Saturday, August 1, 2009
Days 47-49: Blanding, UT to Torrey, UT.
Miles: 75, 65 and ugh, 50.
Cell phone service, hooray! In the news from the past few days: we broke 3000 miles, we went 128 miles between towns (I have never been so happy to see a convenience store), and I got my first flat of the trip (which dashed my hopes of going the whole way across without one). Actually, Lou got 3 of them the following day, which makes me want to call up Utah and suggest they change their slogan from The Beehive State (I have seen no beehives whatsoever) to The Flat Tire Capital of America. I feel that title would be more accurate and deserved.
The desert came up pretty much immediately after Blanding and we've been seeing some really amazing landforms ever since. I had no idea the geography of Utah was so beautiful, varied, and HUGE. Rocks and water can really do some amazing things.
Met 7 new cyclists, all foreign, from England, Belgium and Germany. We weren't expecting to really meet anyone once we split off the Trans America route, which goes to Oregon and does not include a desert, to follow the Western Express route which definitely does, this late in the season. My theory is that the foreign people didn't have anyone to tell them that the desert in July is really, really hot. The Belgian, a 52-year-old science teacher, apparently has some knowledge of orthopedics and adjusted my wrist for me after we had breakfast together this morning. Super nice guy and we're super lucky to have met him! Today was Lou's birthday and after breakfast with the Belgian (pancakes, not waffles) we came across an organic bakery and coffee house a few miles farther into nowhere. The guy running the place was an interesting sort; went back and forth between being really nice and coming off as kind of a jerk as he bustled around the small kitchen. Later on we discussed our impressions of him and decided that he probably just spends too much time alone baking bread and tending to his plants and his goats. In either case, we had some freshly baked bread, freshly ground and brewed coffee, and freshly made feta cheese courtesy of the goats.
After that, bike trouble plagued both of us for the rest of the day, and we decided to call it a day when we got to Torrey and heard about the bluegrass festival in town tonight. We'd been looking for one the whole trip and I kinda can't believe it took us til Utah to find one. Dealt with the bike trouble, showers for the second night in a row (an unfathomable luxury), and then heading to see some live music.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Day 46: McPhee Reservoir, CO to Blanding, UT, or "I thought we were supposed to be in the desert!"
Miles today: 71.
So, we were welcomed to Utah with another hail storm... not very desert-like. I'm sure I'll be wishing for rain in a couple days, but for now I'm really sick of hail and headwinds. Bring on the dry heat! Holed up in Monticello for a little while to wait out the storm. Did some laundry (which provided for one of the most satisfying experiences: a clean sleeping bag!), had coffee to warm up and wrote some postcards. On our way out of town we stopped at a grocery, and as I made my way around a cute little motormouth boy shopping with his mother, he says to her loudly, "Mom, she's a little lady! That's a little lady, Mom!" Hearing little kids talk to their parents about me when they don't think I can't hear them has become one of my favorite things.
Managed to make it a little farther to just before Blanding, where we found the most perfect little secluded place to camp next to a reservoir, and made the first (yes, first!) campfire of the trip. Don't know how much cell service I'll be getting through Utah and Nevada, so the morning coffee readers may be disappointed a little more frequently... Sorry in advance, guys. I'll do what I can.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Day 45: Telluride, CO to McPhee Reservoir, a few miles past Dolores, CO.
Miles today: 76.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to inform you that I have hauled myself over the Rockies in one piece. Of course, on our last and longest descent Mother Nature saw fit to have the wind blowing in our faces AND throw a storm our way, but we got through it. Breakfast this morning was expensive but delicious (best sourdough toast ever), lunch was expensive and not so delicious (worst veggie burger ever). Camping tonight in a nice man's yard, where I realized that I left my flip flops in Telluride this morning. Major disappointment. Karina, if you read this before you leave tomorrow, rescue them from the bathroom!
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to inform you that I have hauled myself over the Rockies in one piece. Of course, on our last and longest descent Mother Nature saw fit to have the wind blowing in our faces AND throw a storm our way, but we got through it. Breakfast this morning was expensive but delicious (best sourdough toast ever), lunch was expensive and not so delicious (worst veggie burger ever). Camping tonight in a nice man's yard, where I realized that I left my flip flops in Telluride this morning. Major disappointment. Karina, if you read this before you leave tomorrow, rescue them from the bathroom!
Day 44: Montrose, CO to Telluride, CO.
Miles today: 65.
Today was better than yesterday: no storms! Met a father, Peter, and his daughter, Karina, who is my new hero. This chick is 13 years old biking from Connecticut to San Francisco and has a great attitude. What a rockstar. I wish I was that cool when I was 13.
