State Park to National Park and Beyond

The ride from Falls of Rough, a Kentucky state park to Mammoth Cave, a National Park was long, beautiful and challenging, and… both Margaret and our final rest day awaited my arrival. Margaret has been on her own adventure in Pippi since leaving me in Wichita, and she joined me in Mammoth Cave because the rest day happened to coincide with her birthday! It meant we were able to celebrate with a tour of the caves and some Newman’s Own cookies in lieu of cake. I believe it was a good birthday and when we left this am to ride, Margaret left for Lexington where she will meet me on Saturday for our final night before heading home.

Hope the brakes are working well! 📸 Marilyn Hutchinson.

We made it!

We are headed into the cave!

The guide is explaining the very tedious way these names were burned into the ceiling of this part of the cave, when it was privately owned and operated.

No Currins that I found.

This cave is much drier than any I have been to before. That means many fewer stalactites and stalagmites.

This did not really meet my standards for a “good road.”

The spaces were so much bigger than I expected, This is peering into the abyss.

The birthday girl. We did wear masks through the whole tour. Many noses were peeking out by the end.

After saying goodbye to Margaret and Mammoth Cave, we set out for a 60 mile ride to Campbellsville, KY. The beginning and end of the ride were beautiful, but the in between involved more big trucks than I would have liked. They were generally considerate, but a big truck coming up from behind and passing when there are no shoulders is often intimidating, even if they are “nice” about it. That consideration can also sometimes mean they are right behind us for quite some time. We try to pull over so they can get by, but I find my heart rate is often elevated in these encounters.

The cows seemed happy to be in the water.

Hubert Atwell’s did not have anything to purchase as we rode by, but we thought it deserved a photo!

Illinois to Kentucky

Limited wifi has contributed to my getting behind in blogging, though I cannot blame that entirely. One of the things I love about these trips is that as each day goes by I am less and less focused on things I have to do outside of getting up, packing, riding my bike, unpacking and eating: lots of eating. Everything else falls away, including it appears writing this blog!

Illinois went by quickly. I have mostly been to Chicago when I have been in Illinois up until now, so I may seem a little like those people who think all of NY is like NYC. However, because I have explained so often about how different our part of NY is from NYC, it was not unexpected that all of IL is not like Chicago, but I did not expect our short time in IL to be so sad. So many communities no longer exist, except on a map. Even the Harrah's casino we stayed at for our last two nights there was more run down than I expected it to be and the community around it, probably displaced by the casino a while back was even more so.

In Metropolis, IL it used to be all about Superman - and here Lois Lane.

The big guy himself.

No one tends to this anymore.

They need Superman here.

Of course, kryptonite.

Perhaps promises were made.

Then we were off to Kentucky, the final state of this year's segment of the TransAm. Under any circumstances it would have been a long day at 97+ miles with significant climbing. But to make it harder, it was a very rainy day. It poured buckets. About half of us rode at least part of the way, and only 3 rode it all. I was not one. It was pretty miserable out there. But there was a ferry into Kentucky!

A break in the rain led Gail and Deb to get out if the van and give it a try.

This ferry just goes back and forth all day.

The only bright thing we saw were a few bicycles around town near the ferry.

Rose’s Kountry Kitchen was closed. It was the thought that counts, I guess.

The Opry House was closed too.

Once on the other sode of the river, Kentucky awaited! Pre-covid, this leg of the trip was supposed to involve a visit to my daughter, Sydney who, in 2020 lived in Eastern Kentucky. However, in 2021 she lives in Florida. So reaching Kentucky was not as exciting as I had thought it would be, but it is still a very beautiful place to ride a bike. One challenge is the many dogs who are not restrained and run at us and bark. Up until now it had been scary, but today we crossed that line and one of us was bitten and needed medical attention.

Cool car, cool signs.

These seemed to be pretty big plants growing up and out if the river.

