Day 35, Westcliffe to Pueblo: They Threw A Parade For Us!

August 26, 2017

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Mileage Today; 57 Total So Far; 1,604 Remaining; 0!

Climbing Today; 2,050 Total So Far; 93,120 Remaining; 0!

Max Grade Today; 7% Average Uphill Grade; did not record

Average Speed While Riding; did not record, estimate 11 mph

Mechanical Issues; None

Bud speaking;

We got our usual early start today, no sense in changing the formula on the last day. Here's Doc and Sis climbing away from Westville;

Notice that their headlights cause glare, which is even more noticeable in the photo below. I don't want to get on my soapbox about the way bicycle lights are regulated in the U.S. - suffice it to say that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) does not regulate bicycles as the vehicles that they are, instead they consider them to be toys ridden by children. So bike stores market lights based on lumens and convince cyclists they need powerful lights to be safe, when in fact they are less safe with lights that blind oncoming drivers. Germany regulates bicycles as vehicles - if you want a proper bike light, buy one of the German brands (B&M, for example). Peter White's website has a detailed technical explanation should you wish to know more; https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.php . I have 15,000 miles on my SON dynohub with B&M lights now, and I strongly recommend such an investment for touring cyclists. My lights are always on, day and night - I never even have to think about them, I don't worry about recharging the lights every day, and I don't blind oncoming drivers like the high-lumens lights shown below;

Sis and Doc Approach - Note The Glare From Their Lights (typical of U.S. bicycle lights)

The brunt of today's work will be done in the first 11 miles as we ascend the last major climb of this trip.

View Back Towards Silver Cliff/Westcliffe at Sunrise

Scenery As We Work Towards The Final Major Climb of This Journey

This Elk statue fooled me enough to cause me to brake and get ready for a photo opportunity.

After doing the hard work, we enjoyed the steep downhill that led us to Wetmore.

Now We Go Down - A Crazy Steep and Curvy Downhill Run

Some of the Last Mountain Scenery As We Leave The Rockies For the Plains

In Wetmore, we visited the post office where a kind lady had shown me (Bud) the well out back in 2015 during my Transam tour - I was in desperate need of water and a bit of rest at the time, and the cool well water and the shade of the post office porch met my needs. I wanted to stop in and just say "thanks" so she knew how much I appreciated the kindness, but alas; she no longer worked there. Still, I told the gentlemen at the Post Office the story, so someone knows. Here's a remembrance pic of Bud at the well that saved him;

Bud By The Well That Saved Him 2 Years Earlier (Photo Credit; Sis)

Leaving Wetmore one encounters a steep but short-lived downhill, then it's a bit of a trudge through open country to reach Pueblo.

East of Wetmore There's A Steep Downhill - 2 Years Ago I Came Up The Other Direction And It Was A Very Tough Uphill

We were all experiencing that feeling you get when the tour is almost over - it's definitely a bitter-sweet moment. We needed to roll on to meet Anita in Pueblo on schedule, but at the same time I was thinking such thoughts as "why don't we just ride back home to Tulsa?" But it had been 5 weeks, and all in all it was a successful tour, so it was time to bring it to a close.

Scenery Outside of Pueblo - We're In The High Plains Now (Photo Credit; Doc)

View Of The Road To Pueblo, Our Final Push (Photo Credit; Doc)

As we rolled into town, Anita texted to tell us that the roads were blocked due to a parade! And indeed, we weren't able to take the route we wanted, but eventually we got through by running some barricades set up to block the road for the parade. I can only assume that they were throwing the parade for us anyway!

They Held a Parade to Honor Our Triumph! (Photo Credit; Anita)

And We Made It, Despite The Parade and Police Blockades! (Photo Credit; Anita)

After 1600 miles of rugged basin & range province, and challenging mountains through Utah and Colorado, we were happy to relax. Life is too short - I wonder if I'll ever ride this way again? We loaded the bikes and gear and were floating pretty high as we drove off towards home. But I had to wander what the next tour might be - will there be a next tour?

Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 1,603 miles (2,580 km)

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