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In the far distance in the first picture, one can see the beautiful high mountains of southern Colorado, which is where we would be today, had we not turned north yesterday.
The second picture shows our pilot-sag car driven by the best 95-year old driver. Through the mountains and especially along the very busy Highway 50 towards Grand Junction, the flashing warning lights and sign in my father’s back window, helped significantly to protect us from ever-present danger.
Our ride today was from Delta, CO to Grand Junction and then 13 miles farther along a scenic route near the spectacular multi-colored cliffs which distinguish the Grand Junction – Fruita area.
We climbed up several times to mesas and passes – totally more than 2,000 vertical feet of elevation – and finally descending into Grand Junction, before going on to Fruita.
Jake continues to stay positive, happy, and very focused on his riding – as he gets stronger, wiser, and more mature.
We have seen many of the “Share the Road” signs during this trip and I finally took a picture of one of them. The signs are greatly appreciated and we believe do make a difference making drivers aware of cyclists and their rights to use the same roadway.
The beautiful cliffs near Fruita, Colorado.
Although this was going to be a day of descending from Gunnison to the arid region of Montrose, we did have three climbs, which amounted to more than 3,000 vertical feet of climbing.
After riding most of the day to Montrose, my father suggested that since it was only 3:00 pm when we arrived in Montrose, that we ride on another 20 miles to Delta, which would mean less miles to cover tomorrow.
Easier said than done. But, in the end we are glad we took his suggestion, even thought we were pretty tired after arriving at 5:00 pm in Delta. We had ridden the most miles during any day on this adventure.
In the morning as we rode out of Gunnison at about 7:45 am, the air was crisp, the temperature about 49 degrees and everything was really naturally beautiful.
After about 20 miles we began to ride along the shore line of Blue Mesa Reservoir, which extends another 20 miles. Then we left the water and climbed into the mountains and over three passes. After that we descended down to Montrose and then onto Delta.
This past weekend I felt we should change our route into Utah. Rather than head for the southern part of Colorado and then into extreme southern Utah, I felt we should head north.
So, when we arrived at Montrose, rather than turning left and heading south up to the Telluride area and passes, we turned north on very busy Highway 50 towards Grand Junction.
Highway 50, from Montrose to Grand Junction, is a four lane, almost freeway, with very heavy traffic. Fortunately, it had a pretty wide shoulder which we used all the time, even though it is strewn with rocks, shredded tire parts, etc.
Every day before we start riding we begin have a prayer together – Jake, his grandpa, and I. This morning as Jake prayed, he thanked that through this trip “we had become stronger, wiser, and more mature.” Truly, we have!
After five weeks of riding and more than 1,400 miles, we all needed another rest.
It is so beautiful in Gunnison. The air is pure, the sky is very blue, and mountains are all around.
We worked on bikes and updated this blog. It was such a busy day that it was hardly a rest day. But, at least, our legs got a good rest. My father was also very tired and needed these two days.
We had a wonderful and necessary rest day today. We attended the branch of our church here in Gunnison and had a very uplifting time.
Amongst the members at church we met a wonderful man named Rudiger Richter, who is from Austria and in fact, from the same city and the same part of the city as my wife. We both know the same people there. We had a great time talking with him.
What a Day!!! Talk about variety, beauty, challenges, rewards, more challenges and finally the destination after 12 hours since we rode away from Poncha Springs in the morning.
We rode away just after 8:00 am and arrived at our destination in Gunnison, about 8:30 pm as it was really getting dark.
Today was the day long thought about – the day we would climb the highest pass on our trip – Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet.
For most of the early morning we climbed gradually along the Arkansas River valley. Then, the last 12 miles we began to climb in earnest, with the last six miles a steady, constant 6% grade, climbing from about 9,000 feet to over 11,000.
Jake was the first to the top. My father was great – making every effort to protect us from the very heavy, Saturday, vacation traffic.