Historic school now has 4-h logo

The Green River

Some shots of Falls of Rough state park, where we stay tonight.

We only have a few more rides this year, with our fourth and final leg expected next year. At a SAG stop today we looked at a map and the distance we have ridden our bikes from Florence, OR to where we are now in Kentucky. It is pretty cool to see. Onward!

Eminence, MO to Lesterville, MO (54 miles), Rest Day in Lesterville, Lesterville to Farmington, MO (45 miles) and Farmington, MO to Chester, IL (49 miles)

Each of the three days of riding, grouped together here, have been amazing. Eminence to Lesterville was filled with big rollers and, according to one YouTuber, had the hardest stretch of riding - Eminence to Ellerville. It was challenging, and the beauty of the Ozarks was everywhere!

In Lesterville, we stayed in The Wilderness Lodge, which was a tremendous change from many of the highway interchange hotels and motels we end up staying in often on this leg of the trip. There has not been much in between those highway ramps.

But in Lesterville, we lucked out. The trees surrounded our 4-unit log cabin accommodations and there was a beautiful (low) river we could walk to and sit in on our rest day. Some of our group opted to float on the river, but I passed on that having done many similar trips on the Battenkill with water levels that low. They all loved it, and I and my companions were very happy sitting in camp chairs talking in the shade, feet ecstatic to be wiggling in the cool water and round river stones.

He waved goodbye as we left Eminence.

Oppy’s used to have a wall of TransAm cyclists who had come through, but it seems so few come now that the wall space has been reallocated.

Reynolds County Courthouse

We have arrived!

Inside the cabin

Some of the grounds at the Wilderness Lodge

Happy feet!

We said goodbye to Lesterville yesterday and headed for the big city of Farmington, MO. The first half of the shortish ride was beautiful in all the ways we have come to expect from the Ozarks: particularly luscious woods and rolling hills. And we had a special treat at the halfway point when we stopped at the Elephant Rocks State Park. There was a loop through the rocks that had descriptions in both print and braille, with green carpet squares used to help ensure that people with impaired sight could navigate the trail.

Elephants from the rear?

To me this looked more like a hippo’s open mouth than anything related to elephants.

Giant turtles? For us this was a pretty visual display for a braille trail.

After we left Elephant Rock the riding got a bit scary. We have had ongoing challenges with the rumble strips in MO. They are all over the place and seem to have been placed solely for cars wothout a moment's thought to cyclists trying to stay out of said cars’ and trucks’ way on the road. The choice for much of a pretty heavily trafficed section was to try and stay to the right of the rumble strip, despite some areas that were very tight and others that had dramatic dropoffs to our right, or to stay on the left of the rumble strip and hope that the drivers gave us space (not required by law in MO). I ended up going back and forth, which meant many times over the rumble itself, something that also did not feel too safe and was very jarring. I found the last 20 miles a stressful ride and I was very happy to make it to Farmington in one piece! No pictures were taken because there was less to see and it meant stopping, when alI I wanted to do was get to the hotel.

Today was another completely amazing ride. No more Ozarks, but beautiful rolling hills and country roads nonetheless. And… we rode our bikes over the Mississippi River, which was more thrilling than I expected it to be! Tonight we spend our first night in Illinois, where cars do have to give us some room on the road and there may be more masks in use!

Hard to tell, but this is taken at one of those famous Missouri vineyards.

Gravel quarry

Approaching the bridge across the Mississippi.

Bridge is under construction, so we lined up for our turn to cross.

Success!

Chester, where we are spending the night, is home to Popeye! Who knew?

Yup! Popeye… 💪🏼

Day 7 Marshfield, MO to Houston, MO (77 miles) and Day 8 Houston, MO to Eminence, MO (42 miles)

After some tough weather days, we have had beautiful days yesterday and today. If riding a bike across the country is something that one would like to do, it is days of riding like these that might come to mind. The sun has been shining and the routes beaufiful, with rolling hills and countryside that does not disappoint.

