, showed up and said he was trying to catch up to all of us. He joined the group but wanted to eat lunch as everyone else pressed ahead.
I reached Fairplay and grabbed some items from the gas station and hung out till the families showed up, which they did within 15 minutes and Tyler came rolling in behind them. They had been looking to stay at one of the churches in Fairplay but hadn't gotten anything back from the ones they called. We all headed into town to grab some ice cream while the adults of the families called around to see what was available.
Well, it turned out that all the hotels in the town were booked due to some event going on this weekend. The only vacancies that were found were at an RV & tent site, located in town next to a grocery store. So all of us, Tyler included, made our way down there and paid $10 / tent to camp. As we set up our tents the wind picked up and the clouds looked like rain. Trying to beat the rain, we all went to the grocery store where the moms of the families had bought food to make sandwiches and we all ate on a bench outside the grocery store as it lightly rained.
Afterwards, it was getting late and everyone made their way back down to the RV site and to their tents. I went shopping at the grocery store looking for food for tomorrow's breakfast. Remembering that my friend Ed had threatened to mail me heavy things like a marble statue to haul around, I spotted a display of watermellons and grabbed one. I headed down to the RV site where everyone except a few of the family's kids were already in their tents for the night. I asked the girls which bike trailer was their parent's and laid the nice heavy watermellon inside. It was a simple prank but I was sure they'd find it funny. I'm sure they'd love some watermellon on top of Hoosier Pass!
I then crawled into my tent and for the first time of this trip had to actually use my sleeping bag as it was intended instead of just something to sleep on because it was too hot. Fairplay was at an elevation of 9,950ft and it was to get into the 40's tonight!
Start: Guffey, CO
End: Fairplay, CO
Distance: 47.92 miles
I gained about 1,400ft elevation between Guffey and Fairplay but none of it was that bad. I made my way over my first pass of the trip - Current Creek Pass @ 9,404ft but there wasn't even a sign to mark the pass. I made my way to a little cafe in Hartsel for lunch and when I was almost finished with my meal the families showed up and I hung out with them while they ate, 12 people put a strain on this little cafe's ability to make food. Near the end, another west-bound cyclist, an 18 year old named Tyler, showed up and said he was trying to catch up to all of us. He joined the group but wanted to eat lunch as everyone else pressed ahead.
I reached Fairplay and grabbed some items from the gas station and hung out till the families showed up, which they did within 15 minutes and Tyler came rolling in behind them. They had been looking to stay at one of the churches in Fairplay but hadn't gotten anything back from the ones they called. We all headed into town to grab some ice cream while the adults of the families called around to see what was available.
Well, it turned out that all the hotels in the town were booked due to some event going on this weekend. The only vacancies that were found were at an RV & tent site, located in town next to a grocery store. So all of us, Tyler included, made our way down there and paid $10 / tent to camp. As we set up our tents the wind picked up and the clouds looked like rain. Trying to beat the rain, we all went to the grocery store where the moms of the families had bought food to make sandwiches and we all ate on a bench outside the grocery store as it lightly rained.
Afterwards, it was getting late and everyone made their way back down to the RV site and to their tents. I went shopping at the grocery store looking for food for tomorrow's breakfast. Remembering that my friend Ed had threatened to mail me heavy things like a marble statue to haul around, I spotted a display of watermellons and grabbed one. I headed down to the RV site where everyone except a few of the family's kids were already in their tents for the night. I asked the girls which bike trailer was their parent's and laid the nice heavy watermellon inside. It was a simple prank but I was sure they'd find it funny. I'm sure they'd love some watermellon on top of Hoosier Pass!
I then crawled into my tent and for the first time of this trip had to actually use my sleeping bag as it was intended instead of just something to sleep on because it was too hot. Fairplay was at an elevation of 9,950ft and it was to get into the 40's tonight!
Start: Guffey, CO
End: Fairplay, CO
Distance: 47.92 miles
DAY 40 - SHORT BUT STEEP
I woke up and didn't feel too bad from the missing hours of sleep so I packed up my tent and left the RV park.
