June 25, 2005
Day 39: Glenwood Springs to Rifle Gap
Itty and I hung out in Glenwood Springs during the day. We discussed options for him since his knee still wasn't up to par. He decided to go to Portland to visit friends and then, if his knee gets better, he'll join me for the Alaska portion of the tour. Both of us agree that Glenwood Springs is just TOO white, TOO perfect. Houses start at $800,000. The well-heeled play while folks from Mexico do all the work. Where does that put me?
There is such a dramatic demarcation in the West between those areas that are affluent and those that are drying up and blowing away. I fear that the West is turning into one giant playground for the wealthy. A la Marx - those who work in Glenwood and similar towns cannot afford to live in them.
Itty and I said our goodbyes in the late afternoon and I rode for about 25 miles. Had to do a stretch of I-70 since there was no service road through the canyon. Yucchhh! I had planned to rent a raft from Whitewater Rafting for this stretch. They'll shuttle your bikes to the pick-up point down river. But I spent more time with Itty in town, instead.
Speaking of Itty - he laughed about my ability to attract the rain. I even suggested that I should market myself as a rainmaker. Well - I've had rain every day in Colorado. And by the time I got to New Castle, the wind was blowing hard from the south and the sky was black. I should have stopped in town, but I headed out on Elk Creek Road along the Grand Hogback.
Now, normally, this would be a beautiful ride through rolling ranchland with the mountains for a backdrop. But this evening, it was scary. The wind shifted to a tailwind and I was bound and determined to ride with it. Then it started raining - a little, at first - then heavier. I stopped a few times for cover under trees. Then I just decided to ride in the rain and the wind - which was more of a sidewind, now.
The rain let up. I found a nice side road on BLM land that led to a perfect spot to camp. I set up my tent as fast as possible, gobbled down a few cookies, took a swig of water, and climbed in just as it started raining again. It rained most of the night. I must confess - I unzipped the tent fly, stuck my head out, and screamed at the fates.
Today's ride: 24 miles (39 km)
Total: 1,943 miles (3,127 km)
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