Day 20: Salida to Saguache, Poncha pass

June 17, 2019

I got away from the motel at 8 after a decent breakfast of oatmeal and boiled eggs at the motel's breakfast room. On the way out of town I stopped at WalMart to get cash and a couple items of food. I tried getting cash yesterday at 3 different bank ATM's in Salida and none would read my card. The 3rd machine said the chip is defective. Yet the kiosk ATM in WalMart read my card and gave me cash.

I pedaled west 3 miles on US 50 to Poncha Springs. I have passed through Poncha Springs before and never noticed much of interest. This time I noticed the old hotel.

Jackson Hotel in Poncha Springs. Just a restaurant now.

In Poncha Springs I turned left, south, onto US 285. It promptly crosses the South Arkansas river, then climbs in a canyon along Poncha creek towards Poncha pass. The creek is small, far below, and almost never visible.

It's a relatively easy climb, from 7450 to 9010 feet elevation (2271-2747 m). As usual, the grade is gentle at first but the top is 5-6% grade.

South Arkansas river and the Sawatch range looking northwest from Poncha Springs.

The morning started out warm and sunny, but clouds grew rapidly. It was totally overcast by the time I got to Poncha pass. The temperature dropped significantly by the time I got to the steepest section, so I didn't get sweaty.

Last view of the Sawatch range while it's still sunny.

Traffic was moderate, some trucks, but US 285 has a usable paved shoulder. Far less traffic than US 50.

Looking back (north) while US 285 climbs into forest.

It took only a few minutes to climb into forest. I pedaled Poncha pass in the opposite direction in 2010 and noticed that the north side is much more forested than the south side, and that the Arkansas river valley is greener than the San Luis valley.

I arrived at Poncha pass just before the rain started. I wish I could have been here early in the morning when the sky was clear.

Looking north from Poncha Pass. The Sawatch range.

Poncha pass is the rare pass with a good view in both directions. To the north is a distant view of the Sawatch range. To the south is an up-close view of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Last of 7 major passes during this tour. 2747 meters elevation.

Looking south from Poncha Pass. The Sangre de Cristo range. Forest rapidly disappears on this side.

A growing gray cloud caught up to me at Poncha pass and followed me all the way to Saguache. For most of that time I could see sunshine miles ahead to the south and east. The gray cloud traveled southwest, the same direction I'm traveling. But the surface wind blew from the opposite direction, giving me a southwest headwind all day.

It's nice to see that there is some public land in the San Luis valley. There is basically no public land east of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Another big change south of Poncha pass is that I re-enter the area settled by New Spain.

Looking north after a rain shower. My final distant view of the Sawatch range.

The temperature had dropped into the 50's, with intermittent light rain. I was glad to warm up and have lunch at the Villa Grove store. I went in to cool down when I ate lunch there in June 2010. It's old and rustic, run by gray haired hippie ladies. The only store in Villa Grove, the only store on today's route.

The northern San Luis valley is more progressive and counter-cultural than most rural areas. The town of Crestone has multiple Buddhist monasteries. Valley View hot spring is a large off-the-grid and clothing-optional community. UFO watching is a popular activity, and Villa Grove has the store run by hippie ladies.

Lunch and warmup stop at the Villa Grove store run by gray haired hippie ladies.

South of Villa Grove is the day's second intersection. I went right at the Y, staying on US 285. Most tourists go left onto CO 17 towards Great Sand Dunes National Park. I pedaled past ice on the side of the road. I missed a hail storm by only a few minutes.

I missed a hail storm by only a few minutes.

Today's weather is almost as cold as the first day of the tour. The San Luis valley is famous for being hot and sunny but I happened to get unlucky. Wind blew from the southwest and was strongest in the afternoon when I pedaled southwest.

Looking southeast across the San Luis valley towards the Sangre de Cristo mountains and Great Sand Dunes.

Today I can see that I have traveled a full circle. In the distance to the southwest I could see the San Juan mountains that I crossed on day 2.

A big gray cloud followed me from Poncha pass to Saguache. Distant San Juan mountains on the left.

In the distance to the southeast were my final hazy views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Final look at the Sangre de Cristo mountains to the southeast. Great Sand Dunes faintly visible on the far right.

The rain continued off and on until I arrived in Saguache at 2:45 PM. It took only a few minutes to change into dry clothes and pack the bike inside my car. I ended the tour cold and damp but feeling strong. Another successful tour! I hoped to see Lorraine to thank her for allowing me to park at her motel and give her a donation, but she wasn't around.

I didn't wait around in Saguache. I immediately drove 3.5 rainy hours, 170 miles north to Kremmling, Colorado and got an $88 room at Super 8. The room was discounted because the carpet had just been cleaned and was still damp. I cranked up the heat and cracked the windows to speed the drying process. I had dinner at the Bar and Grill in downtown Kremmling. Good dinner, good beer, celebrating a successful tour even though the weather was less than perfect. I definitely achieved my goal of avoiding extreme heat.

Today's bike route was supposed to be the first day of the tour, not the last day. I thought about what would have been different if I pedaled today's route on May 28. Amazingly, May 28 and June 17 had almost identically awful weather.

Distance: 44.8 mi. (71.7 km)
Ascent/Descent: +1978/-1472 ft. (+603/-449 m)
Average Speed: 9.4 mph (15 km/h)

Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 732 miles (1,178 km)

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