Day 4: Buena Vista, CO - Glenwood Springs, CO

Mr. weatherman was making predictions left and right that it was going to be a rainy day throughout Colorado, at least the central portions of the state.  Indeed, he would be correct today....

...another start knowing that I had to be up and going down Independence Pass (elev. 12, 095') before or close to high noon to avoid a repeat of yesterday's attempted summit.  

...it was 26 miles of gradual uphill cycling.  the temp. - 44 degrees....another stiff headwind....and a steady drizzle.....all i could do was sigh, click into the pedals and count down the miles unitl I reached Twin Lakes and hope for a break in the clouds.  i followed the arkansas river on rt. 50 for 20 miles and then off i went on route 82 which eventually goes all the way back to glenwood springs.  my goal for the day was to land in Aspen which lay at the base of Independence Pass on the flip side.....figured i'd save teh 45 miles of rio grande bike route for the following day....

....my legs, sapped of any life, could not find a rhythm today.  the short, sporadic hills on way to Twin Lakes failed encouragement.  i had no idea how long a climb to the summit, but i sure hoping for better luck.  at least it was paved the entire way.....

....rain started to pick up the higher up into the mountains i meandered.  for 15-20 miles i failed to find a rhythm while pedaling beneath half visible mountains that topped out well of the 14,000' marker....i felt like I was back in juneau, AK.....last september when I was there the weather was identical to this.....cold, damp, steady rain, slight wind, towering mountains half visible.....cars would fly by spattering me with cold, cold puddle water......not even five miles into the climb I was already soaked through and through.....little time or interest in stopping to smell the roses today....my hands were half numb, feet  about 3/4 numb....the rain, relentless and cold.....i pushed the pedal faster and harder hoping to generate enough body heat to keep my extremities warm.....it worked great actually....seeing how drenched and soaked i was my hands and feet felt, overall, comfortable.....i knew my gear was dry as a desert, nestled and safe and sound in the b.o.b. trailer bag.....my only goal today was to summit Independence Pass.....the road was long and winding though and cold rain and wind continued to increase in intensity....finally, after hours of struggling up and down twisting, turning road the road took a verged to the left and than took a hairpin turn straight up the mountain.....i stopped. had no choice....i could only gaze in wild wonder as i saw cars high above me....the size of ants....the rain, pattering down and covering my skyward gaze....this is where the true test would begin.....i had no idea how long this climb was going to be, but the miles weren't getting any shorter by sitting around...soaked to the bone.....

....up i went for two hours....using mind games to help with my slow progress....i'd pick an object on the side of the road about 25 meters or so infront of me and pretend that was the 'summit'...once i passed it I'd glance up and pick a new object....it was the only way I'd make it.   after going up two long and trying switchbacks there was silence.  not a car in sight....the rain had ceased to fall....i was entering a cloud....my pounding heart and my heavy pants the only noticeable noise.  eerie it was.  i clicked back in the pedals and the next thing i knew i was wiping falling snow from my eyes.  for the remainder of the climb I'd not only be competing with 8% grade road but blizzard like conditions.  the views, incredible.  i'd have given anything to snap some pictures, but knowing it'd waste too much effort to stop and dig camera out of b.o.b. trailer bag i kept on trudging up the hill.....the body heat i had been generating was just as priceless as the panoramic rocky mtn views....body heat, the only thing keeping me warm and progressing forward....if i stopped the sweat would surely do me in.  switchback after switchback...higher and higher...how much higher?  the snow was falling so much and surroundings were so white i could barely see where the top of the mountain was...if there was a top.....then, out of the white i saw several parked cars and an RV....a small ranger hut (in much need of a paint job) were parked....that had to be the top.  i shifted my gaze around and saw the sign....the sacred sign stating this was, indeed, the summit.....i leaned my bike against the ranger hut and sat down on the ground to catch a breath or two.....i had made it....god damn it i made it....through pouring rain and blizzard like snow i had made it to the top.....this climb for me was the most satisfying climb ever....even more than when i bike thru rocky mtn national park at similar elevations......an English fellow from an RV then offered the kind gesture of snapping a couple pics of me next to the sign....as i was getting ready to descend down to Aspen i noticed a young couple get out of the car and rejoice near the same sign i had just been....happy to have made it to the top in their car....as i went by unnoticed all i could do was grin that they had no idea what i had just gone through to get to the top....

