Bipolar Weather

So we were gonna camp last night. Didn't work out so well. The city park closed at 9, the state park was filled with mosquitos, and the cheap hotels were sold out. We ended up staying at a B&B with one of the nicest B&B owners we've met. She was neither psycho nor one of the cunning business people, and she was willing to get us breakfast at 5:30 (it was huge and tasty). This morning was cold and misty, but it was great trying to see the hills through the mist and lovely when the mist was burning off. I wasn't sure the day would be that great; I woke up tired and 5 miles in a state trooper felt it necessary to use his car speaker to tell me to get on the shoulder. Mind you, I had gotten off the shoulder so my dad could get past me and so I could avoid a bunch of debris. Oh well. Instead, I just watched the mountains emerge from the mist as we entered Arapaho National Forest (which is, by the way, awesome). There were few campers, and we got to wind through the mountains beside a pretty stream. I love winding through the mountains beside pretty streams. Didn't see much wildlife beyond birds - and there were plenty of those, but it was awesome none the less. We had sun and blue skies for quite a while, but when we started climbing Willow Creek Pass (9000-some odd feet and our 2nd of 7 continental divide crossings), it started clouding up a little. We got up and over the pass without trouble (though dad did need a nuun before the big climb) and then went down through Rand and eventually to Walden, CO. Before Rand, we got a little rain, so we holed up in Rand for a little longer than usual. After some hot cocoa and a tuna/cheese lunch, we went back on the rolling road, and dodged storms until we were 14 miles out. Then it poured. Cold, stinging rain. We kept going, and we couldn't have been happier to see Walden a few miles out. Tomorrow, we'll leave Colorado and, weather permitting, get to Rawlins, WY. Got a few rolling videos along w/ the typical pics. If ya'll seem to like them, I may do it again.

More Canyons, Fewer Mountains

Today's ride was a 60-miler over to Hot Sulpher Springs. Mostly downhill (we're back to 7thou-ish) with very few mountains along the ride. We had a mixture of brown/scrubby land and wooded/grassy stuff, and the rivers just look amazing. Crystal clear, enough rapids to make them interesting - they really just look pristine. While the middle of the day was pretty boring, the last bit of our ride was awesome. We'll have another climb tomorrow, so we came back in sight of the mountains, and we ended up winding our way through Byers Canyon, which has steep, crumbling rock walls surrounding a lovely river. Traffic has picked up for the 4th, and we're trying to get off the roads pretty early in the day. We've holed up in a library for a bit, and it's pouring outside. (We've been running from this system all day.) Hopefully, we'll find some good shelter when we get kicked out in 15 minutes.

