At breakfast at the motel this morning we met two young westbound cyclists from England; and another Brit, an older man traveling solo, also westbound. When they started talking with each other, we couldn't understand a word. They assured us we have a lot of flat roads ahead, which we expected. We also met Dave from LA, riding eastward by himself.
There is a healthy amount of industry immediately to the east of Pueblo, but it didn't make for scenic riding. The terrain was indeed pretty flat, and varied from irrigated fields to our right, along the Arkansas River, and desert to our left, including prickly pear cactus and cholla. Starting yesterday, also, we have seen a lot of squash or melon plants growing wild alongside the road; can't guess why.
At a coffee stop in the town of Boone's one general store, the elderly owner remarked that yesterday's rain was the most rain they'd had in several years- 3/4". So I guess we shouldn't complain about our soaking.
The high plains gave us an initiation day: a light to moderate headwind all day. But it was sunny and not too hot. When the wind picked up, we just shifted down a gear and accepted a lower speed. The easterly wind is unusual. We won't mind if it blows from another direction.
Dave, our fellow eastbound rider, had left the motel a half hour before us, but we caught up with him at about mile 40, only because he was taking a long lunch break. We rode our last 11 miles with him, almost the first time we have ridden with anyone. Having someone to chat with made those miles pass quickly and pleasantly. I think we were holding him back, because whenever he moved ahead to get out of the way of a car approaching from behind, the snap in his legs carried him at least 50 yards ahead. He continued down the road when we stopped for the day at Ordway. We are staying at a 108-year-old hotel owned and run by one couple. His mother worked as a maid here for 30 years. The owner then gave her the hotel, and she ran it for another 25 years before selling it to the couple who have it now. They have put it into excellent condition, and continue to work very hard on it. We also met the wife's father, who at 83 continues to work as an oil pipeline welder. Some things are to be admired but not imitated.
Ordway, pop. 1000, has a lot of vacant space on Main Street, but they have one cafe and one saloon still open, which is all we need. The saloon, by the way, has a beautiful and elaborate old mahogany bar and back wall furniture. Also an old pressed-tin ceiling. I don't understand why the retail businesses are struggling; never mind the big box stores, there isn't another town this size at all within 50 miles.
The Adventure Cycling maps we have been using have shown elevation profiles, but today we started on a new map which doesn't bother to show that. Understandable: after 51 miles today, the elevation difference from the day's start was 40 feet.
You guys are doing great. I took different routes than you on my transcons but remember the transition from mountains to plains. It only took a day or so to start reminiscing about how much more interesting it was with hills and valleys. You should still be going downhill at least for a while.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be managing the adversities of the trip without any serious problems. Tires, bonking, wind, weather, hills, interesting people and sketchy places along the way are all part of your adventure and haven't kept you from moving ahead. I enjoy reading your blog for your stories and it helps me relive how much fun it was to be there. More pictures would be great.
As you continue across Colorado and Kansas, keep in mind the mantra many RAAM riders have used to get through this section - RFM. Have you heard of it?