Pic 2: Me climbing up the sign, taking advantage of having health insurance. The bike set up I have at the moment is called a BOB, which is sort of like a trailer. I tried it for two days (Jack, the leader, wasn't using his since he's been driving along) and decided it wasn't for me.
Welcome to Colorado! I'm in Breckenridge staying at the Fireside Inn bed and breakfast which is the homiest stay I've had in weeks! So far, some of the highlights from the last week or so have been:
1) Sheridan Lake Bible Church
2) Ordway Hotel and Chef Extraordinaire, Tom
3) Pueblo Bike Shop and sweet camping gear
4) Pueblo Brewery Map
5) Royal Gorge scenery and tourist trap
6) Guffy, CO, population 40
7) The best Tomales in Colorado
8) Finally Arriving in Fairplay
8) Finally Arriving in Fairplay
9) Hoosier Pass (elev. 11,542)
1) Sheridan Lake Bible Church
I've been attending church every week thus far and have been hoping to find different experiences and explore as many as I can. I've been taking notes and have an official correspondant to keep track of my ecumenical adventures. I've toured Methodist, Episcopalian, Non-denominational, Baptist, and several others in the passing weeks, but really haven't found a church I would be excited to attend again - until I spent a Sunday in Sheridan Lake on Father's Day morning. The preaching was tremendous, the building was well designed, the community was full of life and welcoming and I felt spiritually refreshed for the first time in weeks. Most likely the experience had little to do with the human effort of logistics, church buildings, well spoken words or friendly faces but more to do with the spirit of God meeting me; all that being said, the church was one I would gladly attend again. It's located 2 or so miles west of Kansas in Colorado. I think everything is just better in Colorado.
2) Ordway Hotel and Chef Extraordinaire, Tom
Most of the sleeping accomodations we've had in smaller towns have been camping sites and the vast majority of hotels or motels we've stayed in have been nothing special to speak of. Not so at the Ordway Hotel in Ordway, CO, a one day bike ride from Pueblo. Tom and his wife, along with a couple of high school assistants really go the extra mile to provide wonderful clean, comfortable and over-the-top sleeping arrangements. All sorts of wonderful treats welcomed us in the guest rooms - in room air conditioning, a selection of the finest soaps in the bathroom, not to mention the fine eating establishment adjacent to the Hotel. Tom, who is originally from the area, told story after story about the places he's cooked over the years, mostly in major cities but anywhere from large restaurants with 50 chefs to mom and pop establishments with 1. He could recall the exact moments he learned to cook breakfast eggs, or when he was taught how to cut meat, create sauces, saute vegetables or anything else you can imagine. He claims his speciality is sauces; we experienced his creative, delectable genius for dinner and breakfast during our stay with roast beef, gravy, vegetables and eggs, bacon and a potato/veggie combo. As amazing as this place sounds, it gets better - I saw a collection of puzzles in the bookcase and started one in the midst of our group, mostly lounging around and recovering from the days ride. Hours later, Mort, James, Michel and I placed the last piece in a colorful jigsaw which served as a night cap to the already hospitable evening.
3) Pueblo Bike Shop and sweet camping gear
One of things most talked about, argued about, discussed, pondered and fantasized about is bike or camping gear. It seems one's gear can always improve, and poor gear is complained about constantly, as if carrying a tent weighing an additional pound is equivalent to a nagging sore constantly digging into one's flesh in the way only an extra pound of gear can over 4,500 miles. Or perhaps one constantly struggles with, and probably loses sleep over, the tradeoff an extra pound may have - should I have gotten the lighter weight cooking gear which isn't quite as handy or comfortable. Speaking of handy, the god of all mere words in the bike touring world, nearly everything, money, weight, even personal hygiene will be neglected for the sake of handiness. The actual definition most nearly is: an object's ability to be reached easily, quickly and with minimal effort. For example, a bike pump located in a bag is much less likely to be used than one strapped to the frame of a bike. A rain shell that is handy is of utmost importance for the ever-present threat of a storm. Furthermore, handiness is a term which is constantly talked about and the question: "Do you have a ____ handy?" is heard day in and day out - the fact is, most things on a bike are difficult to keep handy, so riders pick and choose what they're most likely to use and rely on others for the rest. All that is to say, I went to this amazing bike shop in Pueblo, CO where I bought super-insulated waterbottles (according to Will, they use the same material at NASA) which is a highly underrated luxery when it's over 100 degrees out and your water is nearly scalding when you need it most, the end of the day. I also bought a second mattress pad and some velco straps, so I now have the equivalent of a full-sized bed in my tent (it almost takes up the entire floorspace), and since I stole a pillow from a hotel, I can now sleep in comfort! Additionally, the bike shop took great care of everyone in our group, making up for the terrible mess Roger in Pittsburg, KS made.