...as i ate my fill of lunch in Aspen i pondered whether or not to just push for Glenwood Springs...it'd cut trip short by a day...but it'd be nice to get back to car and maybe drive back home to wyoming.....it was 1:30pm.....plenty of time for 45 miles....weather looked pretty good...mostly cloudly in the low 50's.....

....the rio grande trail has been a goal of mine to bike for some time now....so this was the icing on the cake for me.....of course, sometimes the icing goes bad and i should have known that the rain would follow me the rest of the day.....about mile post 38 the sky rolled to black and the rain began to fall....relentlessly.   i thought i had it bad while climbing up independence pass, but this was a different level of rainfall.  i took shelter under a bush and figured i'd wait it out.....when the bush provided no shelter i concluded that if i was going to get wet i might as well be slicing through the middle of the storm and getting closer to my car rather than getting wet under a bush.  with all the fury and frustration inside of me i pounded out the miles down the rio grande bicycle route.  i plowed straight into and through the dark clouds of rain.  high water covering most of the trail splattering everywhere when i came crashing through.  my glasses useless sat at the tip of my nose...my blind eyes following the outline of trail....with everything soaked the headwind started to kick in and caused the worst of chills....i pedaled faster and harder.  miles 35 - 15 seemed to crawl by despite the all out effort.  i was about to stop and change into dry clothes once the rain let up, but right when i slowed to do so it started to torrential down pour again.....off down the trail i went again...all out effort to reach my car.....

....i reached the parking lot, eventually, a light, steady rain falling....my clothes, unable to hold anymore water hung heavy off my chilled body.  my car, still there.  right where i left it!  i checked the time.  it was 3:45pm!  damn....that means i biked the 45 miles from aspen to glenwood springs in 2 hrs 15 minutes...that time including hiding under a bush and repacking my gear several times......ha....somehow i managed to avg over 20mph while fighting a headwind, towing a b.o.b. trailer, having my clothes soaked with water, and half the trail seeming to be under water.....all of that after having spent first of day biking up independence pass.....never thought i'd end day such...but i did and had no regrets.....

...i took apart my gear, not caring about the mud covering every square inch and went looking for food......

Day 3: Curecanti Rec Area, CO - Buena Vista, CO

Early start on sunday morning could only mean one thing.  No traffic, at least til high noon or so....i figured everyone was cooped up in a church building somewhere or out fishing the weekend away.  Regardless, I was heading down the road.  Enjoying the lack of traffic.  The high desert mesa formations...I felt like I was in Wyoming no doubt.  As I approached town of Gunnison, more and more fields were flooded over either by the river or super heavy rains of recent.  It created quite a reflection of surrounding landscapes to say the least.....

I had another big task inhead of me today.....climbing up Cottonwood Pass (elev 12, 100 feet??).  I saw signs that it was indeed open and headed straight for the hills, so to speak.  So far, after the first 30 miles or so the day had been flawless.  I knew though that a flawless day would be too good to be true...there had to be hitch...somewhere in the script.  I pressed onward.

....the entire morning i had the pleasure of watching the snow capped rockies come and go as I meandered up and down the secondary roads, but now they were out of sight for the time being.  I was now to travel down a rough and rocky road to reach Taylor Reservoir, which is the last major landmark before the climb up cottonwood pass.  those 25 miles seemed like eternity.  a gradual uphill the entire time, a stiff headwind, temps in mid 80's, rough and inconsistent secondary roads, boating traffic.....but finally the dam appeared and up i went until i had a satisfying view of the collegiate peaks towering over Taylor reservoir.  

