You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em....

Yes, the famous words of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler," rang true for us yesterday.  Sometimes you need to quit while you're ahead.  Or in our trip, take what the day gives.

We started off yesterday in spectacular fashion.  We left Canon City, CO, nabbed a nice breakfast at the hotel, and picked up a sandwich for the day at the local Subway, and were on our way.  We had looked at Adventure Cycling's route and scratched our heads.  They sent us on a meandering, turn-filled way to Pueblo, and we saw that US-50 goes straight there.  And 50 saved us 10 miles.  We took 50.  It turned out to be a great move, because the highway was a 4-lane road with wide shoulders and rumble strips in between us and traffic.  It was a good route, and we saved time.  

As a matter of fact, we made incredible time.  The route to Pueblo was slightly downhill, and we had a great tailwind.  We cooked along at about 20-24 miles an hour for the whole way, 40, I mean 30 miles, in no time.  

After a stop at a bike shop to pick up a couple of items (a new chain as mine is already stretched out after 2,000 miles of riding) we were on our way again.  We continued to have great luck as we sped along our way.  We had our sandwiches on the side of the road in a "town" called Boone, and started thinking about our target destination, Ordway CO.  This target began as a stretch.  We plan our days looking at what is likely, what is a stretch for us, and any possible bail-out spots.  Ordway, had been a target, or actually a stretch.  However, as fast as we were zooming through the countryside, it started looking like a bail-out.  

Our lavish lunch spot. Note the flag blowing hard “our” way

Amazingly, we went from pushing our bikes up and down mountains for the past month, to suddenly, and I mean within a few miles, pushing across a flat, dry terrain.  It is amazing how fast the Rockies end, and when they ended there are no traces.  As we left Pueblo, we looked back and saw the last vestiges of our mountain views, and then they were gone.  Left in their place was miles and miles of what seemed to us to be nothing.  No trees, no features, just miles of emptiness.

We arrived in Ordway about 2PM, hardly tired at all, having completed 90 miles.  We stopped at a grocery store for ice cream and a Gatorade, and contemplated doing more.  Eads was 60 miles down the road, had a motel, and from what we were seeing, might be achievable by about 5PM at the 20 mph we were doing all day.  The only problem was that there really is nothing between Ordway and Eads, so once we committed, we were all in.  Jerry looked at his weather app, which said that the winds would be changing, but that they might be coming from the side.  We gambled and went for it.

Little did we know how bad a choice that was.  Upon starting, the winds shifted, but as we thought, to our side.  We were taking a lot longer than we had thought, and it wasn't getting any better.  By the time we stopped at a small town called Arlington, which was really just a few abandoned buildings, we were 30 miles in and really struggling.  We met a couple of young guys, college students I guess, who were on their way from San Diego to somewhere out east (hadn't decided yet).  They were camped at this disgusting little side of the road stop in some trees.  We shared their picnic table and discussed the options.  They were headed to Eads, but thought the hotel was full.  We picked up and went, to try to get going as fast as we could.  

Jerry was feeling better than me, so he lead-out a whole bunch of the way.  After about 15 miles of pressing straight into a 15-20mph headwind, we started rotating about every mile.  It was getting later and later, and I felt weaker and weaker as we had to push through this wind.  It seemed like we would never get there.  

Finally, after what seemed hours, and was indeed hours, we arrived at Eads about 8:15 in the evening.  The sun was going down, the restaurant was closed, so we went to the hotel.  I was about 1 mile from collapse, but made it inside.  I had to sit down while the check-in clerk at the hotel ran my card and got us set.  I bought a soda and practically inhaled it.  The hotel was nice enough, and equipped enough so that they could heat us up some decently good frozen pizzas and I went to the room, took a long, hot shower, and then scarfed up the pizza from the hotel as fast as possible.  

After that, I wasn't going to do anything, let alone recount the day.  I was barely coherent, and I was afraid my words would be gibberish.  I went to bed and slept the sleep of the dead.  

The day's facts:  151 miles covered, 2,712 feet climbed (I'm not sure where).  We gambled, and the destination hotel was great, but definitely not worth the risk.

By the way, in the morning we saw the college kids’ bikes in the hotel. We saw them eating and they said they got in after 9. They looked as exhausted as us.