4) Pueblo Brewery Map
Will and I have been scheming for weeks about visiting all sorts of Breweries in Colorado, the home of the micro-brew and the state with the most homemade beer. We even flirted with the idea of visiting Colorado Springs to visit the New Belgian Brewery, which is the most popular micro-brewery in Colorado, possibly in the US (I'm not counting Samuel Adams, which is really just a lame attempt at beer all around). Anyways, in this same bike shop, they had a map with all the microbreweries in Colorado (I'm sure there are more than the 150 or so listed) as well as some vouchers for free beer at several of them. Basically, our prayers were answered! So far, I've visited one in Pueblo, skipped the one in Canon city, and visited the one in Brekenridge. I think there are two more on our route.
5) Royal Gorge scenery and tourist trap
Since I've sent out a couple of postcards about this one, I won't go into too much detail except to say it was gorgeous, breath-taking, and a terrible tourist trap. Dozens of campsites surround the place, hotels, restaurants, rediculously expensive food, services, etc. Even with the steep entrance fee ($20) and enormous amount of picture-taking snobs (myself included) I enjoyed seeing one of the great wonders of the west.
6) Guffy, CO, population 40
6,7 and 8 all occured yesterday, Friday, probably the hardest day of the tour. The day started with a steep 10 mile ascent, followed by a gradual climb of 11 miles into Guffy, CO. The town itself was about a mile and a half off the route, but up a massive hill. Despite contemplating turning around more than once mid-climb, I made it into town to find a wonderful lunch place and friendly locals to chat with. I was blown away at the quality of food, company, drinks etc. They even asked me to send them a postcard if I get the chance, which is the ultimate compliment. No one else in my group made the climb, but I'm glad I did, and I'd recommend the town in a heartbeat to anyone thinking it might not be worth it.
7) The best Tomales in Colorado
After Guffy, another ten miles of gradual climbing before 20 miles of mostly flat terrain into the town of Hartsell. At this point, I'm pretty beat, having climbed over 5,000 feet already, so I stop and have a Tomale, which is basically another form of corn snack. I did chat with the two employees working there, and they couldn't have been different if they'd been from different planets - one was a twenty something ski bum who lived 2 hours away in Denver, and the other was an elderly lady who lived "off the grid" as she said, although she did say she had cell phone service. It was very interesting to hear about their lives, especially of the older lady who claimed most years people who lived in the rural communities would get trapped in 4 feet of snow, and that all the people who attempted to live out there left after their first winter. The tomales were okay, but the chocolate milk shake was excellent.
8) Finally Arriving in Fairplay
The last part of the day was 18 miles of gradual climbing, which was by far the worst part of the day, and possibly the trip. 10-20 mile/hr headwinds were fighting against me the whole way, and the shoulderless road I was on was full of cars driving 80 mph. I was scared, cold, and exhausted but made it, barely, and subsequently vegged in front of the TV for 2 hours before going to bed around 9pm.
9) Hoosier Pass (elev. 11,542)
Today we went over Hoosier Pass, the highest point on the entire trip. It was quite chilly, but absolutely stunning, biking around snow-covered, gigantic mountains and the descent into Brekenridge (9 miles or so of downhill) felt like a rollercoaster.
I guess that's all for today. I have a buddy who lives in Denver who may or may not stop by tomorrow - if not, Will and I are planning on renting mountain bikes and either biking down one of the ski slopes (probably not a good idea in hindsight) or going on one of the excellent bike routes in the area.
Prost,
Paul
