Our start today was delayed because the cafe did not open until 8. Interestingly, the wait staff there is a group of Jamaican exchange students, nice kids who just started yesterday. Imagine coming from home in Jamaica to a lonely spot in Wyoming.
First thing on our ride we climbed 900' to a higher valley at 8000'. The grade was a tough 5-8% at first- that woke us up. We did that part without a rest, but after it settled in to a long, steady 6-7%, we took one break before the top.
The rest of the day was rolling hills, with a strong SW wind. We saw several pronghorns, huge cattle and horse ranches, and some real cowboys in full regalia, rounding up stray dogies.
As we crossed into Colorado, we snacked (no place for a real lunch today), and our course made the wind a headwind. The uphills slowed us down, and the downhills were slowed by the wind. We reached our 50-mile destination of Walden about an hour later than we had expected, tired and hungry.
At Walden, we met a group of cyclists on a van-supported transam ride, westbound. We joined them for a late lunch.
Walden has three liquor stores, one bar, 2 cafes, two convenience stores, an no pharmacy or grocery. We stocked up on snack food and extra water, because tomorrow promises to be another long day with no stopping places.
The pic is our favorite kind of road sign.
Welcome to Colorado!
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