He usually stayed within a quarter to half mile behind us and at times only one or two hundred yards, with his hazard lights flashing and the sign in his window.
Jake was the first to the top. Although his muscles let him know he had really pushed himself.
We had met another great person several days earlier out on the Colorado prairie. His name is Brian and we quickly became good friends.
He is riding alone from Brooklyn to San Francisco. Seeing the great protection my father was providing we offered that he ride with us, which he gladly accepted for the rest of the day.
Monarch Pass offers superb views in every direction. We wanted to linger longer, but it seems like we usually have to make a real effort each Saturday to make it far enough so we can attend church and rest on Sunday.
Today was no different. We had to climb Monarch Pass while riding a total of 66 miles, and with a few challenged thrown in.
The descent from the pass is ten miles straight down – braking for safety the whole time. In addition, the afternoon winds and developing thunderstorms caused totally unpredictable wind gusts from every possible direction as we wound our way down the canyons from the pass.
We were very hungry by the time we reached Sargents, where we had a good lunch. Then with threatening skies and strong headwinds we left Sargents, knowing we still had to ride 32 miles to Gunnison.
Not long afterwards the dark skies began to pelt us with very large drops of rain. But, thanks for Brian’s courage we ventured on without stopping.
Not long afterwards the rain ceased, but not the headwinds. When we took a short break the mosquitoes ate us up and gave us every reason to be back on our bikes.
With just 12 miles remaining and the sun starting to set, I had our first flat tire of the entire trip. I quickly turned around to walk the bike back to where my father’s car was still stopped, while sending Jake and Brian on towards Gunnison.
It again began to rain as I took off the rear wheel, getting all greasy. And to make things very interesting, the mosquitoes sucked all the remaining blood out of my veins.
While fixing the flat, I discovered a very small piece of wire on the inside of the tire, only ¼ of an inch long. It was quickly removed and a new tube was inserted, pumped up, and I was again on my bike, feeling hunger pains, fighting headwinds, itching all over from the bites, and seeing the sun darkening.
Within three miles the tire went flat again. I decided to pump it up to try to make it into Gunnison before dark. After repeating a frantic pumping exercise five successive times, I finally made it to town, finding Jake, but finding that all the motels were booked, except one which I had passed coming into town, which was now one and a half miles back outside town.
I pumped up the tire several more times, only to have to walk the bike the last half mile. But, we got a room. Dad, who was exhausted himself, went into town to get us a pizza, which we finally at after 10:00 pm.
What at day! But, we made it and we had the most uplifting and edifying spiritual time the following day.
My father was as happy as he could be this morning as we took in the fabulous view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, just before a great breakfast in Westcliffe.
He loved the air, the view, the beauty, everything about this peaceful setting. I’m sure he would have gladly stayed there a week, but duty called.
The evening before we met another rider at dinner, named Keith. He is a great person. He is riding in the opposite direction, from San Francisco to Virginia.
He planned this trip for two years. Missouri is where he calls home. He described that about a week earlier his father surprised him by showing up one night in Utah.
His father offered to support, assist and protect Keith as he traversed the Rocky Mountains. Amongst other things, his father put a sign on the rear of his car stating the a bicycle rider was ahead. Keith’s father would drive the car behind Keith, pulling to the side of the road so other drivers could see the sign and then repeating this again and again, always staying about 5 to 10 minutes behind Keith.
The next morning, Keith’s father had to drive on, so he gave us the sign which my father immediately taped onto his rear window as pictured. When Keith gets to Bardstown, we offered that he stay the night at our home.
Our journey today took us from around 8,000 foot elevation at Westcliffe, down the Wet Valley, through some dry canyons, descending down to the Arkansas River and the very busy Highway 50.
Our map guide stated that riding on Highway 50 along the Arkansas River up toward Monarch Pass would have the heaviest traffic of the whole route, and boy was it right.
Two lane, heavy traffic on a Friday. At one point there was streaming traffic coming against us and with us.
