Mr. Breeze

Yesterday I did not post, because we did not ride.  We took the day off the bike, both to recover physically and a bit mentally.  Once in a while we need a break from the routine - get up early, get dressed, pack the bags, attach to the bike, check the tires and gears, and go.  So we took the day in Breckenridge, a very nice touristy place with lots of shops, restaurants, and a grocery store to stock up on a few things.  Hey, I even nabbed a haircut - really the first one I've had professionally done since February.  My home-made self-done haircuts did the trick, but certainly weren't pretty.  It was nice to find a place open on Sunday and they were very nice about getting me in.  We also found a nice French style bakery for some pastries and a Subway for Monday's lunch provisions.  

Since we stayed at the Fireside Inn, we spent part of the day hanging out there, which was really nice.  They have a really nice common room, coffee on tap, and even their dog Chewbacca to entertain us.  It was a great place to stay, and a nice place to take the day off.  I definitely think this would be a great place to come in the winter for ski season.  

The Fireside Inn/Hostel/B&B

Fireside's owner Marci, with her daughter, granddaughter (with Monkey and Cow) and Chewbacca

The day off also allowed our legs to rest for a day when we've really pushed them hard for a week.  Tomorrow's trip over the Hoosier Pass would not be easy, both on the legs and the lungs.  Another day at altitude might help acclimate a bit better, and Breckenridge is almost at 10,000 feet.  

This morning we left Breckenridge, headed south over the Hoosier Pass and down into southeastern Colorado.  We had a few options on where to go, including a desolate looking place called Hartsel, only about 40 miles away, and then nothing, and I mean nothing, for another 58 miles, until Canon City.  The Hoosier Pass was going to be the highest point that we will reach on the entire trip across the country.  It is over 11,000 feet, so not an easy one to cross.  However, it was going to happen in the first 11 miles of our day, and looking at the topographical map, just about the rest of the day would be downhill.  We set our sights for Canon City.  This'll be a breeze, we thought.  It was, but not in the way we had hoped.

The Hoosier Pass; the highest point on our route and the last time over the Continental Divide

We got over the Hoosier Pass, which included a number of switch-backs, limiting the steepness of the road, so this was good.  It took a while, but I think all the training on all of the other mountains before this one really prepared us - except for my lungs, which still had problems gulping oxygen at these altitudes.  I have no idea how people climb Everest, which is twice as tall.  How do they breathe?   After the Pass, we zoomed down a few miles, through a small town called Alma, which bills itself as the highest incorporated city in North America, at 10,578 feet above sea level.  We stopped for a coffee and snack at a town called Fairplay, which identifies itself as the real South Park, as the entire area is known as south park.  We even saw cutout characters of Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny (he hadn't been killed).  After coffee we headed out toward Hartsel.

Sign in Fairplay, the real (?) South Park

Hartsel turned out to be a bit disappointing.  Basically it consisted of a gas station, a bar, and a small "mercantile" shop.  We stopped in and asked at the shop and the bar for water, and at both they said "it tastes real bad.  We've had it tested and it's safe, but you aren't going to like it."  There was a small bit of grass across the street where I guess they consider a bicycle campsite.  No thank you.  Once we got past Hartsel, where we ate parts of our lunch, (good choice not to stay there...) we turned on a road that put us face-first into one of the worst winds we've had so far.  It seemed impossible to get up any speed, including our downhill runs.  We spent a lot of the day going downhill, but there were times that we needed to continue pedaling on downhills just to keep up the speed.  

South Park Mercantile in Hartsel.  We got water, but luckily never needed it

We took a break about 30 miles past Hartsel to finish our lunches, and it was a needed rest.  The wind in our faces just beat us up all afternoon, slowed us down considerably, and just gave me more fatigue than should be felt on an afternoon spent going downhill.  Luckily, after the break, the wind died down quite a bit, and we were able to pretty easily finish the ride.  We turned onto busy US Highway 50 to get to Canon City, but the shoulders were wide and clean, so the rest of the ride went well.  We went past Royal Gorge, a huge chasm with the Arkansas river flowing below.  I guess the gorge is over 1,200 feet deep.  There were lots of tourist stuff to do from what we could see.  Raft trips, train trips, helicopter rides, a dinosaur museum (perhaps we should... no thanks).  We fought the temptation to delay the day and add miles to our route.  

Dinoaur at the museum at Royal Gorge

And on the street in Canon City

We rolled into Canon City, which turned out to be a really nice little town.  I always like towns that have a thriving downtown, and that was happening here.  We stopped in a small brew pub and had a beer (Jerry had a water) and called hotels.  We found a nice, clean motel recommended by Adventure Cycling Association, and checked in.  After showers we walked up Main Street and found an Indian restaurant with excellent reviews and had dinner.  The hot curry sauce was torture on my sunburned lips, but it was worth it as the meal was as good as reviewed.  

Tomorrow we leave the mountains of Colorado for the flat plains of eastern Colorado, on the way into Kansas.  There are actually even fewer options in this area for hotels and services.  We are making plans, but some of them are likely going to include some camping - not a problem, because we're prepared - but not as conducive to staying in touch with my office and writing these blog posts.  Let's see what happens next!

Today:  97 miles covered, with 4,584 feet climbed.