About 10 miles out of Canon City I turned onto Route 9, which I would be spending the next few days on. And man did it have some fun in store for me. And by fun I mean climbing. There was a very steep section atround mile marker 7 where 1,000ft was gained in only a few miles. That was intense. I had to stop several times to catch my breath as its steepness caused my heart rate to go through the roof.
The rest of the route wasn't as bad, but when everything was said and done, I gained about 3,000ft when I rolled into the tiny town of Guffey. Guffey consisted of two bar/resturants, a bunch of "rustic cabins" and the Guffey Garage, where the owners of the cabins, Bill and Charlie resided.
After a much needed late lunch at one of the bars, I went over to the Guffey Garage to inquire about the cyclist "hostel" lodging at the rustic cabins. Charlie showed me to my cabin through all sorts of antiques and sculptures that they had sitting around or made on the grounds. I was amazed at how much detail they put into everything, I can't explain it properly here, you'll just have to look at the pictures when I get to upload them.
My cabin was pretty much a shed with a folding down murphy bed, but it only cost $10! And they had a shower building so I couldn't complain. Charlie told me to join him and Bill down at the garage when I got done showering for a beer. I showered and made my down to the garage and spent the next hour or so chatting with Charlie and Bill, they were good ol' boys and had a great sense of humor. Bill had bought the old Guffey town hall and turned it into a museum filled with all sorts of crazyness. It seemed that their specialty was redneck engineering and they were very good at it.
Around 6pm I made my way back to the bars for a dinner when I saw tandems... the Schroeders and Halvorsons had done Pueblo to Guffey in one day and they looked beat! They too talked about the horrible section at mile marker 9. I ended up joining them for dinner a little later and we all hung out till later than we should have, and finally everyone was full and we all dispersed and I headed back to my cabin and passed out, yea sleep!
Start: Canon City, CO
End: Guffey, CO
Distance: 35.36 miles
DAY 39 - TASTE THE ROCKIES
Let the climbing begin! Leaving Pueblo I climbed about 1,200ft to Wetmore, then was treated to a nice little 10 mile decent to Florence. It was nice, but in the back of my mind I know that every foot of elevation lost means another foot I'll have to climb later.
The route from Florence to Canon City was a wash elevation wise, but the road itself was narrow and filled with heavy traffic. It was so bad I texted the Schroeders and Halvorsons who were a day behind me that they should consider a different route because it was tight for my bicycle and would be dangerous pulling a trailer.
I rolled into Canon City mid-afternoon and figured since I hadn't taken a rest day in a while that I would do some shorter milage days while I'm gaining elevation instead of pushing it. Plus, Canon City has a movie theater that would be having a midnight showing of the Dark Knight Rises.
But, I needed a place to sleep and store the bike and didn't want to hotel it. I rode to the movie theater and what do I see 1/3 mile down the road? An RV park! I rode over to check it out, it wasn't very big, seemed like someone just converted a lot, but they had showers and allowed tents for $15, kind of steep for a tent but this means I could go to the midnight showing.
I rode back to the theater and bought my ticket then back to the RV park to shower and throw up the tent. I then called my aunt Patsy, who lives in the Denver area and got a lot of tips about the local area, then fell asleep with the alarm set for 11pm. I made it to the theater in about 15 minutes and the place was already half filled.
The movie finished around 3am, and I wondered back to the RV park and jumped into the tent hoping to fall asleep quickly as my alarm was now set for 7am.
Start: Pueblo, CO
End: Canon City, CO
Distance: 49.11 miles
The route from Florence to Canon City was a wash elevation wise, but the road itself was narrow and filled with heavy traffic. It was so bad I texted the Schroeders and Halvorsons who were a day behind me that they should consider a different route because it was tight for my bicycle and would be dangerous pulling a trailer.