In some ways the rollers are quite similar to what we have at home. Short stretches where the grade goes from 5%, to 6%, to 8%, to 9%, with perhaps a spicy 11%, 12% or 14% thrown into the mix, going up and down. I love this type of cycling, in part because I can enjoy the descents. I can see where they turn back into climbs. There are seldom hidden surprises due to curves that could hide driveways or intersections. I find both sides if the hill rewarding and, generally, fun.

One of the things that surprises me about the hills here is that there is no expanse to see at the “top.” It is beautiful, but there are no mountains or huge vistas. There is more of the same. Our guide, Cy, has told us that at one point the Ozarks were the highest mountain range on the planet. Now we are on a plateau and no mountains are visible. These rolling hills are all that remains.

Also absent is much of the historical culture of these towns we ride through: at least to those of us who are not a part of it. There are almost exclusively chain restaurants to eat at. There are few stores in the little storefronts in the places we ride past. The last two nights we have stayed in independent motels that do not seem to have many other guests. Here in Eminence there do seem to be some businesses based on the rivers that flow through the Ozarks, especially kayaking, but not many others. That said, we stopped at a ice cream stand that also had a variety of lunch type foods on our way in and it was incredibly busy for a town of approx 500 people, so hopefully local businesses can thrive here.

At an intersection between Marshfield and Houston. Sadly, the Yakety Yak did not seem to be open any longer.

It was unclear what happens at Alice School now, but it appears to be very well maintained.

Some of the beauty is hard to convey in pictures, but is it beautiful and it is nice to stop, take a picture or two and remember how lucky we are to travel the country at a pace that allows us to see what we could easily just pass by in a car.

From the “you never know what you will see” files: this fawn’s mother was killed and the owners of this house next to our motel in Houston took it in and have raised it with their 3 “other” dogs.

Rollers anyone?

Beautiful spring water near Eminence.

81 million gallons???

81 million gallons/day makes a great place for a mill!

And you need a school. This one was next to the mill.

Day 4 Pittsburg KS to Mt. Vernon, MO (76 miles), Day 5 Mt. Vernon, MO to Marshfield, MO (77 miles) and Day 6 Rest Day

So far this segment of the TransAm has been defined by weather that has pushed us all to our limits: primarily heat, with every day over 95 consistently, with times over 100. That changed abruptly yesterday when we had our first full day in Missouri. Storms came through overnight and we woke to much cooler temperatures - 50 ish to start and only reaching 65 by the afternoon. With the change in temperature, winds also came.

On Sunday we were trying to stay just really really hot, with out getting to overheated. Jerseys were open to each woman’s level of comfort. On Monday it was totally different with stops kept short to keep from getting cold. Jackets came on. I am not sure I have ever ridden back-to-back days that were so opposite.

What we also got Monday was wind. Consistent headwinds of about 13 MPH gusting to 20 during the first 40 miles. The second half of the ride turned East and had “only” crosswinds to contend with. The terrain turned from close to flat in Kansas, almost immediately to rollers in Missouri. These have gotten bigger both days and that is a trend we expect to continue as we move through the Ozarks.

For me, yesterday was the toughest day so far. The four days of long rides in the heat had taken a toll and I woke up not feeling great, wishing yesterday was the rest day not today. After about 15 miles in the wind, I started to feel dizzy and unsteady on the bike. I felt like I almost ended up on the pavement a couple of times. I tried to stay calm, but I was scared. I was afraid that I was actively sick again and unable to balance on the bike. Then I started to get anxious and soon felt like I might be having a panic attack - a first for me on my bike. Perhaps I could have ridden through it and gone on to finish the day’s ride, but I decided to call it a day at 20 miles and ride to Marshfield in the van.

