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!
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| From JakeTransAmerica |
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| From JakeTransAmerica |
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| From JakeTransAmerica |
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| From JakeTransAmerica |
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