Rode through a canyon for a while that had some really indescribably amazing scenery of the mountains around and the river below. I wanted to stop every quarter mile to take a picture, but that's pretty much been the case all through the Rockies. Telluride isn't marked on the elevation profile we have on our map, but we thought it was right before a particularly steep-looking climb. Surprise; turns out Telluride was AFTER it. Had a really fun time with that one at the end of the day! It was even steeper than we thought, of course, and with absolutely no shoulder, but we survived. When we got into Telluride we got a tip from a couple walking down Main Street about a "locals special" at the Italian restaurant a block down; I can't express how worth the $12 that bowl of pasta and glass of wine was. It really hit the spot. Turns out our waiter had done a cross country tour a few years ago, and he hooked us up with the special we weren't really supposed to be able to get. Awesome.
Today was better than yesterday: no storms! Met a father, Peter, and his daughter, Karina, who is my new hero. This chick is 13 years old biking from Connecticut to San Francisco and has a great attitude. What a rockstar. I wish I was that cool when I was 13.
Rode through a canyon for a while that had some really indescribably amazing scenery of the mountains around and the river below. I wanted to stop every quarter mile to take a picture, but that's pretty much been the case all through the Rockies. Telluride isn't marked on the elevation profile we have on our map, but we thought it was right before a particularly steep-looking climb. Surprise; turns out Telluride was AFTER it. Had a really fun time with that one at the end of the day! It was even steeper than we thought, of course, and with absolutely no shoulder, but we survived. When we got into Telluride we got a tip from a couple walking down Main Street about a "locals special" at the Italian restaurant a block down; I can't express how worth the $12 that bowl of pasta and glass of wine was. It really hit the spot. Turns out our waiter had done a cross country tour a few years ago, and he hooked us up with the special we weren't really supposed to be able to get. Awesome.
Day 43: Nowhere, CO to Montrose, CO.
Miles today: 68.
Wow... today kinda sucked. While going up a long hill with very little shoulder, it started to rain. Then it started to pour. Then it started to hail. The hail started really stinging, the next town was several miles away, and Lou was way ahead as usual and nowhere to be seen, so the only thing to do was pull over and cover up with the tent's rain fly. I have to say that I have definitely been much drier and MUCH warmer than I was for that lovely half hour crouching by the side of the road alone. The ride into town wasn't much more comfortable, and it was really fun to discover Lou having been at a cafe for the past hour. Dry.
Ok, so enough of the bad attitude: cool things for the day included having been mistaken for a goat by some other goats. At least I'm pretty sure that's what happened. They baaed at me as I rode by in a tone that made me believe they fully expected me to baa back. I could not, because I am in fact not a goat. Also, we spent the night in a real live tepee. Or teepee. Whatever. It was a first for me and was actually kind of exciting.
Wow... today kinda sucked. While going up a long hill with very little shoulder, it started to rain. Then it started to pour. Then it started to hail. The hail started really stinging, the next town was several miles away, and Lou was way ahead as usual and nowhere to be seen, so the only thing to do was pull over and cover up with the tent's rain fly. I have to say that I have definitely been much drier and MUCH warmer than I was for that lovely half hour crouching by the side of the road alone. The ride into town wasn't much more comfortable, and it was really fun to discover Lou having been at a cafe for the past hour. Dry.
Ok, so enough of the bad attitude: cool things for the day included having been mistaken for a goat by some other goats. At least I'm pretty sure that's what happened. They baaed at me as I rode by in a tone that made me believe they fully expected me to baa back. I could not, because I am in fact not a goat. Also, we spent the night in a real live tepee. Or teepee. Whatever. It was a first for me and was actually kind of exciting.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day 42: Salida, CO to some BLM land 5 miles east of Gunnison, CO.
Miles today: 74.
I'm thinking Salida is one of my favorite towns so far. After we left the library where I wrote my last post, we stopped at a pizza place and a group sitting outside invited us to sit with them. They were all super cool and we had a good time talking and telling stories for a while before we headed across town to bed.
Left extra early this morning and climbed up to Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet! The climb took awhile but it was much different than the Appalachians. The grades were less steep, and it was steady uphill for miles instead of up and down and back up and back down, which was a lot less frustrating; it's incredibly disappointing to climb up a steep hill for a while and have to go downhill again only to earn back all that elevation over and over. This was the highest elevation I'd been to and towards the end I really started feeling its effects. Nothing too scary, but the lightheadedness and quicker pulse did make me stop more often than usual. The descent was the most fun I've had riding so far- not at all as terrifying as the one from the Blue Ridge Parkway-- gradual enough not to scare the crap out of me but steep enough to not have to do any work to keep going. The wind held us back from going too fast and I was cruising at 30 mph most of the way, which was kinda perfect.