I was pretty sure I made the right decision, putting safety first, but I also felt like a quitter, which I do not want to be. The fear of my headache and dizziness being back was so strong, I struggled to out it aside, even after I was in the van, I can't really imagine what it would have been like if I had stayed on the road. I don't regret the decision, but I do regret not being up to completing the ride. And it is hard to think there may be others. I am simply not very strong this year.

Today in Marshfield, on our rest day, I rode a short distance to the local bike shop. The owner was very nice and made some necessary adjustments to my derailleurs, which took 2.5 hours and cost a grand total of $30.00 (Note: some of that time was a lot if talking and not so much adjusting, yet pleasant in itself). After the bike shop excursion, I am really relaxing and resting. My body needs it and I am hopeful that taking the time to rest will also help me to trust the messages that I hear from it going forward.

Onward!

Not my favorite state to bike in, but Eastern Kansas was way nicer than Western Kansas!

Foreboding perhaps, the tippiness of the second day in MO, but at this point the excitement of a new state was all I was feeling!

So many wind farms: In some places the rows of windmills just went on and on.

A cemetery was the only place we could find shade. A short pause and we were back out in the heat again.

No shade for the SAG stop, but the water and snacks still were critically important.

A beautiful walnut grove as we got closer to Mt. Vernon. I admired it as I rode by, but was too hot to stop to take a picture, so 📸 Marilyn H.

Interesting place to explore after calling it a day and deciding to ride to Marshfield in the van.

More of the interesting building. See the 2 cats curled up together on the porch?

When your hotel room overlooks a closed pool and an RV “park”

Days 2 and 3: El Dorado to Chanute (96 miles) and Chanute to Pittsburg, KS (58 miles)

These have been two difficult days. The riding itself has been quite nice. Pretty flat through nice farms on country roads. The challenge has been the heat. Yesterday was over 95 by early afternoon. We started early in order to try and beat the heat, but it wasnt enough for many of us. I am still unsure whether trying to set a reasonably strong pace in the morning set the stage for a very hard last 30 miles. But no matter the cause, the last 30 miles were a blur of leg and abdominal cramps, thirst that felt unquenchable and a desire to quit

The temperatures were compounded by an almost total lack of any shade. That meant that any time we stopped, we baked. I started drinking more when I started getting cramps. But that meant I went through my water bottles faster than I had been and at mile 71 or 72 I was out of water/electrolyte mix with 8 miles or so to the next support (SAG) stop. At about 75 miles, my riding partner, Debbie, and I stopped for a little break and I started to realize that I was in some trouble as I was instantly nauseous when I got off my bike. We got back on and rode towards the support, but each mile was torture at that point.

I am not sure exactly what happened when we arrived at the SAG. I do remember saying I felt like I was going to throw up and lots of women asking what they could get for me. I was very grateful, but a little embarrassed, by all the attention. I started to feel better after a couple of water bottles and some food and under guide Cy’s very watchful eye, I finished (barely) under my own power.

Today the ride was much shorter at 58 miles and Deb and I planned to take it as a recovery ride. We felt good until about 40 miles in and then everything started to hurt again. And it was really hot. Today there was no close call with heat exhaustion or whatever it was yesterday, it was more like a normal tough day after a really tough day.

Tomorrow we leave Kansas and I have to say that I feel no desire to ride my bike again here. In 2019 it was hard and in 2021 it has been hard. Eastern Kansas is more beautiful, in my opinion, than western Kansas, but with so many places I want to explore on a bike it is hard to imagine returning to this state. But who knows? Missouri and the Ozarks await us. The climbs will be the steepest of our ride so far, but they will often be short. The temps should be cooler and I believe there will finally be some shade! Onward!

Eastern Kansas landscape. Do you see any shade trees?

This display is in someone's front yard (the tree’s shade does not get out to the road) and a wonderful woman, Dusty, took this picture of me and Deb and gave us bottles of really cold Gatorade. It was a fun moment on a day that did not have a lot of fun.

