Transamericaride 2023

Larry and Laurel drove me to Pueblo to meet up with the transamerica route this morning. On the road by 6:45 and once I was out of town, the road became very rural with very little traffic. That was nice.

Now that I’m out on the flats of CO, IT IS HOT. I wanted to really put on the miles, but I was here at 10:00, and the next place to stay is 60 miles down the road. Supposed to be 102 degrees this afternoon, and I wasn’t going to ride that far in this heat on the first day. That would have been over 100 miles. No way. In looking at my map and possible places to stay, I am really limited in how far I can go each day. There are so few towns and only one in about 60 miles has a place to stay. I will ride super early and try to be off the road before noon. I think I’ll put it in high gear and just get to town as soon as I can.

I got a nice private hostel room today and found a book to read. I’m staying out of the heat.

Super big thanks to Dan and Monica and Larry and Laurel for hosting me the last two days. Appreciate them so much.

Visited with Dan and Monc all morning, then Dan drove me to CO Sprgs to meet up with Larry and Laurel Dunn, who I met on a bike ride way back in 2001. We’ve kept in touch over the years and finally got to meet up again. We had so many stories about bike rides we’ve done. It’s like we just saw each other yesterday.

Larry took me to several bike shops to look for shoes. Mine are 22 years old and falling apart. So sad. Of course, I couldn’t find what I wanted, so had to order them and have them shipped to a friend in Eastern Kansas. They should get there before I do. We talked and talked and talked, then went to dinner at an Italian place. Loaded up on pasta for the ride.

I’m out of the mountains now and headed to flat Kansas. Please pray for no severe lightning storms or tornados. Those are my biggest fears. Tired and ready for bed.

Must have been really tired cause I slept til after 7. (Missed my 6:30 take off). Just kidding.

I got lots of chores done today. Paid bills, did laundry, mailed cold weather clothes home, and charged Eby.

Dan and Monc took me to see the Garden of the Gods, the Cave of the Winds, and Manitou Sprgs.

Now relaxing in one of Monc’s four patio places. Her back yard is amazing and so inviting. She has inspired me to do more of this outdoor decorating. I’ve always wanted to, but it was always just a tho’t. I never acted on it. Well, now I’m going to act on it. Now that I’m retired from my landscaping business, I will have time to do more at my place.

Her house is also an absolute delight. So homey and well decorated . She just told me today that she studied interior design, and it shows. I’m jealous.

Off to CO Sprgs tomorrow to see friends.

Got on the road at 6:15 and was at the top of Hoosier pass by 7:30. Unbelievable. Guess I still have it in me. It was 8% grade and went on for 12 miles. I was so proud.

Went down the other side for 20+ miles. Kinda cold at 7:30. Had to suit up. I got to Hartsel and took a turn off route to go to CO Sprgs instead of Pueblo. My sister in law lives in Green Mtn Falls, and some friends live in CO Sprgs . So I’ll take a day off here and then go see my friends and get back on route after CO Sprgs .

Monica took these pics when I met up with her in Lake George. I had to do another pass before I got to her, and it about did me in. Passes in the early morning are so much easier than after you’ve already ridden 50 miles. She lives 25 miles from where she picked me up. Eby and I both prob didn’t have the energy to go that far.

No bungy cords today. We talked about that, and I said today’s route had no big trucks and pickups with trailers. It was 90% campers. And those big mothers are road hogs. They hug my white line, and several times, I put my arm out to wave them over. I don’t know where they think I can go. A 12 inch shoulder if I’m lucky and drop offs of 6-8 inches. Makes for stressful riding.

Ready to relax for a day and catch up.

Wasn’t planning on going all the way to Breckenridge but I had battery left and a little energy. This is the closest I can get to the 11,000 + ft pass, so went for it. I do not like this town. It is more touristy than Jackson, WY. And motels start at 175. Unreal. So for the first time. I am staying in a hostel. I do not like hostels cause you have to share a room with 3 or 5 other people. Snorers and who knows what else. But the price was right. Can’t have it all.