Magnificant

It gets cold above 8,000 feet. And boy was it cold when we woke up in Guffey. I reluctantly crawled out of my sleeping bag, threw on everything warm that I had, ate, packed, filled up water, and rode. Downhill. It got colder. By the bottom of the hill that took us back to the transam, the thermometer on my dad's bike was reading in the 30s. We stopped briefly to warm up our hands and then began pedaling. Uphill. Things warmed up. We got out of the shadows of the mountains, and things started feeling nice. We climbed to the top of the pass, and it was by far one of the best moments we've had out on the trail (others include the descent into Damascus and Tom's hospitality in Crozet). We had been pedaling pretty hard, and to get to a pass where everything opened up and we could see the snowy peaks laid out before us was amazing. It's one of those things that words can't describe and one of those things that you can't ever forget. Just me and my dad at the top of a 9thou+ pass after 2500 miles. We went over another little bump on the altitude map, and then coasted down to Hartsel. The coast was lovely. Still cool, and we've gotten further from the dessert. The grasses that fill the pseudo-valleys constantly look dew-covered, and so the bases of the hills in the distance looked like they were fringing an eerie green lake or a mist-covered lawn. Gorgeous and serene. There hasn't been much traffic lately (specifically from the end of the raft companies outside of Canon City to Alma on the south/east side of Hoosier Pass). In Hartsel, we chose the wrong place to get a second breakfast. It was an ok looking restaurant (wood exterior, in between a saloon and an icecream shop), but the lady there was a pain. She wasn't flat out rude, but she wasn't far from it either (and she refused to refill our water bottles). Water really isn't that costly, and our bottles don't hold that much. Growl. From Hartsel, we went slightly uphill through a valley to Fairplay (surrounded by snow-capped peaks). We ate again, spent 2 minutes getting out of the rain, and cleared Alma shortly. Right outside of Alma (at 10,500ft or so), we started the 4 mile climb up to Hoosier Pass (awesome). We've continued to see other transam-ers (and a ton of recreational cyclists - good job Colorado) and at least had an idea of what the climb would be like. It really wasn't extraordinarily tough - especially compared to some of the Kentucky hills. At long last, we reached the highest point of our trip at 11,542/11,539 feet (depending on which sign you believe). Hoosier Pass was great, though the views on either side were slighly better than those at the top. We stopped for an orange and to call various family folk who were planning on visiting (none of whom thought we would actually make Breckinridge) and sat back for the 11 miles downhill into Breck. Once we crossed the divide, it seemed to get slightly more humid, and the creeks seem a little larger (+ with more whitewater). We got to our destination in the early afternoon, checked in to a B&B, got some dinner, met with some extended family, and slept. Or at least tried. Though the altitude hadn't affected me thus far, I found it difficult to get to sleep and woke up not being able to breath. Turned out to be the feather bedspread and the good-smelling laundry detergent, so I ended up sleeping on the couch with a thin quilt in my not-clean (but not horribly dirty) clothes. From Guffey to Breckinridge was a wonderful 69-mile ride. We also saw the Adventure Cycling support van (for a supported tour that started May 14 who we last saw in Carbondale, IL). We've been leading this group for the last few states, and to quote my dad, "I think we're doing a damn good job to stay ahead of those fully-supported weenies."
Today, we left Breckinridge relatively late, took bike paths to Silverthorne (18 mile ride), and spent the day with family we haven't seen in a while. Though the bike paths weren't my favorite (hills, bumps, wobbly people), it was absolutely wonderful to get to see my aunt and cousins. We hung out and went to the outlets nearby. Twas good. Tomorrow we go to Hot Sulpher Springs, and from there to Rawlins, we're pretty locked in to certain towns(not many services/places to sleep). Within 3 days, we should be in Wyoming. I kinda like Colorado. Wouldn't mind staying here, but there are people to see and places to go (i.e. Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Glacier, etc).

Canyon City to Guffey

After being a tourist in Canyon City, it was time to start climbing the Rockies. We were shooting for a long day into Fairplay, but our first climb (3,000+ feet) took a while, and dad was worn out within 37 miles. Since Guffey, CO (home of the wolf rescue and a very interesting guy named Bill) was the first good resting spot we got to, we stayed there for the evening (from 5 thou up to 8,660 in elevation). The climb (up, eventually, to Current Creek Pass) was long and isolated, but I didn't think that the grade was all that difficult. We stopped several times to snack and drink, and I found the terrain enchanting. It wasn't like climbing hills out east. Instead, we were winding our way up in between peaks, carving on the side of the hills or more in the valleys. But we were still gaining quite a bit of elevation. It was an arid spot, but it was still pretty well forrested. The later in the ride, the more grasses and small creeks we ran into. Beutiful country. In Guffey, we got food from this lady that was all over the place. We bunked for the night in this cabin/hostel/shack thing that was really pretty nice on the inside. One of the townspeople has been trying to maintain all of the old mining buildings that used to make up the town, and while he has lost quite a few of the buildings, he pours himself into the community. Doesn't get much back for his troubles, but that happens a lot in the places we've been. I finished up my book, got some rest, and was ready to go the next morning.

6.29 Zero Time

These wood and cable pipes (30" diameter) used to carry water to Canyon City

Royal Gorge Bridge - one of the highest in the US (beats out the New River Bridge)
Several sets of these steel beams suspend the rails above the river. The gorge is too narrow here to actually lay tracks, so they had to hang the rails. (The narrow width of the gorge also caused problems between competing lines who wanted this area.)

So, we hung out in Canyon City, took the excursion train through the Royal Gorge (quite majestic - dessert-like with steep sides). The river looked kick-ass, but the State Park people close the water to commercial groups over 3200cfs, so we ended up doing the Big Horn Sheep Canyon (upstream and less intense). The water was still pretty awesome for the rafting trip, with massive wave trains, hydrolics that reminded me of the upper Ocoee, and a good guide. We had a pretty pitiful group in the raft, so we ended up sneaking some of the tougher (aka more fun) lines. I did get to ride in the back, though, which made the waves all the more fun. There was a ton of gear in the back, so I was tucked in pretty funny (my knee supported most of my weight while resting on drybag in front of me). Anyhoo. We saw some big horns on the river banks, and got home pleasantly tired.