Day Eighteen

Joy at the first summit.

George paces the silver van to the summit.

Could we see them on Shrewsbury St. in 2011?

Robb thinks a new rack would be an appropriate birthday present.

Happy Birthday

To Robb who turned 60 today and decided to celebrate by riding US 50 from Montrose to Gunnison with 2-1/2 climbs in what has to be one of the most scenic rides he’s ever taken. He was sent off with a rousing chorus at breakfast.

It didn’t start pretty at 6:30. The same road we took to the motel yesterday for 1.2 miles with a screaming tailwind now showed us a screaming headwind just a few hours later for about 8 miles to the first climb of the day over Cerro Pass (7950 ft). So instead of being nice and fresh for the climb we arrived with legs that felt like they’d been hit with bats and my feet were starting to freeze. Lester and Robb took off leaving Joy and me in the dust. Joy is a physical education instructor from Georgia and she can easily out climb me on a good day but she’s less than 100% so was happy to have someone to pace. Classic, super polite southerner who loves to chat including telling jokes as we ground our way up the 4-mile hill. Before you know it we’re there and the wind has completely gone!

We waited for George (high-spinning rabbi from Santa Rosa, CA) and then descended to Cimarron together. I expected the town to be a postcard kind of place but it was like a postcard out of Freddy Kreuger so we just continued to the next climb which George says was “harder”. Turns out it was longer but not harder so with the day’s hard work out of the way and the temperature warming we relaxed at the SAG and just hoped that the wind would cooperate for the final 35 miles.

Well it was like being in a Disney IMAX nature movie. This big-time topped the run from Provo to Price. Mostly down hill with incredible vistas around Blue Mesa Reservoir and the Gunnison River. People saw eagles, elk, hawks. Traffic was light. The bike makes this trip special because first you do the work and then you get the reward. Someday I’ll probably come back and drive this. It’ll still be beautiful but it won’t be as spectacular. Phil (just a youngster in his fifties) who has done extensive riding and touring claims this was the most beautiful ride of his life.

Today’s virtual rider is our good buddy, Peter Kallin (ret USN) who now lives in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine. Many years ago we all rode together with some of our kids in Brunswick, ME to the huge show at the airbase. Peter probably would have passed on today’s climbing but he would have loved the sweep into Gunnison along the river because it’s fly fishing heaven. I don’t know what they were catching but I guess to real fishermen like Pete it really doesn’t matter.

So tomorrow we make our way to Monarch Pass and the Continental Divide. We don’t want to be cocky but we’re feeling really confident and, hey, it’s all downhill from there right??

Today’s ratings: (the higher the better or easier)

Scenery: 9.5

Road conditions: 9

Grunt factor: 5