Month: July 2012

From Sargents CO to Salida CO Miles 33.6 Total Ascent 2,814 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) I awoke real early this morning.   Stable horse syndrome.  This is the last day of our tour.  In only hours, we’ll be at our end point.  Just like last year, it saddens me a little bit, but I’ll see my Linda again.  I lay awake in my sleeping bag breathing the cold air, waiting for 6AM to arrive.  When it did, I started to pack up, and had it all finished before 6:30AM. When Jack emerged from his tent, he took one look at my

From Dry Gulch Campground CO to Sargents CO Miles 50.0 Total Ascent 1,342 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) Light pattering rains made for great sleep last night.  We set out fairly early, making our way around Blue Mesa Reservoir.  The road rose ever so slightly, but we could hardly tell due to a mild tailwind pushing us along.  Another glorious morning to be riding. The wide shoulders continued on SR145 as it wound through some stunning canyons beside the Gunnison River.  The morning sun glistened off the water and fly fishermen waded around, like a scene from a gorgeous postcard or

From Montrose CO to Dry Gulch Campground CO Miles 52.3 Total Ascent 4,441 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) Another early morning, up and packing.   We were dismayed (at this $30 rate) to find the rest room didn’t even provide toilet paper – fortunately we both had personal emergency supplies. We spun down the rode and quickly found a Denny’s in Montrose.  Their breakfast menu has hundreds of items, and we laughed when both of us picked out the blueberry pancakes. We turned east on US50 in Montrose.  Not out of town yet, I decided I needed to check in on my

From Telluride CO to Montrose CO Miles 65.9 Total Ascent 1,893 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) Woke up early this morning, looked at my watch, and I must have dreamed that it said 7AM.  I fell back asleep for what seemed like 90 minutes, then woke up again.  It was only 7:05AM.  I’m not sure of the significance, if any, of this. We packed up and rolled into town, finding a promising breakfast place we’d scoped out last night called Maggie’s.  A vibrant lady took our order and helped serve us, one of those ladies who might have been 63 but

From Priest Gulch Campground CO to Telluride CO Miles 43.3 Total Ascent 2,978 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) Early in the morning, I awoke with a jolt, sitting upright in my tent.  Very close by, I heard what sounded like a party ratchet noisemaker going off.  Chipmunks! To add to the already great attributes of this campsite were the stars last night – the best yet!  Brilliant clear starry sky with dark background – does it get any better? It was cold last night, too!  I slept comfortably, but with wool socks on, with sleeping bag fully zipped and head tucked

From Dove Creek CO to Priest Gulch Campground CO Miles 61.0 Total Ascent 2,354 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) Up at 6:15AM for coffee, and we got the bikes out of the laundry room with no difficulties.  We rolled a few hundred yards west to an unnamed café for breakfast, and talked to a real friendly plumber from Ontario for a while. Off down the road, the riding was easy and smooth, with a series of rolling hills with gentle grades.  My poor odometer once again started reading 0.0 mph, so once again I stopped to try fixes.  Deciding that the

From Blanding UT to Dove Creek CO Miles 47.9 Total Ascent 2,090 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) My brother’s birthday today – he would have been 56. For some reason, I decided this morning that bicycle touring has many similarities with scuba diving. You need to be in the right place, at the right time, healthy, with the right gear, and you better have some training under your belt before getting there.  And even then, you’ve often got to put in some effort and roll with some punches in order to then also experience the joys. Fattboyz again for breakfast, because

From Natural Bridges National Monument UT to Blanding UT Miles 41.8 Total Ascent 2,516 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) Jack got up really early, like around 5:15AM.  I think he figured we’d repeat yesterday’s plan of getting up real early to beat the heat of the day.  Maybe I hadn’t read that memo yet, because I caught myself on a snoring snort about 6:15AM, waking myself up. We were packed and rolling by 7AM.  This had been probably the prettiest and most comfortable campsite of the trip so far, and the quietest too.  Our not-really-that-bad snores were probably the loudest thing

From Hanksville UT to Hite UT Miles 56.8 Total Ascent 1,946 ft (ascent from www.bikeroutetoaster.com) Up by 5:30AM as planned, we gobbled strawberry pop-tarts and coffee for breakfast.  I was a little slow moving this morning while Jack patiently waited.  We headed SSE on SR95 out of Hanksville, directly into a 10 mph headwind and mild ascent.  Time to get in gear, so to speak. The pre-dawn temperatures were cool and the terrain wide open.  Isolated thundershowers were evident in the distance, and when the sun finally peeked out, our shadows were very long in the orange glow.  A wonderful