Those headwinds weren't as welcome on the more gradual downhills we came to after getting off the mountain, and the storm they brought was even less welcome. We'd planned on making it farther but decided to stop for the day near Gunnison. There was nothing in the way of camping close to town, so we headed farther along and a little off route to an area owned by the Bureau of Land Management where we were told you can camp for free. A couple miles of dirt and gravel road later, we set up the tent on very uneven ground covered with sage and tufts of grass (the best option available) while being eaten alive by some voracious bugs. Not so ideal, but hey, we survived another night.
I'm thinking Salida is one of my favorite towns so far. After we left the library where I wrote my last post, we stopped at a pizza place and a group sitting outside invited us to sit with them. They were all super cool and we had a good time talking and telling stories for a while before we headed across town to bed.
Left extra early this morning and climbed up to Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet! The climb took awhile but it was much different than the Appalachians. The grades were less steep, and it was steady uphill for miles instead of up and down and back up and back down, which was a lot less frustrating; it's incredibly disappointing to climb up a steep hill for a while and have to go downhill again only to earn back all that elevation over and over. This was the highest elevation I'd been to and towards the end I really started feeling its effects. Nothing too scary, but the lightheadedness and quicker pulse did make me stop more often than usual. The descent was the most fun I've had riding so far- not at all as terrifying as the one from the Blue Ridge Parkway-- gradual enough not to scare the crap out of me but steep enough to not have to do any work to keep going. The wind held us back from going too fast and I was cruising at 30 mph most of the way, which was kinda perfect.
Those headwinds weren't as welcome on the more gradual downhills we came to after getting off the mountain, and the storm they brought was even less welcome. We'd planned on making it farther but decided to stop for the day near Gunnison. There was nothing in the way of camping close to town, so we headed farther along and a little off route to an area owned by the Bureau of Land Management where we were told you can camp for free. A couple miles of dirt and gravel road later, we set up the tent on very uneven ground covered with sage and tufts of grass (the best option available) while being eaten alive by some voracious bugs. Not so ideal, but hey, we survived another night.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Day 41: Westcliffe, CO to Salida, CO.
Miles today: 52.
Another short day today, but only 11 miles short of where we'd planned instead of um... 50. We're still used to the free city park camping options all through Kansas and were finding it difficult to bring ourselves to pay for camping two nights in a row. When we asked for advice in an outdoor store in Salida and were offered the backyard of one of the employees, we were more than willing to promise ourselves we'd get up an hour earlier to make up the extra miles.
Spent a little time this morning in Westcliffe having breakfast at an Amish bakery in town with delicious quiche and saying goodbye to the campground owner and the ice cream shop guy. The ride was easier today, and we actually encountered roads other than 96, which we'd been on since somewhere in the middle of Kansas (really). US-50 has the most breathtaking views and the least courteous drivers that we've found the entire trip; we unfortunately happen to be traveling on it during a weekend along with hundreds of tourists with huge RVs and no willingness to move over or wait 8 extra seconds to pass us safely. Thanks, guys.
Our map tells us that Salida has one of the oldest historic districts in the country, and it's a pretty cute one, too. Lots of character and people bustling around. Stopped at a bike shop to get new brake pads and the guy running it was pretty enthusiastic about our trip. Bought some new pads (in a dark orange color that I'm actually pretty excited about) and were offered some watermelon before we headed over here to the library. This time I don't have a timer counting down exactly one hour before it kicks me off!
Monarch Pass tomorrow, the highest up I will have ever been. Coming down the other side is my motivation for the 12 miles that are probably going to take me between 3 and 4 hours.
Another short day today, but only 11 miles short of where we'd planned instead of um... 50. We're still used to the free city park camping options all through Kansas and were finding it difficult to bring ourselves to pay for camping two nights in a row. When we asked for advice in an outdoor store in Salida and were offered the backyard of one of the employees, we were more than willing to promise ourselves we'd get up an hour earlier to make up the extra miles.
Spent a little time this morning in Westcliffe having breakfast at an Amish bakery in town with delicious quiche and saying goodbye to the campground owner and the ice cream shop guy. The ride was easier today, and we actually encountered roads other than 96, which we'd been on since somewhere in the middle of Kansas (really). US-50 has the most breathtaking views and the least courteous drivers that we've found the entire trip; we unfortunately happen to be traveling on it during a weekend along with hundreds of tourists with huge RVs and no willingness to move over or wait 8 extra seconds to pass us safely. Thanks, guys.
Our map tells us that Salida has one of the oldest historic districts in the country, and it's a pretty cute one, too. Lots of character and people bustling around. Stopped at a bike shop to get new brake pads and the guy running it was pretty enthusiastic about our trip. Bought some new pads (in a dark orange color that I'm actually pretty excited about) and were offered some watermelon before we headed over here to the library. This time I don't have a timer counting down exactly one hour before it kicks me off!
Monarch Pass tomorrow, the highest up I will have ever been. Coming down the other side is my motivation for the 12 miles that are probably going to take me between 3 and 4 hours.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