By this point I was beyond exhausted and so thirsty that I could totally relate to this poor, departed cow. See the vulture overhead? I saw lots of them while riding and was always glad when it became clear they were not following me, waiting for me to keel over and die.

On today's shorter ride, there was something making some noise on the bank of this creek, but I could not tell what it was. If your Where's Waldo skills exceed mine, please let me know what you see!

An almost full moon rising over the parking lot of our hotel in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Day 1: Wichita to El Dorado, KS (43.6 miles)

I have been worrying about today - actually starting this ride- for months: Months when I was consumed by my illness and its various complications and challenges. Months when my mother's care was overwhelming. Months of rainy weather. It felt like today was so far away - until it was here and we took off in a pack from Wichita.

The group is much smaller this year, down by about half from the second section, which we rode in 2019. There are advantages and disadvantages to a smaller group, and one advantage is with only 2 completely new people, we have gotten to know them a bit pretty quickly, and we have been able to reconnect with those we already knew quickly as well. Many of us rode today's route at about the same speed, which gave us lots of time to talk and catch up, which was wonderful!

Some of my worries were totally justified. I am so undertrained. I could feel it in this easy 43 miles. I also had pain that I haven't had biking before. Pain that I have only had after being diagnosed with anaplasmosis. Pain that is not fully understood by my doctors, but was not significant enough for them to keep me home. I hope it stays that way! It is really hot and that makes everything harder. But…

Riding a bike through eastern Kansas is a great privilege. We saw be beauty of this part of the midwest today. The people here are very nice and supportive of cyclists. Deb and I had a geeat lunch at a cafe in downtown El Dorado (riding there added a few more miles to the day's unofficial total). This is the town where President Obama’s grandparents lived and where his mother grew up. On the way back to the hotel, I almost got taken out by a woman in a motorized wheelchair - but she did apologize sincerely. I had called out “on your left” and she said she had heard me but didn't know where it was coming from, so she went ahead and turned left, right into the path of my bike. 😳

Relaxing in the hotel, I am so glad I came, despite all the possible reasons/excuses not to. It is going to be hard, but I am very lucky to be here and I am going to enjoy it as much as I possibly can!

MPJ saw a bird very much like this one at the hotel in Wichita. Could it be following us?

Those are some long horns!

Wichita

Margaret and I pulled into the trip-starting hotel parking lot at about 7 pm yesterday, basically right on schedule. The WomenTours guides were there starting to get things ready for us. Now we have a day and a half to do some work and reorganize for our respective next journeys.

We started our day slowly at Arrow Rock State Historic Park, as we got ready for our shortest mileage driving day. Later we stopped in Kansas City to have lunch with fellow TransAm participant, Marilyn. Listening to all her recent cycling trips made abundantly clear how tough it will be for me to get up to riding fitness. Part of the “why” was also evident by calls from the nursing home where my mother is saying Friday- the same as our first day riding- will be her rehab discharge day. I will spend some of today working on the paperwork the nursing home emailed me around her discharge. My brother and I continue to try and figure out what is best for her, given that her cognitive and physical condition changes so frequently.

A short, shakedown ride today should help me to re-focus and I definitely need that!

See you soon - in Wichita!

Expectations

Yesterday was a day on which sad news just kept coming. I learned that a friend's father died quite unexpectedly. In addition, our already small group of cyclists keeps getting smaller. The amazing women who I met on these TransAmerica rides have become important to me, and the loss is real when any one of them cannot join us for this third segment. There will also be a shift in the collective strength we bring to the effort as the group gets smaller and smaller. As is often the case, expectations don’t line up with the reality.

I am terribly undertrained for this ride. I have been counting on that collective strength to help me get through the hard times on the rides. I will miss the special contribution that each of the women who told us yesterday that she cannot be with us. I am crossing my fingers and toes that we don't lose anyone else.

