Day 33, Sargents to Salida: Over The Continental Divide!

August 24, 2017

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Mileage Today; 35 Total So Far; 1,498 Remaining; 103

Climbing Today; 2,906 Total So Far; 88,595 Remaining; 5,169

Max Grade Today; 10.3% Average Uphill Grade; 5.0%

Mechanical Issues; None

Photos Credit; Bud, unless noted otherwise

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Bud speaking;

It was rather chilly at 5:30 this morning at Tomichi Creek Trading Post at elevation 8,500 feet. Sis and Doc were dressed in many layers of clothing, and I was bundled up in my Showers Pass rain jacket and had long gloves over my riding gloves. I was wearing my sun leggings in place of leg warmers; they do help a little with warmth, but not nearly as much as leg warmers. At any rate, it didn’t take long before we all heated up with the effort of climbing. Here’s Sis and Doc climbing in the morning;

The photo shows that there’s a runaway ramp for trucks; what about runaway bicycles, what are we supposed to do? Sis wasn’t so sure of her ability to do this, but she fared well. Cresting a pass at 11,000 + feet is no easy matter for anyone.

Sis Climbs With 6 More Uphill Miles To Go

Sis Not Only Survived The Climb, She Did It With Flair

My found money collection continues to grow, and today I added a dime and a nickel. It’s just a silly game I like to play while on tour. It’s tempting not to stop just to pick up a nickel when you are laboring uphill, but I do it anyway. The road was generally good up the pass heading eastbound; while the shoulder width was often limited or non-existent, there was a passing lane all the way up so approaching vehicles could easily move out and go around us. There have been quite a few rockslides up here as evidenced by the many scarps along the way;

Scarps Like This Are Evidence of Rockslides

As daylight came we were able to look back towards whence we had come, and we realized we had come a long way indeed.

We've Come A Long Way And It's Still Early Morning

It only took about 3 hours of sustained effort for me to reach the summit, and Sis and Doc showed up shortly after. This was the 10th time I have crossed the Continental Divide on bicycle. Each one is memorable in its own way.

This Was Bud's 10th Time To Bike Across The Continental Divide; Each One Was Special

Here’s the glory shot to show the grandkids some day;

The Glory Photo To Prove We Did It; We Paid Our Pound Of Flesh To Earn It

And since we all wear Showers Pass jackets, we decided to model them at the pass. Perhaps Showers Pass will want to do a geriatric ad some day showing that even us old folks have need of their rain gear. But wait a minute; who am I calling old? Anybody that can ride up Monarch Pass isn't that old yet; as far as the rest of you go, well now, that's a different story. :>)

Here We Are Modeling Our Showers Pass Jackets; Hard To Imagine Going On Tour Without One

Here’s Sis and Doc ready for the descent. What a great ride it was; we went 18 miles down with very little pedaling required.

We met a couple of local cyclists as we were getting onto the county road that leads into Salida, and they gave us advice on eating and a good bicycle shop. We rolled on and found ourselves in downtown Salida, a quaint and interesting place. After a great and well-earned meal, we ventured a few blocks away to a bike store and had a good time talking technical stuff with the staff. It was looking stormy, so we rolled off to our motel for tonight;

It’s good that we got off the pass when we did, as a storm developed shortly afterwards;

A Storm Developed On The Pass After We Descended

This tour is rapidly drawing to a close. We have only 2 more days of riding. Of course, each day brings unique challenges. Time to do the usual prep work; check the bike tires, fill the water bottles, plan where we can get food and water along tomorrow’s route, lay out tomorrow’s clothes, etc. And, oh yeah, I think we need to eat somewhere tonight, and have a plan for eating before we leave here tomorrow morning. It’s the small details that consume you. Good night all, enjoy the small details of life because they really are important…

Today's ride: 35 miles (56 km)
Total: 1,497 miles (2,409 km)

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