One of the vehicles traveling in our direction was a heavily loaded semi with a trailer full of rock. He did not slow down and he took the whole road width, which meant we had to ride off the road into the gravel to avoid being hit.
There was no shoulder for most of the this day. We know the angels have protected us on this trip.
We wanted to ride much farther today than we did, because we know of the challenge of climbing 11,312 foot high Monarch Pass tomorrow.
But, I needed help with the constant pain on my bottom, so when we reached Salida, we went directly to the local bike store, which was a good one.
Unfortunately, it took more than three or four hours and the exchanging of a number of bike parts, to make the proposed changes which might offer help in the near future.
As we left town in the late afternoon, without having eaten anything, the headwinds and storms came on strong. We got directions and help from the local LDS church branch president who just happened to be at the church which we just happened to ride by.
It was a daunting situation. It was beginning to get dark, the headwinds made it very difficult to ride, we were hungry and we needed to find a place to stay, and yet we wanted to ride at least another ten miles up the canyon and camp.
In the end we rode only five or six miles, found a cheap motel and had a good dinner, resigned to travel farther the next day.
The only room available at the motel was a single bed, so Jacob graciously offered to sleep on the floor, saying he sleeps better there than in a bed. Whenever we stay indoors, we always bring the bikes into the room.
Jake has been a wonderful traveling companion on this trip, being upbeat, making good choices, and always making friends.
Climbing the Rocky Mountains begins today in earnest. Today we climbed 5,000 vertical feet – the most in one day on this trip.
Five of the 52 miles were through a steep canyon, climbing up to Hardscrabble Pass – with a 9% grade the whole time. Even though we were pretty high in altitude, it was still in the 90’s as far as heat was concerned.
The Hardscrabble Pass is 9,100 high. We really worked today. The fast, dangerous traffic on the roads made it quite a challenge also. But, we took time to smell the roses and the roses were very sweet. The higher we climbed the more it looked like the European alps.
After crossing the pass, and this pass is not your normal pass, where you ride up to it and over. It had several flatter portions on top and continued to go higher and then flat, before going down to Westcliffe, which is in a beautiful valley, called the Wet Valley, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range the full length of the valley on one side and the Wet Mountains on the back side.
The air is at once clear and fragrant. Cattle graze in the lush grasses. It’s not wet enough for any mosquitoes. Although it snows here in the winter time, it has a relatively mild climate.
The town is both cowboyish and touristy. Some of the ranches are models of beauty and wealth.
A lot of variety was to be on the agenda today. We left the quiet little town of Ordway without breakfast, because there was no restaurant open at 7:00 am. We were able to get some food along the way at a hardware store which had a microwave and some juice.
We had some concern about today because we knew that a very busy Highway 50 would join our route 14 miles before Pueblo, turning our route into a four lane high speed road. Fortunately, it had a wide shoulder, which we rode on. The day was hot and we had a headwind most of the day.
As we rode closer to Pueblo, we were able to see for the outline of the Rocky Mountains more clearly.
Pueblo would be the largest city by far, which we would pass through on our trip – over 100,000 population. Our route takes us right downtown and through the city. We stopped at a bike store for help with my saddle sores, which unfortunately, didn’t help.
After riding through the beautiful large city park we left the city heading farther west and we began to climb up onto the plateau which was part of the large Pueblo Lake State Park, where we camped for the night.
The wind was so strong we pitched our tent right behind a shelter. The park had good, warm showers. My father drove back into Pueblo to find a motel for the night, only to show up just after 6:00 am the next morning with some food for us and ready for the new day of riding.
The first picture is of a beautiful flowering cactus along the road before coming to Pueblo.
The second picture is of our campsite.
We really were in the wide open spaces of the western United States today. The vistas were beautiful. The cattle were feeding on the prairie grass.
I don’t mean to focus on the difficulty of the journey, but it is a major part of the reality of this adventure. At least it was today. After 23 miles there was water and a little snack food to be purchased. That was it for the day.