My expectations have also not quite lined up with respect to technology on the road. It has been much more of a challenge than I expected. Last night I had something I needed to get done for work and I couldn't make it all happen. I was tired and lacked the resilience to deal with the frustrations of my technological challenges. But like so many times before, Chris walked me through what I needed to do calmly and I was able to get it done without losing the tiny bit of my mind that I had left. A win for long term working from the road. We aren’t quite there yet, but we are moving in the right direction.

There is a beautiful breeze this morning and the state park is absolutely gorgeous. Interestingly, the cicadas that were so loud last night are essentially silent this morning. It makes for a peaceful couple hours of work before we get back in the van and head to our next stop: Lunch with a friend in Kansas City and then to Wichita later today.

Margaret multi-tasking. Glasses up for phone, done for laptop.

Pippi is ready for the next adventure!

Friends Along the Path!

Last night we were lucky enough to be able to meet up with a cycling friend of ours in Indiana. I have been focused on what is right in front of us in terms of the trip to Kansas because it feels overwhelming to think about all of it. Little bits at a time. What that meant though is that I didn’t realize just how close we would be to our friend Leslie. 45 min from the campground where we had a reservation meant a clear opportunity to connect if the stars aligned.

When I reached out to her, she generously invited us to come for dinner and stay overnight on their farm. We had a really nice time and got to know Leslie's husband, see some of their farm, get an animal fix, and enjoy an unexpected night of boondocking rather than being in a campground!

It was this type of opportunity that we were hoping for when we got the RV and decided to travel in this new way. It was everything we hoped for, so be advised…we may be headed to your town next!

#workingfromvan #rvlife #rvtravels #goslowenjoytheride #indiana #transam3

So many calves and lambs! Gorgeous animals and I would have been happy to sit with them fir hours.

Good Morning, Indiana!

Happiness is a dog at my feet! (Don't tell Gator…)

Leslie shows us the cheese factory and the various types of cheese they make and sell. As a vegan I don't eat it, but I do appreciate the craftsmanship.

The end of a quick visit! See you in Tuscon, Leslie!!

Work from van, a new approach to life, work and travel

Today Margaret and I left for what will be, for me, the third leg of the TransAmerica bike ride with WomanTours. It has always felt scary. I have always felt under-trained. I haven't felt ready. I don't feel capable.

This year there are some new challenges in leaving. My mother has late stage dementia/Alzheimer's and her future care is uncertain at this time. I have been sick with anaplasmosis and have lingering symptoms. An employee abruptly quit my main business in a way that makes it hard on me and the incredible folks who remain. And… the trip is longer this year because we are driving out to Kansas and then back from Kentucky in our new RV, who we have lovingly named Pippi, trying out a “work from van” lifestyle, that is both exciting and a bit scary. Margaret has a working adventure of her own planned for the 3 weeks I am riding my bike.

We have made it to our first scheduled stop: at a campground on Lake Erie. I have been texting with my brother about my mother. Margaret is trying to figure out a way to get online securely, but we can't get the wifi booster to work. Some kinks for sure. But… I am sitting by a campfire writing this. No airports/delayed flights or worries about my bike’s arrival on time or good condition. I feel generally relaxed. I am happy to be making this trip with Margaret. I am happy. Tomorrow we drive to Indiana, no rushing necessary.

Learning to Live Differently

Last week was about change. Everything changed. It felt like collectively we lost everything, but moat importantly we lost each other. Everything was cancelled. It became dangerous to be around each other. Our friends became risks. How could that be? What did that mean? The loss felt tremendous: too big to handle at times.

Everything changed. But by the end of the week we were figuring things out a bit. Collectively we were adapting. This week, for me, is all about moving forward.

We have started to piece together new lives. Different in many ways, but meaningful new lives that have strong connections to our old lives. As the Move to Live community we had our first online yoga class yesterday and it was a huge success! We are working to expand what we offer to our members, so watch your inbox for that! The desire for community - and this community in particular- is so strong that we are finding ways to come together even when we can't leave our homes.

