Mark and I started off the day with a 4-mile uphill through very high headwinds. The hills varied throughout our ride, but the headwinds barely even died down until later in the afternoon. I just leaned into the drops on my handlebars to make myself a few inches smaller and kept pedaling. At first, we could make out a thin blue shadow at the bottom of the clouds, and as the miles went by, this shadow grew into the hulking gray Rocky Mountains. It was really exciting to pedal towards them all day, despite the wind. (At right, the Rockies along the horizon).
We stopped in Sugar City, where we found a log book for cyclists placed there by the Prairie Horizons Trail working group, which puts together a map and guide for cyclists coming through on the Trans America trail. We ordered a homemade cinnamon roll, and I saw an espresso cup. Thinking that we were making our way back to civilization, I asked if they did in fact have espresso. Lynette said, "Where do you think you are?" So, no. I sat my city slicker self down and had a regular cup of coffee.
Our lunch stop at Kiki's in Olney Springs was our next sign of returning to a more densely-settled area. We had fancier sandwiches and little garnishes on our plates, a real indicator that we were getting close to a city. Mark completed his day's ride of 37 miles, making his total for this trip 402. I will surely miss hearing his stories about our family and all the places he's been. I ended my day with 68 miles, riding into Pueblo on a limited-access highway and in more traffic than I've seen in weeks. The expansive emptiness of western Kansas and eastern Colorado certainly spoiled me.
Mark and Elizabeth are heading back east this morning, and I will really miss spending time with both of them. Mark rode through some tough conditions that most cyclists plan very carefully to avoid - high winds, cold rain and steep hills. And Elizabeth was a pleasant and patient scout and support vehicle through some very remote (and boring) parts of the Heartland. More than these, though, I will miss Mark and Elizabeth's conversation. I think between the two of them they know just about everything, and our mealtime discussions were always interesting, informative and delightful.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Day 27 (September 10): Colorado Piedmont
Mark and I started off the day with a 4-mile uphill through very high headwinds. The hills varied throughout our ride, but the headwinds barely even died down until later in the afternoon. I just leaned into the drops on my handlebars to make myself a few inches smaller and kept pedaling. At first, we could make out a thin blue shadow at the bottom of the clouds, and as the miles went by, this shadow grew into the hulking gray Rocky Mountains. It was really exciting to pedal towards them all day, despite the wind. (At right, the Rockies along the horizon).
We stopped in Sugar City, where we found a log book for cyclists placed there by the Prairie Horizons Trail working group, which puts together a map and guide for cyclists coming through on the Trans America trail. We ordered a homemade cinnamon roll, and I saw an espresso cup. Thinking that we were making our way back to civilization, I asked if they did in fact have espresso. Lynette said, "Where do you think you are?" So, no. I sat my city slicker self down and had a regular cup of coffee.
Our lunch stop at Kiki's in Olney Springs was our next sign of returning to a more densely-settled area. We had fancier sandwiches and little garnishes on our plates, a real indicator that we were getting close to a city. Mark completed his day's ride of 37 miles, making his total for this trip 402. I will surely miss hearing his stories about our family and all the places he's been. I ended my day with 68 miles, riding into Pueblo on a limited-access highway and in more traffic than I've seen in weeks. The expansive emptiness of western Kansas and eastern Colorado certainly spoiled me.
Mark and Elizabeth are heading back east this morning, and I will really miss spending time with both of them. Mark rode through some tough conditions that most cyclists plan very carefully to avoid - high winds, cold rain and steep hills. And Elizabeth was a pleasant and patient scout and support vehicle through some very remote (and boring) parts of the Heartland. More than these, though, I will miss Mark and Elizabeth's conversation. I think between the two of them they know just about everything, and our mealtime discussions were always interesting, informative and delightful.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Ellen-I have loved keeping up with your journey! We were so happy to see that Mark & Elizabeth made it home safely, we have really missed them. Mark has only begun to tell us some great (and funny) stories--more to come with pictures as well. Keep peddling :)
I remember riding to Pueblo from Colorado Springs when I lived at the training center there in 1994. My memories: lots of wind, open expanses of roads, and more wind.
Post a Comment