The next 40 miles were without water or services of any kind. We had a pretty strong headwind from start to finish today. Climbing to 4500 feet in elevation we dropped down to 4200, and then ended the day close to 4400 feet.
Our trip odometer crossed the 1,200 mile marker during today’s ride. The temperature of 100 degrees combined with the strong head wind and rough road surface made today an especially difficult ride. We are both exhausted this evening.
During the hot afternoon of riding we were just about out of water when a car flagged us down and the people asked us if we needed water. They jumped out filled our water bottles and drove on. Again, we find kind and inspired people helping us in amazing ways.
One of the exciting happenings today was the first sighting of the Rocky Mountains. I have read how the first explorers crossed the plains thought that the plains would extend to the ocean.
But, without warning they began to see these hills or mountains in the far distance only to realize as they came closer that they were very high everywhere.
We began to experience that today. Jake had especially wanted to see the mountains and was thrilled to see them again.
After leaving Eads with no breakfast to speak of, we came to Haswell, CO after 23 miles. This first picture shows the great eating establishments where we nourish our bodies with wholesome food. Unfortunately, this place is a repair and welding shop with minimal food.
The second picture shows the very wide open spaces we rode through today.
Fourteen miles after Haswell, we came to the next shade available on the prairie. It was very hot. We couldn’t really stop because we discovered normal looking house flies in Colorado, which bite and suck out blood much like a mosquito, only worse.
Union Pacific has parked old cattle railroad cars across this whole county of 22 miles – something like 1,000 cars. I was counting on jumping into them for protection if the lightning storms began, which they fortunately did not.
We finally reached a town which had a restaurant – so to speak. It is Sugar City, Colorado. We ate our first meal of the day after more than 50 miles of riding in the 100 degree heat and wind. The food was great.
Yes, that’s right – we are in Colorado now. We crossed the border this morning after 16 miles. The smell of sage brush permeated the air, and for us, this was the first time in several years.
After the violent winds and thunderstorm of last night, we were curious to know how the weather would be – and more specifically, how the winds would be this morning.
The first thing we did was look at the American flag flying high at the gas station across the street. As you can see from the picture it was blowing strongly out of the east, which means we had a tail wind.
We moved as quickly as possible to pack and get ready to ride. There was no place in town to eat breakfast except the gas station and you couldn’t call that breakfast. So, we started riding.
At the Colorado border where we took several pictures, Jake’s grandpa arrived with some bananas and yogurts – our breakfast.
The tail wind lost its power later in the morning, but we had ridden far with its energy. We arrived in Eads just around noon with the temperature rising into the higher 90’s.
We thought about riding farther but there are no services for miles.
We had two choices this morning about attending church. There is a small branch of the church some 55 miles to the south and west in Holly, Colorado, or a ward back in Scott City, Kansas – 47 miles back.
We decided to travel back with my father in his car to Scott City. Because we would lose an hour traveling back over the time zone, we got an early start.
I really wanted to be spiritually fed today, and I was not disappointed. We heard wonderful talks about Father’s Day and listened to a most stirring rendition of Oh My Father by two young women playing the violin and flute. The other classes were very edifying.
It is always interesting hearing the local members pray and to hear what concerns they had. Back in Missouri and eastern Kansas, it was the rain and flooding. Here in western Kansas the prayers were for a good harvest (of the winter wheat crops) which will begin this coming week.
The old section of many of these Kansas towns have streets paved with bricks.
We wish we could honor Dad more today. He has been so great! We are so thankful to him.
A picture of Dad while driving on Father’s Day – 2010, at 95+ years of age.We saw several spectacular cloud formations today resulting in an intense dust storm.The resulting dust stormOn weekends we try to stay in a motel in order to prepare for Sunday and church, and for a place to keep our bikes secure. But, the quality of what we stay in often gives us no choice. In this case this weekend, the only motel in town is the only motel.