Honestly, I am frightened about the business of this community. I don't want loans and to go into debt. I don't want to have to close. I want to figure out a way to survive. I want to continue to grow the offerings for our members. We all need to move to live now. How do we make that happen? More on that this week.

If this was a “normal” Monday I would be coaching a group of strong women this morning-women who are friends committed to health. Women who work hard and sweat and laugh and treasure our time together. Then I would go coach a group of indoor cyclists. Then to my “real” job.

On this not so normal Monday I am going to ride my bike on a trainer now. Then I am going to send workouts and meal plans to clients. I am going to receive a workout from my own coach and I am going to do the workout to the best of my ability. I am going to work in the new home office I have created. I am going to walk Sasha at lunchtime.

I am building a new life that looks a little like my old life, but different. The most important thing about this new one is that I stay connected to you- to friends with whom I feel an incredible bond of movement: of yoga, of fitness, of cycling. You give me strength to get through the fear. You give me strength to find a new normal. You are my tribe and we need our tribe now more than ever. Onward!

Day 16: Canon City, CO to Pueblo, CO

One of the things I love about bike tours is the speed at which I travel. It is fast enough that we can cover some distances, but slow enough that there is time to really see the changes. This leg felt, to me, like the beginning of the end of the tour and it was a leg that took us through a big change in landscape. It was also a leg that brought us to the first real city on this trip.

We had started the long ride down from the Rockies, and that continued. The results of lower elevation became much more clear on this leg. It was easy to feel the change in our lungs. It was also easy to see it in the land we traveled through.

The mountains recede into the distance and the colors change to yellows and browns.

It felt strange to see a city in the distance, and even more so to be re-integrated into more urban issues when we arrived there. There were a very large number of people who appear to be homeless in Pueblo.

Much of this trip I have ridden with others. That differs from last year when I rode primarily alone. Four of us have often ridden together and this leg was one of those days.

Most of of us use the Ride with GPS app to navigate our daily rides. I use mine for audio cues so it speaks to me from the back pocket of my jersey all day, more often when there are lots of turns. When we go for miles on a single road, the app is silent in my pocket. Others have the cues appear on their Garmin devices on their handlebars.

One of the most challenging navigation situations for us are the relatively rare times when we ride on bike paths. Often bike path turns are not as clear as on roads. Often bike paths run parallel to roads, which can confuse the app (presumably the GPS itself).

The route took us on a bike path near Pueblo and several of us wanted to have lunch in the city before riding the 7 or so miles out of town.

The group of us arriving together and searching for a lunch venue were immediately the subject of interest and engagement. It was easy to think that we were being made fun of. But the questions could have been real too. Perhaps a combination of both. The same seemed to be true of the staff at the restaurant we chose for lunch. We could see several empty tables outside, bur we were told it would be a 30-min wait.

Fortunately, it wasn't and within 5 min we were seated with much needed ice water on the way. The food seemed to be good, though my only vegan option was french fries and a small side salad. I have eaten a lot of french fries over the last few weeks.

We left downtown Pueblo to head to our hotel. We were supposed to take a bike path, but we got lost. We were lost for quite some time and in some places that did not seem well-suited to bicycles. Google finally got us there but we had all run out of water in our bottles and we were really hot! A simple hotel never looked so good!

What we will do for lunch in the big city! Carrying our bikes up multiple flights of stairs from the bike path to the city level.

Day 15: Fairplay, CO to Canon City, CO

I have fallen behind in my posting for a couple different reasons, so my catch-up will be a bit different.

I had a surprise visit on this day 15, when my wife, Margaret, surprised me with a visit on the road. It was an absolutely beautiful ride with sweeping climbs and descents. The mountains were amazing and the ride just about perfect. And then it got better.

