Tuesday, June 20, 2011
Miles 66.83 Total 2343.47 Daily Avg 66.96
Avg Speed 11.3 Max Speed 37.4
Another beautiful morning in Colorado, dark blue sky' with every few clouds. Chilly morning after a cool night . The first time I had to crawl into the sleeping bag to stay warm. Michael, Jeremy , Kelly, and I got ourselves together and left the campground at 8:15. After a quick mile and a half downhill we started the day with a long climb for thirty miles into a nasty 20 mph headwind with gust of 25 mph. It was a long difficult day. The hills were no problem, but with the winds required us to pedal on any downhill sections just to maintain some speed. After 21 miles we were ready for a break when Joey pulls up along side with a bag of fresh bagels and water. What perfect timing.
We rode along Route 9, a very scenic road with terrific views. I was impressed to see a group of working cowboys , horses tied to a fence post they were repairing. The cowboys were wearing their chaps, boots, and hats, they were the real thing. After 31 miles we came over the Current River Gap and the view opened to display a range of majestic snow covered mountain peaks . It was quite a site until we realized that was where we were headed for tomorrows ride.
After a difficult ride we pulled into Fairplay, CO, the inspiration for “Southpark”. We stopped in front of a small home on Main St planning on getting a cup coffee at the shop next door. An older women came out of the house to greet us. After talking to Kelly and asking what we were up to, she insisted we camp in her front yard and opened her house for us. "Grandma", a 76 yr old retired nurse, gets much happiness taking in strays (people) and making them feel welcome. Once we were settled, Kelly and Grandma cooked a batch of cookies for tomorrow. Kelly and I later prepared sausage, pasta and salad for dinner. We had planned this meal for the previous night, but because of the fire ban, we are unable to use our cook stove. Grandma shared dinner and her life story with us. It was a wonderful evening capped off with a walk to the local saloon complete with the walk down the wooden sidewalk, a cold beer and a game of horseshoes overlooking the Platte River.
Michael, Jeremy and Kelly all in red
On the horizon are snow covered mountains
Do not get in trouble in Hartsel
Our parking lot outside our lunch stop. Buffalo burgers.
The Platte River
Fairplay Church
Fairplay, inspiration for "Southpark"
Roadside view
Playing horseshoes
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