Tuesday, 22Jun10, Montrose, CO
The ride today was from Grand Junction to Montrose, 68 miles … a climb of about 3500 feet and as usual a 15-20 mph cross wind and again what seemed to be our typical “wind in your face” kind of day that we’ve been experiencing each day so far.
There are some beautiful areas along this ride … the Rattlesnake Gulch … lots of views of the local rivers and the Rocky Mountains off in the distance. ( BTW, does anyone know where the “Utes” Indians lived? Was it on the rim of the Black Canyon?)
Also in the area are the San Juan Mountains, the Black Canyon National Park, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River,and the Blue Mesa is the largest manmade lake in Colorado. So if you into fishing … this area is the thriving gateway to the wonders of western Colorado and is still considered the “Wild West’. It is a definitely beautiful area and a lovely place to visit and cycle through. (I can’t imagine what the cold winters would be like where everything is frozen.)
Here is an interesting tidbit … Did you know that the Gunnison river drops more elevation in 48 miles through Black Canyon than the entire 1500 mile long Missisissippi River, that’s an average of 96 feet per mile, and it drops 480 feet in one 2 mile stretch. Wow! Maybe that’s why the canyon walls are so steep?
Having said all that … it was not an easy day for me … especially after doing a hard 102 miles yesterday … my legs and back was screaming for relief … not to mention the pain that the “seat” was inflicting on my “butt”.
We decided to “sag” for a few miles today to save our strength for the major climbs coming up tomorrow and the next day … 8000 feet and then Monarch Pass … 11,312 feet.
When we rode into the town of Delta, we stopped at the City Market and picked up some Curel … which will hopefully cure the “butt” discomfort, or at least allieviate it enough so that I can climb with a minimum of pain.(although I have a great poem titled “Pain Is My Friend)
In Delta, we decided to stop at a restaurant for a hamburger and something to eat … after that we started riding the final 20 miles toward Montrose in the headwind, etc. ( After a few miles … that’s when we decided to “sag” in because Adella was hurting also.)
As we pedaled along the highways we saw a crew of men working on the highway, so we stopped for a picture with them right in the middle of their project as they were fixing the road.
They were “good sports”, took a picture with us and wished us a lot of luck on our journey. (Check out the pictures on Facebook.)
When we got to the EconoLodge hotel on Main street … we all pitched in to help upload the luggage. It’s nice place and a lot better than where we stayed last night!
Adella is going out this afternoon with some of the other cyclists to visit the Black Canyon National Park … which is a major tourist attraction. (I’ll bet she takes some awesome pictures.)
It’s interesting how the older we get … our mind plays tricks on us. I really didn’t remember today’s ride as being “tough” in 1996 until I decided to review my 1996 Journal of our Life Across America ride, and here is an excerpt from our 1996 Life Across America ride with (at the time) 13 year old son, Aaron and I:
- Today we started out from Grand Junction, Colorado. Then we rode 68 miles to Montrose, Colorado, the first 29 miles were really tough because we not only were climbing 3500 feet but we had a 30 mph wind in our face. So I was really happy to see the first sag stop. Aaron was really struggling today in the wind and couldn’t even draft at 8 mph, so asked him if he wanted to get into the sag wagon and he said “yes” so he took it easy today.
- After he got into the sag, we started riding again and the scenery is really changing, much more mountainous and very high mesas with much more greenery everywhere. We have crossed the Colorado River several times and each time we see it I am amazed of the sheer power of the water rushing on its way to the Colorado Dam. It is so powerful and its scary to think that man could harness that kind of power.
So as you can see … sometimes our memory “buries” the tough memories … in an effort to keep us positive and uplifted! Hmmmm?
Talk to you later … and a special “thanks” to Jennifer S. and to Julie Scott from Bonfils.