I rolled into Canon City mid-afternoon and figured since I hadn't taken a rest day in a while that I would do some shorter milage days while I'm gaining elevation instead of pushing it. Plus, Canon City has a movie theater that would be having a midnight showing of the Dark Knight Rises.
But, I needed a place to sleep and store the bike and didn't want to hotel it. I rode to the movie theater and what do I see 1/3 mile down the road? An RV park! I rode over to check it out, it wasn't very big, seemed like someone just converted a lot, but they had showers and allowed tents for $15, kind of steep for a tent but this means I could go to the midnight showing.
I rode back to the theater and bought my ticket then back to the RV park to shower and throw up the tent. I then called my aunt Patsy, who lives in the Denver area and got a lot of tips about the local area, then fell asleep with the alarm set for 11pm. I made it to the theater in about 15 minutes and the place was already half filled.
The movie finished around 3am, and I wondered back to the RV park and jumped into the tent hoping to fall asleep quickly as my alarm was now set for 7am.
Start: Pueblo, CO
End: Canon City, CO
Distance: 49.11 miles
Thursday, July 19, 2012
DAY 38 - OH, THOSE MOUNTAINS
Ahh, a nice short day to Pueblo! Everyone woke up at Gillian's around 6am and was ready to go around 8:30am. The Schroeders and Halvorsons needed some work done on their tandems and trailers and new tires & tubes, so they were planning to stop in Pueblo and enjoy a rest day while the Great Divide bike shop worked on their stuff. I also figured a nice 60 mile day to Pueblo would be good as there was a state park a few miles past I could camp in.
The day's riding seemed very similar to yesterdays, except for the large deep blue mountain range appearing out of the lighter blue sky about half way to Pueblo. Oh yeah, I'm going to be doing some climbing soon...
I rolled into Boone for some lunch and there was only one general store in the town and their food selection was very limited. The families stopped at the post office where they received a care package and then joined me at the only place for food. I looked over my maps and noticed that we were already at an elevation of about 4,500ft, not too bad coming from Kansas without any serious climbing.
After lunch everyone started on the last 20 miles to Pueblo, where the traffic became pretty heavy the closer to the city we got. Everyone met up at the bike shop where I did some browsing but eventually parted ways with the Schroeders and Halvorsons. It was a lot of fun to ride and chat with them and I have a feeling I might see them again on the road.
I left them and grabbed some food at a Mexican restaurant (rice & beans!) and made the mistake of trying to ride directly afterwards. I felt like I crawled 5 or so miles to the state park, where I started seeing large elevation changes and started wondering how the next few days of climbing will go.
The state park had some great views, but the sites were $20 and pretty barren, a half-covered picnic table and a fire pit and no real vegetation between the packed campsites. It seemed everyone else there was in an RV, then myself in my little tent, but at least the place was only 1/3 full. I went to take a shower and found out they cost 50 cents/3 minutes. I didn't mind the cost, but I was low on quarters. There was a chance machine in the laundry room but it was out of order. I had to buy some sodas from a machine to get enough change for 2 showers, so lame! After an almost too warm shower (you couldn't control the temp), I jumped into my tent and fell asleep around 9pm, wanting as much sleep as possible for tomorrow.
Start: Ordway, CO
End: Pueblo, CO
Distance: 62.08 miles
The day's riding seemed very similar to yesterdays, except for the large deep blue mountain range appearing out of the lighter blue sky about half way to Pueblo. Oh yeah, I'm going to be doing some climbing soon...
I rolled into Boone for some lunch and there was only one general store in the town and their food selection was very limited. The families stopped at the post office where they received a care package and then joined me at the only place for food. I looked over my maps and noticed that we were already at an elevation of about 4,500ft, not too bad coming from Kansas without any serious climbing.
After lunch everyone started on the last 20 miles to Pueblo, where the traffic became pretty heavy the closer to the city we got. Everyone met up at the bike shop where I did some browsing but eventually parted ways with the Schroeders and Halvorsons. It was a lot of fun to ride and chat with them and I have a feeling I might see them again on the road.