....it was a clear blue sky all around.  mountains and sky.  nothing else.  so, off i went to begin the 14 mile climb to the summit.  with the grateful dead doing a great version of dylan's 'desolation row' going strong i felt confident about my efforts up this climb with grades of 6-10%.  the one thing that made this climb  even more tricky was that right from mile post 0 it was gravel road...at least up the side I was climbing.  I'd have the pleasure of pavement while coasting down into buena vista.  loose stones made going slow and tedious.  washboard after washboard made me wonder how many flats i would end up with by the summit.  traffic was steady at times, nonexistent at others.  dust filled the air.  i pedaled on and finally clicked into a comfortable cadence.  surprisingly i felt amazingly strong going up this climb.  stronger than i had this entire trip.  every now and again i'd catch a glimpse of the collegiate peaks through bows of douglas fir trees and other various species.  a few crazed squirrels would scamper across the road.  and then i came to milepost 5.   black skies rolled on in with the echos of distant thunder.  a light, cold drizzle pattered down.  I stopped, rearranged gear. put camera in waterproof b.o.b. bag and trudged on up the road.  with the rain came a softening of the gravel road, which made it feel as if i were pedaling on a wet sponge....not great fun, but at least i was moving forward.  by milepost 7.5 i was hiding under a rock and had abandoned my bicycle in the mud.....lighting bolts exploded out of mid-air just up the road from me.  about 10 meters off the road was a little gully where a rock outcropping provided my shelter until i'd hear cars motoring up the climb.....the first time i waited about 5 minutes hunkering down everytime a bolt tore across the sky....with the lighting and thunder occuring simultaneously i wasn't taking any chances....at least until a fancy car drove up....i flagged them down and asked the obvioius question of getting a ride out of the storm.  i informed them of the lightning that had been striking close by...i was soaked by this time......and now it started to snow in a blizzard like fashion.  snow mixed with hail actually.  they both looked at me and the bike lyin in the mud....looked at each other and one slowly said...."eh, sorry, but we dont' have any room...we'll call a park ranger to come and get you once we get to buena vista though"...a large bolt of lighting hit the ground just on the opposite side of the road....as they drove off i half jumped and leaped back to my rock cave i had found earlier and waited for the sound of engine coming up my way....5 minutes passed......hail, thunder and lightning......10 minutes passed.....nothing....i was starting to think they weren't letting any more folks up the mountain....i figured i could pitch a tent somewhere in the woods if need be......i had 1 gallon of water with me, plenty of food, a sleeping bag rated for -20 degrees, and a tent....so i'd be fine if darkness came and i was still here.....as my surroundings were turning into a winter wonderland with every passing second i heard the churnign of a hard working engine....i bolted out from my cave and flagged down the white van that was about to go straight past....it was a middle aged couple who didnt' even need to hear what i was going to ask....they just stopped the car and said "hope on in son, and just toss your stuff wherever you find room."  the road had turned to a slick, oozing mud at this point and off we went...i was in the back of this industrail-type van with my trailer and bike rattling and shaking with everywashboard we went over....

...not even a mile up the road there was about 5 inches or so covering everything and snow was still pouring down.  after a long 6 miles we reached the top....we only got stuck once and fishtailed up the mountain for the rest of the way.....apparently the entire valley area was experiencing these scattered thunderstorms......welcome to colorado in early summer, right?

Day 2: Hotchkiss, CO - Curecanti Rec Area, CO

Another solid night of sleep.  Only woke once around 3am d/t full bladder.  Of course the stars were amazing.  No light pollution.  The constellation Scorpious stood out like a sore thumb.  Twisting and turning across the southern horizon as if having places to be....

...as i packed up my gear and ate a big bowl of oatmeal I decided to take rt 92East.  according to my map this would take me in a more direct direction towards town of Gunnison.  Also, according to map it seemed to make the terrain flat-like with twists and turns following the river.  Following adjacent to Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nt'l Park.  It didn't register once that if i were to be following the black canyon then i'd need to be climbing up towards the rising sun...

...already the sun was heating this desert-like area.  the smell of sage brush, already strong and pungent.  i thought about oregon.  this place, to me, could easily pass for a town out in eastern oregon.  sage brush and all.  little league team and all....off i pedaled.  my legs in shock and not wanting to move, muchless pull the weight of a b.o.b. trailer and gear.  i left hotchkiss in my rearview mirror as the road took a sharp turn to the left, and up.   it was only 0730 and my thermometer was already reading 73 degrees.  yikes!  glad i was heading back towards the mountains where things should be cooler (i'd find out the following day just how 'cool' being close the mountains could be...).  

