June 7, 2010
Day 40: Monticello to Cortez, Colorado
I didn't expect today to be particularly scenic and was surprised that today's route was through farms. I haven't seen many farms on this tour, so it was a fascinating change of scenery.
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I rode US 491 (formerly US 666) all the way from Monticello to Cortez. The road stays on a high plateau at 6600-6800 feet elevation until dropping to Cortez. It's pretty much nonstop farms from about the Utah/Colorado state line to just north of Cortez. The main crops are beans, wheat, and hay. Some farms are irrigated but there are also dry farms. Between Dove Creek and Cortez nearly all the farms were irrigated. The water supply seems to be the Dolores river. Overall, I was enchanted with the sudden change to a green environment.
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Tonight I stay in a house with my wife's aunt and uncle in Cortez. It was the only home stay of this tour. I stayed here once before after a 6-day bike tour in September 1998. Cortez (population 8609, elevation 6200 ft.) is the biggest town I've seen since Cedar City. It seems to be thriving.
Near Dove Creek I saw a touring cyclist who is riding from Kanab, Utah to his home in Durango, Colorado.
Today didn't have spectacular scenery but I was enchanted by the farm scenes. I haven't seen very many farms during this tour. Overall, I was very surprised how green it was.
The high temperature was in the low 90's and I had a gentle tailwind all day. A high thin layer of clouds took the edge off the relentless sun. I never did get soaked in sweat today. Nice cycling weather. Overall, today was an easy ride, and I appreciated that it has less traffic than US 191.
Distance: 64.7 mi. (103.5 km)
Climbing: 1740 ft. (527 m)
Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 1,867 miles (3,005 km)
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