September 8, 2021
Day 7
With nowhere near us to find breakfast, we cooked in our rooms. Paul’s new stove worked as advertised. Our Route would stay on the Great Divide Route for about 7 miles this morning, then we would deviate again by staying on the highway while the Great Divide would head for Marshall Pass. Our plan was to rejoin the Great Divide Route later in the day.
As can be expected, Poncha Pass slapped us upside the face first thing in the morning. The disappointment was that after reaching the summit, the downslope was disappointingly not a long, easy ride. We rode the entire stretch with a southwest headwind in our faces. In Villa Grove, we again found a handwritten note on the cafe door saying they were closed basically because they wanted a day off. No kidding. Evidently staffing issues was wearing out the owner, and a vacation day was in order. A couple drove up to the store while we sat in the shade on a bench, also disappointed that they were not open. Evidently they make some mean pie. The couple was originally from South Africa. It seemed odd to talk to someone from South Africa in town with a population of 12, in the middle of nowhere.
The next town was Saguache, which the locals called “sa-watch”. The courthouse was beautiful, with awesome shade trees, and nice lush grass. The town had numerous odd and out of place buildings, including one with scene atop the building of a daredevil motorcycle rider that met up with some really bad luck!
Pronghorns scattered the open range land today, at the base of the mountains that could have easily been mistaken for the Smokies.
After a siesta at the courthouse, we pointed our bikes towards La Garita, where we would again meet up with the Great Divide. The store at La Garita was open, so we grabbed cold drinks, snacks, and sat outside under the canopy, hoping to see some other Great Divide riders. The girl working said one rider had passed a short time before we arrived, and probably headed for Del Norte. We saw his tracks the next morning. We headed for Penitente Canyon Campground, just off the Route, to camp for the night. Amazingly this quiet place in the middle of an outcrop of hollowed out rocks, had cell phone service. We knew we were close to civilization. Our tent stakes went in the dry dusty soil easily. In the morning we discovered that under two inches of powdered dust was a damp, moist soil.
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Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 305 miles (491 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
Were there still signs all over advertising camel milk products as you rode into town from Villa Grove?
Two local tidbits - you missed Valley View Hot Springs (a nudist hot springs). Also, Crestone is a new age enlightenment center. They boast the 'most alien abductions per capita' of anywhere in the USA. As a matter of fact, down the road is a UFO watch tower that you can pay to spend the night on, in hopes of being beamed up!
I like the San Luis Valley - except for the wind - you met the wind . . .
2 years ago
Downtown Sagauche looked really nice. I was impressed.
Thanks for the info on the other things. I’ll let you do the naked thing, and the beaming up. I’ll stick with pushing my bike down the road!
2 years ago