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 US Route 40 near Limon Leaving Limon it was just above freezing. I had gotten up earlier and checked the weather outside but it was cold — thermometer read below freezing — so I decided to wait for the sun to come up a bit. The day before I had not ventured into Limon. There was a bit more to It than the exit ramp off the interstate. Not much but a bit.
I got back onto Route 40 which turns to concrete and has a big shoulder. It is like a whole lane just for me. Continue reading Day 45: Limon to Eads, CO (October 13)
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 Eastern Colorado It was cold waking up. Felt close to freezing. But I was happy to have my new tent. During the night I woke up to sounds of rain hitting the fly. Not much but it would not have been good with my last setup or bivy. The moon was really bright and several times I woke up in the night thinking it was near sunrise only to check my clock and realize there were still hours to go. Setting out from the camp ground, I saw small piles of snow on the sides of the road. Elizabeth is still pretty high at about 6400 feet. Good to be heading down. Continue reading Day 44: Elizabeth to Limon, CO (October 12)
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 Skies are still somewhat clear I made it over the Rockies. Just in time. They are forecasting for snow for the next four days or so at the higher elevations.
I started the day about 35 miles from Berthoud pass (11,315′) in Granby. The forecast was for snow and winds 50+ mph starting in the afternoon. I started going at about 07:30. It was windy the whole way to the pass but at mile 20 the wind picked up. I was inching along uphill at about 4 mph in my granny gear into a 20+ mph headwind with gusts that would almost knock me over.
Continue reading Day 38: Granby to Littleton, CO (October 6)
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 I made it! The day started well with waffles at Andy’s apartment and then I futzed about a little and headed out. The rain from the day before created a thick fog in the valley. A few miles out of town the road started to gain elevation that would eventually going over the 9000+ foot Rabbit Ears Pass. The road in the valley was a bit foggy, but I felt OK on it. However when I started to climb the mountain the fog was thicker and the mountain blocked the sun leaving the road dark. Watching cars approach me in my rear view mirror I noticed they started to swerve drastically 200 feet behind me to avoid me. Normally cars would pass in a smooth arc starting far away, but the drastic swerve meant they couldn’t see me until the last minute despite my lights, reflective stripes, and obnoxious clothing.
I pulled off the road and waited. While waiting I contemplated the weather report I had seen in Steamboat. The weekend weather did not look good. I was in a bit of a race against the weather to cross the Rockies and reach the safehaven of my friend’s house in Littleton, CO as well as the lower elevations of the plains. They’d hopefully protect me somewhat from winter which could start at anytime in the mountains. After waiting for about 45 minutes, the sun rose up high enough that its rays went directly into the valleys and started to burn off the fog. In a span of about 10 minutes the road went from completely fogged in to clear, and I headed off again. Continue reading Day 37: Steamboat Springs to Granby, CO (October 5)
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As Steamboat seems like a nice place, I decided to stay for a rest day. Also because I had ridden for five days and have a big pass outside Steamboat.
There is a bike path all along the river through town. Really convenient for getting around plus it means you aren’t on the road. It is a beautiful ride with the river and cottonwoods. I spent an hour in the new, beautiful library copying files from my GoPro memory cards onto the hard disk. I wanted to go up to the Strawberry hot springs but the shuttle bus stopped running a couple days before. It is in between seasons. Ski season starts after thanksgiving.
Instead I visited the world headquarters of Honey Stringer. They make honey based energy food for sports. I got to try their new waffles that Lance Armstrong likes. (He owns part of the company.) I ended up buying some of their gels and chews. Continue reading Day 36: Rest Day in Steamboat Springs, CO (October 4)
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 Fall colors on the Yampa River Today was a great, relaxing ride. Knowing that it was not too far I took it somewhat easy and took a bunch of photos along the way.
It was a bit chilly to start out and I left my windbreaker on until almost 11:00. The clouds started forming a bit earlier than normal today too providing shade. Most days there is a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. Today was no different. Continue reading Day 35: Craig to Steamboat Springs, CO (October 3)
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 Colorado high country I decided not to put up the tent last night. I woke up a couple of times in the night and marveled at the milky way and stars plus wished on some shooting stars.
Despite my new sleeping pad being so much more comfortable than my last, it is a bit slippery. Combined with the super slick new bivy I was sliding all over until I put the pad inside the bivy. I have heard that laying beads of silicone on the pad should help.
Waking just before dawn I started breakfast and watched the sun rise while drinking hot chocolate. The temperatures were not bad. It was not below freezing. I started riding at 08:30. Continue reading Day 34: West of Elk Springs to Craig, CO (October 2)
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 Welcome sign for Utah After a great breakfast cooked up by Pat, and some talk, I headed to the grocery store before hitting the road. The grocery store had small gala apples. I love that size despite it being a rarity in the USA to find apples that small. I bought four. I also bought orange Gatorade mix. First time I have seen any flavor other than lemon-lime in the one pound containers. I think that is a clever ploy by the stores to steer you to the more lucrative premixed drink.
Riding out of Vernal on the eastern end of town are all the oil field services companies. Considering these fields are not huge you can see what big business oil is. There was tons and tons of equipment and supplies. Acres of tanks and pipes and generators and prefab buildings. Pretty impressive. Continue reading Day 33: Vernal, UT to west of Elk Springs, CO (October 1)
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 Eric heading to Seattle Despite eating a huge dinner, I woke up hungry. It was somewhat windy too but from the west so that was ok. But it made me feel like staying in my sleeping bag until the sun came up. It seemed the new sleeping pad worked. I felt I slept most of the night. That is a welcome change. I ended up heading out at 09:30. Nobody else in the RV park was moving. I wore my arms and legs plus a wind breaker. About half an hour in I had to pull over to take them all off.
Shortly after that I saw another cyclist.
It was Eric from Beijing. He had started in New Jersey and was going to Seattle. What prompted him? The adventure and challenge. I asked him about the route ahead for me in Colorado. He said there are stretches with nothing but only about 50 miles at a time. He got stuck in a blizzard on Berthoud Pass at 11,000+ feet and had to be driven off. I hope my crossing goes better. (The weather from Vernal to Steamboat Springs now looks good.) Continue reading Day 32: Duchesne to Vernal, UT (September 30)
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 My campsite at Camper World After a good couple days of rest, being with friends, and taking care of things I left Salt Lake today with a ride out to Heber, UT that saved me a day or more considering the passes involved. Since I am a bit behind schedule that is good.
Despite my elevation profile for the ride from Heber to Vernal looking like it was mostly downhill after Daniel’s Pass, it didn’t really feel that way. Overall it might have been but there were some definite hills today. On the plus side, I seemed to be able to go up them without stopping and in a gear or two above the granny gear. Continue reading Day 31: Salt Lake City to Camper World (4 miles west of Duchesne, UT) (September 29)
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