There was a bike path all the way from Silverthorne to Breckenridge. Beautiful. No traffic and nice grades. Had to do a major switch back climb up to the top of the Dillon dam.

I was told the road tomorrow is typical CO narrow with no shoulders. 12 miles up and then down for a long time.

I spoke with another local yesterday, and he said that Willow Creek Fire burned 120,000 acres. 640 acres is a sq mile. 120,000 acres ÷ 640 (square mi) = 187.5 sq mi. That was a big fire.

Only two black bungy cords today. Total is 51.

I don’t even know where to start. Beautiful, sunny day, and it went downhill (and not the terrain) in the first 7 miles. There was a shoulder for a change but full of gravel and debris. I kept hoping that wouldn’t be an issue, but, alas, it was. Got my first flat tire. YUK! I figured I’d flag someone down, but before I even got my panniers off, three cyclists came from the other direction and insisted on helping me change my tire. Who was I to argue? They got it done in 10 minutes, and we were all on our way. They were from Europe. Yesterday. I met two guys on the road, and they were from Switzerland and the UK. Met a guy from France last week. Very few Americans so far.

A mile down the road, my rear tire went flat again. Great. I was only a half mile from town, so I just started walking. Changing a tire alongside the road is awkward and no fun. Just before I got to town, a car stopped on the opposite side of the road and asked if I needed help. Well, yeah. We talked about options, and I decided to let him take me back to Granby since that was the closest bike shop. He was so nice and a cyclist himself, so he understood my frustration. Turned out he was an off duty deputy with the sheriff dept. So glad I went to the bike shop cause my rear tire was showing wear. Even had a small tear in it. I got a new tube and tire, so hopefully, I’m good to go for a while. Just rode the first 10 miles twice.

I always spend my first half hour in town looking for a place to stay, sometimes visiting places more than once until I decide. Then I walk the streets, finding breakfast, the library, and lunch. I usually walk up to two miles, and it helps to get the kinks out. Today, I stumbled on a Mexican restaurant. Yummy! Ordered a Margarita. Figured I deserved it after my traumatic morning. The guy made too much and gave me the extra, and lunch was fantastic.

One black rubber bungy. Total now 49.

Today, Eby didn’t use an assist bar til 40 miles. I’m wondering if the rain has some effect cause both days that I ran out of power were rainy days. I can’t think of any other reason.

Forgot to add my pass photo from yesterday.

I forgot to mention the 4 bungy cords on the interstate and 2 the next day. Total now is 48. None today.

Today’s ride was tough, and I’m not sure why. Although 3 miles out of town, it started to rain. (No rain in the forecast). Huge black clouds were over the mtns, but they followed me for 20 miles. I kept trying to stay ahead of them, but they finally caught up with me and drenched me for miles. I stopped twice to put on more clothes and rain gear (it was chilly with the rain).

About 10 miles out, I lost my first assist bar. It was fully charged, so I don’t know why it died so soon. This was really not good cause I had to go over a pass. I didn’t think I had been using my turbo assist that much, and after that, I really pushed myself in lower gears to save it. After 20 miles, I lost the second bar. Now I was freaking out. 10 more miles to the top and 50 miles to our destination. When I got to the top, I lost the third bar. I had a lot of down coming but 25 more miles after that. I started thinking this was going to be the day I had to get a ride. I just don’t know why I lost bars so fast.

By the time I reached the intersection to go on or bail out just a few miles in the opposite direction, I had to make a tough decision. I knew I could never make the 25 miles with rolling hills. Did I want to get picked up or go the other direction and save face. I went the other way, making me 25 miles behind my goal.

Dang! Those 30 miles uphill did Eby and me in. My legs feel like rubber. Then, after getting settled, I walked 2 miles to get something for breakfast. My poor legs were rebelling.

I rode thru the Willow Creek Fire area. That fire happened in Oct of 2020 and burned 500 homes, and covered a huge area. I rode over 25 miles down through a burned area. Really sad.