...in short, 85% of the day was spent pedaling uphill. no rest for the already weary.  i was hoping this road would be flat, rolling at most.  there were a few dips in the road that let me cruise for a minute at most, but then up, up and away the road would spin.  damn my map and my map interpretation skills.  by midday was i not only tired of climbing up 5-8% grade roads i was tired of the motorcycles that kept blasting by in opposite direction.  it holds true anywhere i bike.  motorcycles feel threatened by someone on a bicycle.  so, they floor it and act like they beat me to the bunch.  too self centered to realize they have a motor attached to their "bike" whereas the only motor i have is a four chambered devise in my chest working overtime with each pedal stroke....anyways, the sun tossed rays of heat in my direction the higher and higher i climbed.  i took refuge beneath a guardrail for lunch.  it provided the only shade, and even that was close to nil.  my arms and legs were burnt despite using nearly an entire tube of sunscreen throughout past two days.....could time move any slower?  could i pedal any slower?

yes.  

with each sweeping turn in the road there would, without fail, be a steep climb.  once at the top there would be another sweeping turn that would (re-read above sentence 100 times and you'll get the point.....).   so much for a relaxing day of cycling the foothills of the rockies.  foolish me. 

i reached a picnic area called 'hermits rest' and figured that i would...rest.  of course, every plan i had for the day would be foiled in some manner.  right as i leaned against the railing to gaze down upon the magnificent canyon below a bolt of lighting shot out of a quickly approaching black cloud and seemed to fizzle and fade into just as fast as it appeared.  ok...back on the bike...off i went after a 30 second break....climbing up, up, up and finally, down, down , down.  the storm clouds were filling the gaps of blue sky with black.  i'd glance up the steep canyon walls on my left and see them watching my every move.  i pedaled faster and hoped for hope's sake that it would all be down hill from here on....it was.

with the storm the temperature dropped....straight down.  i was not struggling to put on mittens, long sleeve jacket, and tights.  a head wind started up....i was almost at the junction with rt. 50, which was my goal for the day....

...after rolling into a marina and getting useful information from park ranger i headed down the road 10 more miles and would camp at elk creek campground (about 15 miles west of gunnison).  i pitched tent with a panoramic view of blue mesa reservoir.....rain storms came and went throughout the night, giving way, eventually, to a cloudless night with stars shining brighter than the night prior.  the smell of sage brush, right after a rainfall.....priceless...

Day 1: Glenwood Springs, CO - Hotchkiss, CO

After a sound sleep night of sleeping in the trunk of my car I was ready to get an early start on the day.  I, honestly, had no idea what to expect on this short bike tour.  I felt I had done my homework in researching the route, weather, towns, etc.  Soon enough I would realize all the preparation in the world can go out the window....or, off the side of your bicycle....

...off, rolling down the rio grande bicycle trail for about 9 miles or so.  the weather, cooperative. blue skies, scattered cottonball clouds. mt. sopris, standing tall and proud.  watching. waiting....   luckily, the rio grande trail was flat, flat, flat for my out-of-shape legs.   sage brush and million dollar houses lined the majority of the the first 9 miles.  as i veered off the bicycle trail and down rt. 133 i told myself if things went as planned I'd connect back with this turning off point.  gotta love how circles work, eh? 

rt. 133 proved to be somewhat shoulderless with scattered traffic, if any at all.  this allowed ample time for mountain gazing and fishing day dreaming.  the crystal river was flowing high and fast.  i continued to follow rt 133 through a narrow, canyon like area where it was wide enough for the river, road, and myself.....impressive mind boggling, snow capped mountains appearing with each bend in the road, and seemingly to disapear just as easily when I rounded another bend in the road.  

the terrain?  a gradual and hardly noticeable uphill.  I was, afterall, biking against the flow of river.  by 0900 i was taking a break at a historic area called Redstone, where there was a state of the art mansion nestled in gorge.  according to roadside signs, much coal was turned into a usable form here and proved a good business back in the day.  

I pedaled on.  

the next thing I knew i was gritting my teeth and up, out of the saddle.  up, up, and up i was going towards the summit of mcclure pass (elev. 8,755 feet).  the road offered the most amazing and pristine views of the elk mtns.  i stopped several times, not just for pictures, but to rest my dead legs.  the entire climb was up 8% grade road.  this proved for very slow progress, but thank goodness for the Grateful Dead covering Bob Dylan songs, time seemed irrelevant.  