I left them and grabbed some food at a Mexican restaurant (rice & beans!) and made the mistake of trying to ride directly afterwards. I felt like I crawled 5 or so miles to the state park, where I started seeing large elevation changes and started wondering how the next few days of climbing will go.
The state park had some great views, but the sites were $20 and pretty barren, a half-covered picnic table and a fire pit and no real vegetation between the packed campsites. It seemed everyone else there was in an RV, then myself in my little tent, but at least the place was only 1/3 full. I went to take a shower and found out they cost 50 cents/3 minutes. I didn't mind the cost, but I was low on quarters. There was a chance machine in the laundry room but it was out of order. I had to buy some sodas from a machine to get enough change for 2 showers, so lame! After an almost too warm shower (you couldn't control the temp), I jumped into my tent and fell asleep around 9pm, wanting as much sleep as possible for tomorrow.
Start: Ordway, CO
End: Pueblo, CO
Distance: 62.08 miles
DAY 37 - ASK FOR GILLIAN WHEN YOU GET TO TOWN
When I woke up at 6am and made my way upstairs to go to the bathroom, I saw Lesli heading out of the door which means the families were just rolling out and we'd probably be running into each other all day long.
They were telling me the night before how when they started they had all 6 tandems sticking together, so when one had to stop, they all did, which made for some long days, so they broke apart into 3x 2 tandem teams and just planned to meet up at a 2-3 planned stops along the way, which struck me as a really good way to handle a big group like that.
I was packed up and ready to roll at 6:45am, and made my way to the first town of the day Eads. In town I spotted 2 of the tandems and said hello then pressed on. About this time in the morning a north-west headwind picked up making for slow goings ahead. About half way to Haswell, the 50 mile point of the day, I spotted a rare tree by the road and stopped under it to cool off a bit and eat an orange. The prairie around me seemed to get sparser and more sandy but still mostly flat / slightly uphill, with barbed wire fences running along off both sides of the road.
After a little rest, I saw bikes in the distance, closing on my shady tree. Tandems! I closed my panniers and walked to the edge of the road as they got near. Dan yelled to me "Lets do this!" so I hopped on my bike and joined the group. I quickly found out that my solo bike with panniers had an advantage on uphills versus a tandem & trailer, and was able to pass the group, even with the headwind, and ride ahead to Haswell.
When I got to Haswell I found the one store there and stopped for a cold drink and bite to eat. 50 miles in and it was still 35 miles to the next town with city park camping or 40 miles to Ordway and cyclist only lodging at "Gillian's."
Soon enough the tandem train showed up and since this was the only place open in town, we all hung out for a late lunch. After eating most of the kids were zonked out and I chatted with the parents. It had been a long day with the headwind and it was only a little more than half over.
After a little while everyone woke from their siesta outside the shop and the push was made to Ordway now that the headwind had let up. Some healthy competition broke up the day when one of the girl's tandems pushed ahead to pass one of the boy's tandems and the race was on. I pushed ahead when the group hit some uphill, and apparently the rest of the ride the tandems were pushing hard trying to catch me, but I was able to sprint ahead on my little bike and reached Sugar City before the pack.
When everyone showed up, the group pressed on an easy 5 miles to Ordway. The families went to the park to find a place to camp and I headed over to Gillian's, as the ACA map said "ask for Gillian when you get in town" and her warm showers profile said she had a trailer for cyclists to stay at and didn't need any notice before showing up.
I found her house at the end of a long dirt road in town and immediately spied some horses and 2 goats. I got to the her house and Gillian, a woman originally from New Zealand, came out and greeted me. She showed me to the trailer which had beds and told me to feel free to come inside the house and get a shower when I was ready. She asked if I was by chance a "computer geek" and I told her I was, and she asked if I could help her figure out how to get a VOIP program to run on her computer.
