Friday, July 31, 2009

Day 36 July 17th

Granby, CO to Riverside, WY 104 miles
I got a bit of a late start especially since i was planning on a long day. breakfast took a while and i didnt leave Granby until after 9. I knew i had a big climb to start off the day and it was made worse because i read the map wrong and thought the divide was closer than it actually was. So when i hit the mile marker where i though i should start descending but saw another portion of the mountain i still needed to climb i got a little disheartened. But eventually i made it there and there were some great views along the way. I saw a moose and its baby drinking from a stream about 50 feet from the side of the road and that was really cool. I'll add the pictures in a little bit.
Immediately when i got to the summit the song "How to save a life" came on my ipod and i had to struggle to not cry on the way down. Its just one of those songs that really makes me think about Greg.
But anyway. I needed to buy some water from a general store in Rand. I got pizza for lunch in Walden, CO right before the boarder. Most of the way was down hill after the pass until i reached Wyoming. There started to be some tough climbs especially with the head winds but the worst was the last one which was less than 8 miles from Riverside. I actually had to stop, catch my breath, and walk for a bit. Im definitely not used to the altitude yet. But i made it and finished my chocolate milk at the top of the hill where i could see Riverside below. But with 4 miles let i got a flat tire and just decided to switch it with a spare rather than plug the puncture.
I got to Riverside around 7:15, set up camp, and went over to the restaurant. I had a great burger with bacon, mushrooms, and swiss cheese along with some tots with with the same toppings that were great. After dinner i was able to get a shower but the mosquitoes were so bad that you couldnt spend any time outside so i just went to bed early.




Day 35 July 16th

Denver to Granby
It was a very tough day with lots of climbing. it starte off good with steak, pancakes, and hash browns at the hotel for $6. I was off on the road again by 10. I asked the guy at the reception what he thought about going to the Coors brewery which i would be passing right by. He said he didnt like domestics and never had any desire to go. I felt sort of the same way. The bike is running ok but it wont go into third gear which wasnt a problem today since it was mostly climbing but i need to get it fixed before Wyoming. The camelbak was ok but it definitely tasted like bleach still so i need to wash that out some more and drink only from my bottles. I had Subway for lunch after climbing Lookout Mountain. I refilled my bottles again at a McDonalds where i didnt buy anything but walked over to the fountain drinks and filled up with powerade and water. After the town of Idaho Springs it want a tough ride until a few mies before Empire where it started to get steep. In empire i stopped at a market and had to buy a half gallon of normal milk and a container of Hershey's syrup to make some chocolate mill. The climb after Empire was terrible. It wasnt as tall as teh other pass i did but it was much steeper, plus i wasnt in as good condition as before. I was definitely not used to the altitude and struggled for a few miles before putting y thumb out and hitchhiking while riding. The bike shop i stopped in said that mountain bikers do it all the time and then ride down on the other side for fun so motorists are used to doing it. It only took about 4 tries for someone to stop and pick me up. Mike lived on the other side of the pass in Frasier and he gave me a lift in his truck. Even his truck struggled up the pass. The way down seemed pretty treacherous with switchbacks on the side of the cliff and some really steep descents. MIke was kinda strange. He talked a lot about pot and how they are slowly starting to legalize it. He also said how he wanted to move to Penn State and sell pot to all the college kids there. But he gave me a free ride so i cant really complain.
It was only 15 miles from where he dropped me off to Granby and i found a hotel there by 7. When i was walking into my room a man and his son stopped me and asked what i was doing with my bike. I told them a little and they invited me to dinner with them. Steve and his son Christian were in town for the mountain bike national championships that Christian was in. They were both really friendly and had tons of questions about my trip.
104 miles tomorrow and crossing another continental divide at 9,500 ft tomorrow morning but i will be back on the route in less than 5 miles.




Day 34 July 15th

Bryn Mawr to Denver
It was a pretty long day but I'm not exhausted while writing this at midnight mountain time. I saw Harry Potter last night/ this morning and Christine drove me to the airport to catch my flight at 5:30. I got to the airport pretty late and i couldn't check my boxes since i was within the 45 min before take off. But i was bumped to a direct flight to Denver that was going to get me there about 15 minutes later than the one i was scheduled to take when u include the connection. The flight was great and i got a window so i was able to lean against that and sleep most of the way. I left the airport around 11:30 mountain time. It must have been pretty strange to see someone pull a bike out of some boxes, assemble it in the curbside check in area, and ride off out of the airport. I forgot my phone charger but hopefully my parents will be able to bring it when they meet me in Jackson Hole.
It took me a while to get to the other side of Denver because the airport is pretty far outside town and it was confusing riding in a different city. Plus i had to wait over 20 minutes for a train to pass. I called it quits on the western side of Denver and spent the night in a hotel. The hotel was able to help me find a bike shop close by where i could get some tubes and other things i would need. I got Quedoba for diner on the walk back and it was the only thing i ate since the banana i had before with Christine for the airport but i wasnt as hungry as you would expect. The camelbak Libby gave me got some mold in the tube from just sitting in the garage for the last month so i got some bleach and tried to clean it out.
Parts of the day were pretty upsetting for me. My heart really isnt in it this time. I even thought about calling home and saying that i would be coming back after Yellowstone. But i think if i just give it some time and get back into the routine and the scenery gets better.
I should be going over a major pass tomorrow, over 11,000 feet, and im not sure how far it is to Granby but i know there are a few campsites along the way.