Day 39 – The Illusive Early Start

Eads, CO to Ordway, CO – 65 miles

I tried to get an early start yesterday.  Set my alarm, but ended up snoozing it a couple of times and then went to grab breakfast at the restaurant in town, so I still didn’t get on my bike until 8.  Way too late.  By 11 it was already scorching and I had only covered about 30 miles.

Took a break pretty much every time I saw shade, because I didn’t know when I would see the next tree.  The only thing that makes cycling bearable in this heat is the slight breeze as you ride.  When you stop, the breeze stops, and the sun instantly starts to cook you.  I could only imagine how terrible it would be to change a flat…

When I was about 50 miles in for the day and thought there was no way I could go on because of the heat I crested a long slight hill that I had been climbing for what felt like miles. When I got to the top I was rewarded with my first view of the Rockies.  As faint as they were they continued to become more vivid throughout the day.  They’re still probably about 2 days away, but I look forward to watching them grow as I ride closer.  The view was incredible at this point and you could see about 10 miles to this town called Sugar City. You know there’s a town when you can see a grain elevator or water tower off in the distance. Usually pretty welcomed sights.

Ended up stopping in Sugar City because there was a restaurant.  I went in to cool down and wait for the hottest part of the day to pass.  The special was meatloaf which seems to be a pretty common thing in these parts.  It’s been awhile since I’ve had meatloaf, but it really hits the spot after a long day of cycling!  I was the only one there for a while and enjoyed talking with the owner.  I told her I was probably going to stop at Ordway, and she told me about Gillian, a lady in town who puts cyclist up.

When I finished the ride to Ordway, which was only about 5 miles, I went straight to Gillian’s.  When I got there it looked like she had just gotten home from somewhere doing some manual labor and was as exhausted as I was.  I introduced myself and she went through the rules of staying there, including helping her out with 15 minutes of work.  She had me move some branches she had cut down to a more discrete part of the yard to dry out.  Her place felt a bit like its own little homestead right on the edge of town with all kinds of animals like ducks, turkeys, goats, and a dog.

I took a shower and then headed out to grab groceries in town and some dinner.  On my way out another cyclist showed up.  His name was Jong Hyeuk.  He’s from South Korea and is riding from LA to New York.  After a brief chat I told him where he could find Gillian and I was on my way to grab food.

When I got back Jong Hyeok was making food in the house.  We hung out for a bit and talked.  He’s a really awesome guy and you could tell he is loving his adventure in the US.  He set off from LA without any maps other than google and made his own way up to Las Vegas, around the south rim of the Grand Canyon, through the mountains, and up to Pueblo to catch the Trans Am.  He had run into Max, Julia, and Dries earlier in the day and Max gave him the Trans Am map sections that he was going to need going East.  After awhile I headed back to the trailer out front that Gillian puts cyclists in and crashed out.