I got my shower in and was helping Gillian de-clutter her XP machine when the the Schroeders and Halvorsons rolled in! The city park didn't have restrooms so they decided to try Gillian's. She was more than happy to put the crew up for the night, the boys got the trailer while the girls got a room indoors and I got Gillian's study all to myself. It was a good thing they weren't camping because a windy thunderstorm rolled in not long after they arrived and soaked the place.
Everyone seemed tired after the long day of riding in the heat so after some food people started falling asleep rather quickly. I finished up messing around with Gillian's computer, after removing the 2nd active anti-virus it ran a lot faster, and went to sleep.
Start: Sheridan Lake, CO
End: Ordway, CO
Distance: 92.05 miles
They were telling me the night before how when they started they had all 6 tandems sticking together, so when one had to stop, they all did, which made for some long days, so they broke apart into 3x 2 tandem teams and just planned to meet up at a 2-3 planned stops along the way, which struck me as a really good way to handle a big group like that.
I was packed up and ready to roll at 6:45am, and made my way to the first town of the day Eads. In town I spotted 2 of the tandems and said hello then pressed on. About this time in the morning a north-west headwind picked up making for slow goings ahead. About half way to Haswell, the 50 mile point of the day, I spotted a rare tree by the road and stopped under it to cool off a bit and eat an orange. The prairie around me seemed to get sparser and more sandy but still mostly flat / slightly uphill, with barbed wire fences running along off both sides of the road.
After a little rest, I saw bikes in the distance, closing on my shady tree. Tandems! I closed my panniers and walked to the edge of the road as they got near. Dan yelled to me "Lets do this!" so I hopped on my bike and joined the group. I quickly found out that my solo bike with panniers had an advantage on uphills versus a tandem & trailer, and was able to pass the group, even with the headwind, and ride ahead to Haswell.
When I got to Haswell I found the one store there and stopped for a cold drink and bite to eat. 50 miles in and it was still 35 miles to the next town with city park camping or 40 miles to Ordway and cyclist only lodging at "Gillian's."
Soon enough the tandem train showed up and since this was the only place open in town, we all hung out for a late lunch. After eating most of the kids were zonked out and I chatted with the parents. It had been a long day with the headwind and it was only a little more than half over.
After a little while everyone woke from their siesta outside the shop and the push was made to Ordway now that the headwind had let up. Some healthy competition broke up the day when one of the girl's tandems pushed ahead to pass one of the boy's tandems and the race was on. I pushed ahead when the group hit some uphill, and apparently the rest of the ride the tandems were pushing hard trying to catch me, but I was able to sprint ahead on my little bike and reached Sugar City before the pack.
When everyone showed up, the group pressed on an easy 5 miles to Ordway. The families went to the park to find a place to camp and I headed over to Gillian's, as the ACA map said "ask for Gillian when you get in town" and her warm showers profile said she had a trailer for cyclists to stay at and didn't need any notice before showing up.
I found her house at the end of a long dirt road in town and immediately spied some horses and 2 goats. I got to the her house and Gillian, a woman originally from New Zealand, came out and greeted me. She showed me to the trailer which had beds and told me to feel free to come inside the house and get a shower when I was ready. She asked if I was by chance a "computer geek" and I told her I was, and she asked if I could help her figure out how to get a VOIP program to run on her computer.
I got my shower in and was helping Gillian de-clutter her XP machine when the the Schroeders and Halvorsons rolled in! The city park didn't have restrooms so they decided to try Gillian's. She was more than happy to put the crew up for the night, the boys got the trailer while the girls got a room indoors and I got Gillian's study all to myself. It was a good thing they weren't camping because a windy thunderstorm rolled in not long after they arrived and soaked the place.
Everyone seemed tired after the long day of riding in the heat so after some food people started falling asleep rather quickly. I finished up messing around with Gillian's computer, after removing the 2nd active anti-virus it ran a lot faster, and went to sleep.
Start: Sheridan Lake, CO
End: Ordway, CO
Distance: 92.05 miles
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