On the road at 6:45 but didn’t get in til after 1;30. Long day but sunny, and I apparently had a very slight tail wind. Didn’t know it til I got to town and rode up and down Main St. Thank goodness it wasn’t in my face. I got into town on the last half of my last bar as it was. Lots of long rolling hills all day. There was a long 1 1/2 mile 7% climb that I got to go down. My side was long and gentle. I’m glad I didn’t have to climb that with all the other climbing I did. Needless to say. I am tired.

Great shoulders until Colorado, then NO shoulders. Kind of hairy with the trucks and campers..

Last night, right after I sent my blog, this cyclist pulled up to the house. Poor guy got caught in that storm about 10 miles out of town, but a “trail angel” picked him up. He said the wind was so strong he could hardly stay upright. When you hike the PCT or Appalacian Trail, there are “trail angels” who stash water out in desolate areas and give you rides to town for supplies or whatever else you might need. On the road, we always hope there will be an angel to give us a ride when we need it. If I ever run out of battery. I’ll need one. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen, but that wind can change everything real fast.

I had beautiful pensteman flowers all along the road today. Everything from light blue to iridescent purple. I was gawking so much one time that I ran into the rumble strips. Oops.

I left at 6:30 to threatening skies and a little wind. By the time I got to the 11 mile interstate section, the wind had picked up, and it was uphill all the way to my exit. I had to use turbo assist, and after 20 miles, I was down a bar. (I have 5 bars). Not good news. I turned off the interstate and directly into a very strong headwind and more uphill. I lost another bar in 15 miles. This was definitely not good. I still had the 6 mile hill to do before Saratoga when I lost another. Down to two bars, and there was another hilly 20 miles after Saratoga I was planning to do. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. So I limped into Saratoga with less than two full bars and had to stop. I had had to use my turbo assist almost the whole time. I had one little downhill, and I still had to pedal, or the wind would have blown me backward. I have not ridden in wind like that in a long time. I really wanted to go those extra 20 miles cause now I can only do that tomorrow. Otherwise, it would be over 80, and if there’s any wind, I’d never make it.

My legs feel like noodles as a friend of mine would say. I found a place to stay and went to lunch. Came back, showered, laid on the bed, and fell asleep. I was whipped beyond belief. It threatened rain all the way but was just cloudy and cool. That part was great. Gosh. I hope I don’t have wind like that tomorrow. I have some serious climbing to do the next few days. And the terrain is high foothills and very exposed with nothing for miles.

I’m staying in a house connected to the St. Barnabas Church here in Saratoga. This place is unbelievable. It has four bedrooms upstairs, a full bathroom. two big dining rooms, a kitchen to die for, and a shop with all the bike tools you could possibly need. They cater to cyclists, and the pastor said they had over 200 stay with them last year. I met two other cyclists when I came into town, and they told me about it. I’m so glad they did. And right now, I have the whole house to myself. AND, right now, we are having a thunderstorm with wind and hail right when the forecast said it would. So glad I didn’t charge Eby and ride on. That was my first choice when I got to town. After getting off the bike and feeling my noodle legs, second choice was to stay put. Wise choice.

Matching flower pots at my cabin steps. PRICKLY LETTUCE WEED

Unreal. All over the campground, there were flower pots with flowers in them and nice flower gardens. My cabin got the weeds. I just laughed.

Last night, I shared wine and dinner with a couple in a camper. She made awesome tacos. Today, my friend, Jean, formerly of Driggs and who now lives in Lander, drove me 120+ miles to Rawlins thru the high desert, which I’ve already ridden and didn’t need to do again. Was I ever glad . There was a gale force wind about halfway and all the way to Rawlins. I saw two other cyclists going into it and felt so sorry for them. It’s in the 80’s here in Rawlins, so I opted for a KOA cabin instead of tenting. It would have been almost impossible to set up a tent with that wind. Rawlins sits in the desert, so there’s lots of dust blowing. Felt like pampering myself.

Just going to read a book and rest up for tomorrow. Sure hope I don’t have this wind. Could be brutal.