Finally, the summit appeared and an overwhelming sense of fatigue left as I leaned my bike and trailer against the sign and took a nap beneath the shade of a fir tree.  

the rest of the day proved to be downhill....a nice long, gradual downhill.  the road seemed to swing around the entire elk mtn range.  the temps crept up near 90 degreess as i cruised through several coal mining towns (somerset, bowie, paonia).  quite ugly structures to say the least.  made me think i was biking through kentucky again...blah.

of course, no shoulder around the last 20 miles.  and, of course, increased traffic.  coal trucks.  big ford trucks, fast cars, etc.  those twenty miles crawled. maybe it was the rollercoaster-like terrain? fatigue from the climb up mcclure pass finally setting in?  the 90 degree temps?  regardless, i was glad to reach hotchkiss and take another nap beneath the 'visitor information center' kiosk for an hour or so.

I was shocked when i found it was only 2pm upon arrival to hotchkiss.  what to do with the rest of the day?  press onward down the road?  i was already fried, but figured i could manage alright if i went slower than slow.  set up camp and sleep?  appealing enough.

i opted to press on after 2 hrs rest and adjust my route so to keep me closer to the rockies rather than heading off towards grand junction and the more desert like terrain.  

that's when a storm started a brewing and prevented me from leaving.  i set up camp behind the towns elementary school and watched a little league game for the remainder of daylight hours.  luckily the storm produced more drizzle and wind than anything else.

overall, a good first day.  i made it up the first mtn pass.  made it to the town i had wanted.  time for sleep.  

Past 3 Days dictated to Loretta

Michael hasn't had internet access so I (Loretta) am updating the blog with bullet points from the last 3 days.

Day 1: Glenwood Springs to Hotchkiss
Went over a pass elevation 8,755 ft (McClure Pass) to reach Hotchkiss

Day 2: Hotchkiss to Elk Creek Camp ground (Curecanti Recreation Area)
Panaramic view of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - average biking elevation = 9,000 ft.
Also, scattered thunderstorms throughout the day.

Day 3: Elk Creek Campground to Buena Vista
Climb up Cottonwood pass
Climb up to Cottonwood pass was an old washboard road
After half way, a thunderstorm became dangerous: lightning, hale and snow!
Hid under a rock until could flag down someone to give him a ride.
FIVE INCHES OF SNOW was on the ground just a mile up the road from the boulder Michael hid under
Cottonwood pass is part of the Collegiate Peaks in the heart of the Rocky Mountains

This is the update straight from the horses mouth.

Michael will post more details and pictures when he gets back to Wyoming.

-Loretta

Wild Wind

It is decided....with my "weekend" off from work I'll be embarking on a Tour de Colorado.  

Tomorrow (Thursday) after getting home from work and sleeping 'til high noon or so I'll drive the six hours to Glenwood Springs, CO and camp the night at the trailhead.  Friday morning I'll start on what will, hopefully, be a successful 550 mile loop through central Colorado.   

Some highlights of the trip will be:  the newly finished 45 mile bike trail from Aspen, CO to Glenwood Springs, CO, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the Collegiate Peaks,  climbing up 6 mountain passes (range in summit elevation:  7,950'- 12,326', Colorado National Monument.....

I've been toying with where to go for my upcoming week off...been watching the weather for various locations in my general area and was going to do a Tour de Southern Utah seeing it was sure bet to be sunny, whereas a few days ago the weather for the Colorado loop was rain, thunderstorms....but looks like things might be clear enough to do the loop??  Possibly some scattered thunderstorms??? We'll see soon enough, eh?  

Temps should be a comfortable 70's/40's F....

Am I worried about not being in shape?  Yes and no....I did do a bike ride yesterday in the Flaming Gorge with half the ride being up 7% grade road.  So, hoping that woke my legs up enough for this upcoming tour.  Am I worried about not completing the loop?  Not so much, whatever happens happens...and like Mr. Bob Dylan said, "There's no success like failure..." 

There should be towns with libraries with internet access, but if I fail to find such locations and time I'll update the blog with journal entries....

(Two pics:  first is me punching the wind along the Pacific Ocean, second is of Loretta when we went to Zion Nt'l Park and did the infamous Angels Landing hike....)