[slide width=”400″ height=”300″]

What we thought would be a fairly easy day turned out to be a little more challenging than we expected. It reminded me of what another experienced tourer had said to us in Utah, “easy days are rare, enjoy them when they happen”.

The ride out of Montrose was a fight. We faced a moderate climb, but on this morning we were also met with very strong head winds, probably in the 15-20 mph range. It took a lot out of us to make that 15 mile (2000 ft El.) climb.

Not long after we finished the climb we stopped for lunch at the Pleasant Valley Camp Grounds and Cabins. They had your usual combo general store / cafe. Many of the small outposts we stop at are very hunter centric. This cafe was no exception. What was an exception were the life sized western mannequins seated beside us.

After lunch we started our second climb with a rain storm close on our heels. We managed to make it up to the second pass keeping just out of reach of the rain. Of course we had a couple dips and climbs before we could start our final descent into Gunnison. Total mileage 66.

[slide width=”400″ height=”300″]

Today our goal was Salida, 66 miles away. Before we got there we’d need to make it over Monarch Pass elevation 11,312 ft.

Before we could start our climb we had a 33 mile warmup to Sargents at the base of the mountain. Once there we had a quick lunch and started our 10 mile, 3000 ft elevation climb. Basically a football field’s worth climb every mile for 10 miles. Though exhausting, none of the grades were crushing. Two hours and several water breaks later we reached the pass, which happens to also be the continental divide.

At the pass there is a short tram ride that takes you to Monarch summit, elevation 12,000 ft . We got the opportunity to ride up to the summit the second to last day before the tram closed for the season.

Back at the pass we spent some time at the visitor’s center to gather ourselves and have a snack. We also got to checkout the “wild life” room, which was primarily a display of taxidermied local wildlife and hunting supplies.

Finally we made our 23 mile descent to Salida where we planned to take the next day off for some R&R. Of course we were joined by a cold afternoon mountain sprinkle on the way down. It didn’t slow us down, we were ready to reach our resting spot. By the way while on Monarch peak we made team Mike & Sarah official.

Newly added video from previous days:

http://www.ultrascopic.com/longhaul/2009/09/live-from-the-field

http://www.ultrascopic.com/longhaul/2009/09/the-outlaw-state

[slide width=”400″ height=”300″]

Yesterday we had a really nice day off in Salida. We ate food, went to the library, walked around and were generally lazy. Today, we rode 110 miles. I guess it all evens out.

We left this morning, headed for Pueblo. The first 20 miles went by fairly quickly. The weather was cooperative, the wind was with us and we were riding alongside the Arkansas river, which was picturesque. The only thing not working in our favor was the traffic and the lack of a shoulder on the road. Colorado roads either have luxurious, huge shoulders, or they have no shoulder at all. All on all we were making great time and enjoying our ride.

Our luck didn’t last. After a very tasty lunch in Westcliff CO, we started our final climb of the Rockies. Just before we reached the top it started to rain steadily, and we were still 30 miles from Pueblo. We were so cold that we had to stop under some trees to put on our cold weather gear. We have been fairly lucky with these afternoon rains so far, but not today. We had to decide whether to ride on through the rain, or set up camp and spend the night a bit cold and wet. We decided to press on, and we’re glad that we did. Once we got down off the mountain, the rain lessened and we were able to make it to Pueblo.

It was a really long day, but, we have officially made it through our second major mountain chain, and we should make it to Kansas by the end of the week. In retrospect maybe the cold rainy treatment we got coming out of the Rockies was the mountains giving us a sloppy wet kiss goodbye.

– Sarah

[slide width=”400″ height=”300″]

With the Rockies behind us we were anxious to continue our progress. We left Pueblo without eating breakfast confident we’d find something on the way out of one of the largest cities we’d been in since we started our trip. We were a little too confident, and didn’t find even a convenience store for another 20 miles.

Now that we’re out of the mountains and on the high eastern plains of Colorado our path is fairly direct East. All through Utah and the Colorado Rockies our path would zigzag North and South as we followed canyons and valleys to approachable mountain passes. For most of the day we rode along a railroad line. For countless miles unused railroad cars sat idle. We joked about leaving our bikes and finishing the trip hobo style.

We considered ending our day at 90 miles in Haswell (pop 84) and strike camp in the town park, but decided the lack of access to a bathroom warranted us pushing another 22 miles to Eads (pop 747). We were tired and it was getting late so we knew it would be dark by the time we reached Eads. As the sun started to go down we saw what looked like 2 Great Horn Owls perched on the roadside telephone poles, getting ready to hunt for dinner. About 13 miles from Eads I got a flat in my rear tire, delaying our arrival further.

By the time we rolled into town is was dark so we decided to opt for a cheap motel and steak from a neighboring steak house, instead of roughing it in the town park.