Day 18: La Veta to Westcliffe, Promontory divide

June 15, 2019

Today will be challenging with long distance, massive climbing, the longest unpaved segment of the tour, and no services. I got up at 7 and promptly pedaled across town to the Corners Cafe for a big breakfast. Then back to La Veta Inn to pack up. I grabbed a bagel downstairs and went next door to the bakery to get a ham and cheese croissant to go. Finally on the road at 8:30.

I pedaled northeast out of town on CO 12, uphill. About a mile out of town I turned left onto unpaved county road 410 which goes northwest, steep uphill 1.4 miles to US 160.

Looking back towards La Veta while climbing on county road 410.

Then 1/4 mile west on US 160 to connect to unpaved county road 520 which goes mostly north. 13.8 miles of big rolling hills in lonely high desert with mountains all around. The scenery was awesome. The morning was mostly sunny, up to 70F at 11 AM, with the sun and wind on my back.

County road 520 has a downhill trend but also has more than a thousand feet of climbing, washboards, and a little bit of loose sand. I pushed the bike a couple minutes on a 9% grade because I didn't want to lower the tire pressure to improve traction.

The gravel roads are hard work but the alternative is to take paved highways much farther east to Walsenburg. That route is 15 miles longer and has even more climbing because Walsenburg is much lower than La Veta.

Today I pedaled 15.2 hilly miles on gravel roads.

Today I pedal all day in a long narrow valley between the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the west and the Wet mountains to the east. My first time to see the Wet mountains.

Sangre de Cristo mountains on the left, Wet mountains on the right.

A car passed by about once every 5 minutes. It was a quiet, serene, back country experience.

My best view of the Wet mountains before clouds obscured the view.

Unfortunately, big clouds rolled in from the northeast, across the Wet mountains. A cold front passed through, turning my tailwind into a headwind for the last 25 miles. The temperature rapidly dropped into the 50's. I was cold for the remainder of the day.

The last 2 miles of the gravel road is a steep descent, connecting to CO 69 at 6446 feet (1965 m) elevation. CO 69 has a paved shoulder at first and traffic is light. But it's steady uphill all the way to Promontory Divide at 8579 feet (2615 m) elevation.

Clouds are building. Now on paved CO 69.

This church ruin is in the middle of nowhere. The surrounding area doesn't look like it was ever a village. I saw several church ruins in the desert during this tour.

Sangre de Cristo mountains getting closer, sky getting darker.

Gardner is the only notable village I passed today. It has a few occupied houses and a few abandoned houses. The former Trading Post was the most interesting sight.

Clouds took away my views of the Wet mountains but I still had views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Sometimes it was much brighter to the west.

CO 69 gets gradually closer to the Sangre de Cristo mountains as I go north. CO 69 is an extraordinarily scenic route. I would love to see it again on a sunny day. The grade is quite gentle and traffic is light. It's a great cycling route.

Sangre de Cristo mountains telephoto view.

There were two long rain showers in the afternoon. During the first rain shower I sat under a Piñon tree for at least 30 minutes. I pedaled through the second shower. Fortunately the traffic was light and there were almost no trucks kicking up big clouds of muddy mist.

Panoramic view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains to my left.

Promontory Divide is the highest point on today's route. It's not technically a pass because it doesn't cross a mountain range. It's a saddle between two mountain ranges.

This view is looking back, south. Promontory Divide is a saddle between the Sangre de Cristo and Wet mountains.

About 10 miles south of Westcliffe I started to see signs of ranching and habitation.

I have never seen an Eagles On Road warning sign before this. Why would eagles want to be on the road? What kind of eagles does the sign refer to?

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair. Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air. Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light. My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim. I had to stop for the night.

The final miles from Promontory Divide to Westcliffe are mostly downhill but the headwind was strong. The second shower started only 4 miles from Westcliffe so I didn't stop. I was cold and exhausted when I rolled up to Westcliffe Inn at 5:15 PM. The temperature was 55F.

Approaching Westcliffe after the second rain shower.

My $139 room is not super fancy and has no breakfast. But the motel does have an indoor swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna. The motel is on the edge of town, across town from stores and restaurants in the downtown area. I pedaled 3/4 mile to have dinner at Chappy's Bar and Grill downtown. I wish the motel was closer to restaurants and the historic part of town.

In the evening I had a session in the sauna. That finally made me truly warm again. This was the most challenging day of the tour. I was very tired but not aching or feeling sleepy during the evening.

I have too many photos for tomorrow, so will post some Westcliffe photos today. It was much sunnier in the morning!

Westcliffe is not a New Spain settlement. It was obviously settled by Anglo settlers. The Lutheran church makes it seems like a Great Plains farm town transported to the foot of the Rocky mountains.

The train depot is downtown on Main street. The tracks are just a short rail for show. The rail spur was dismantled long ago.

CO 69 is a spectacular scenic route with low traffic and gentle grades. It's a great bike route. Westcliffe is at 7867 feet (2400 m) elevation with a commanding view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the west.

Distance: 63.5 mi. (102 km), 15.2 miles unpaved
Ascent/Descent: +3470/-2633 ft. (+1058/-803 m)
Average Speed: 8.9 mph (14.2 km/h)

Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 636 miles (1,024 km)

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