June 30, 2022
Lake City - Sapinero, CO
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I didn't start the morning out with a good attitude, because of myshifting issues. I woke up at some wee hour of the morning and never went back to sleep. It had rained all night long, complete with thunder and lightning. The parking lot looked like a lake when I went to sleep. By morning, the earth had soaked it all up!
Oren and I were ready to go at the appointed hour. I wore a vest, in concession to the cold. We were hoping the sun would peek out and warm us up. We had just enough uphill that I took my vest off by mile three. Oren was sticking close to me today, because I had the spoken directions on ridewithgps.
As the day passed, my optimism increased on my shifting situation. There was still some hesitation in the smallest cogs on the rear, but I had my climbing gears, and there wasn't any grinding.
The ride today was divided into three sections. The first part was a quick 20 mile downhill run along the river. We were riding pavement so new that it still smelled of tar!
At the base of the climb, we had the option of the Blue Mesa Cut Off. If we took that road, we would have to climb on the dirt. Instead we decided to do the big three mile climb on pavement, and take the Lake City Cut Off at the top of the climb.
Oren waited for me at the top. We had a quick snack, and off we went. This started section two. We were just far enough down the road when the surface deteriorated that we didn't want to go back. We were generally riding level to downhill, so there was very little effort. It was mostly jouncing around because of the poor road surface. About mile ten we had some washboard that was truly miserable and made me wish for a better bra!
We had one short climb, and one long climb. Then there was a sweeping downhill to Highway 50. We could see the cars and semis way below. The view was grand.
Part three was a short 3.7 mile ride on Highway 50 with the most traffic we've seen in days. We had newer pavement and a good shoulder.
Generally, I think we have had light traffic this tour. I wonder if that is because of high gas prices?
The sky was threatening, we could hear thunder in the distance. There was a steep granny gear climb on gravel to Blue Mesa Outpost. We didn't appreciate it at all. The check in lady, Kelly, was most pleasant. Oren was starving and bought one of almost everything in the store. Jacinto had stopped by the grocery in Lake City and bought fresh veggies for a stir fry. Now we have far more than enough food.
We are sharing a cabin again. Oren tried to reserve in March, but was too late. I think this was a good value, at $150. for a cabin that officially sleeps six. The hot water heater has only 15 gallons. We found that out the hard way.
I was tracking Jacinto on Strava. He went around the long way, pavement all the way. His official story is that he didn't want our tomatoes to turn to ketchup on the dirt road. He got 62 miles, and 3,700 feet of climbing. Jacinto also got wet, the last few miles. He missed the worst of the rain.
The views from the cabin are outstanding. This is a good place to stay. My goal was to shorten the effort tomorrow on Highway 92. That is a beautiful ride, but a hard one. By staying here, we've cut 20 miles and 1,000 feet of climbing out of the day. We shall see how the ride goes. There is major construction on the way to Montrose from here on Highway 50. Traffic is being allowed through only every two hours. There are signs on the highway as far away as Leadville, warning of the construction. They are recommending a detour onto the normally quiet Highway 92. We might have the holiday weekend in our favor. Kelly, from the cabins, said that they are stopping construction at noon tomorrow for the holiday. Which should mean people won't be detouring onto 92.
I made a stir fry of zucchini, onion, red pepper, and tomatoes. Then the guys got crazy and added in a bunch of Oren's food - a can of green beans, a can of baked beans, a pouch of sausage. They shared a big bomb burrito on top. They are both sitting at the table right now, congratulating our collective effort on dinner.
In the end, I had a good day, and I'm optimistic that my bike is working well. I'd say the shifting is about 95%.
It rained like crazy, off and on, for an hour or so. It was the typical afternoon monsoon rains. Tomorrow looks good for us, if we get going.
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1 year ago
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1 year ago
Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 974 miles (1,568 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
Blue Mesa Cutoff was fairly smooth when I did it in 2010, but of course road condition can vary greatly from year to year.
1 year ago
If we do this again, I would give the other road a try.
1 year ago