On a typical day, there is a SAG stop approximately every 20 miles. Since this was an 81 mile day, there would be a SAG stop at 20, 40 and 60 miles. At these stops there is generally a wide variety of food to sustain us on our ride. These stops also give us a chance to get off the bike for a few minutes and socialize along the way. We share animal sightings, observations about the terrain, wind and road conditions and we support and receive support from others in the tour. They are a very important part of the tour. Not only do the SAG drivers put out a wonderful in-ride spread for us, they also are available for assistance with minor roadside issues, like flat tires. They also can give cyclists “bumps” if we are too tired, ill, or otherwise unable to ride the full day. They are significant in making the ride “fully supported.”

Margaret herself is an expert SAG driver and she often offers (and I always accept!) to be my personal SAG on the one- or two-day rides I do.

Another thing that typically happens is that one guide rides sweep in the morning and the other moves the van and trailer to a point roughly halfway along the route. The second guide then gets on her bike and rides to the back of the group and the first finishes her ride at the place where the van is parked and then drives to the destination. On longer or hot days we can unlock the trailer to fill our water bottles, so it is not uncommon to see cyclists around the parked van/trailer.

Margaret had communicated with one of the guides, Cy, to ask permission to come for dinner on one of the days during a conference that brought Margaret to Denver thus week. Cy had shared the cue sheet with Margaret so she could try to surprise me along the route. It worked!

I was climbing up towards the biggest peak that day and saw the van and trailer parked in a big pull-off. I also saw a single cyclist and an SUV parked there, but I did not see the driver. As I pulled in, I saw it was Margaret! I was truly surprised. And really happy to see her!

Margaret followed the cue sheet and met me and others at the 40 and 60 mile SAG stops. When we arrived at the hotel, I quickly showered and changed into street clothes and we went to a local Starbucks before dinner sadly, she had to return to Denver and the conference right after dinner, but we spent a nice amount of time together. It is also nice that she has now met the women on this tour so it is easier for me to share stories about this trip.

Donkeys seen by the side of the road on the way to Canon City. I love donkeys!

Day 14: Dillon, CO to Fairplay, CO

After a day off in Dillon yesterday, which was spent relaxing and doing some shopping at a Pearl Izumi outlet, we took on Hoosier Pass today. The whole day was about this effort as the following profile.

Many of us were worried about the elevation (11,593’) after struggling in a much lower location in Dillon. I could not carry on a conversation while walking up hill there yesterday, so the idea of pedaling for miles even higher seemed challenging at best and impossible at worst. We talked about altitude sickness and what to watch for before we started out this morning. Many of us talked about not sleeping well last night with anxiety over this climb.

But before we got to the climb, we rode on a beautiful bike path around Dillon Reservoir, past Frisco and to Breckenridge. The town of Breckenridge was hopping on an early Sunday morning! The film festival was quite evident and there were long lines at many store fronts along Main St.

Beautiful Dillon Reservoir

The climb to Hoosier Pass itself started out easy. A percent here, another there. There was a surprising amount of traffic on an early Sunday morning, and with narrow shoulders the focus was on staying safe as we headed up. However, drivers were, for the most part, courteous and gave us space.

After a few short 5-6% stretches something appeared ahead of us. At first I thought it was a driveway, but as we got closer, it became clear it was a challenging switchback, the first of many! My strategy was to go slowly and take breaks as needed. A few miles later, the pass appeared!

Taken during a break along the climb

Here you can see the 11,539’ in elevation

And here is the celebration!

Of course, on the other side of the summit is the descent. I have done a lot of work on my technique for descents and also my mental ability to descend, but I was still more anxious about going down than climbing up. The stakes are much higher going down (at least they are in my head): when climbing perhaps I could tip over from lack of momentum, but on the descent there is speed, there are drop-offs without guardrails, there is wind and cold temps. There seem to be an essentially unlimited number of bad things that can happen coming down from a pass. Conquering the fear of all those things remains a goal. I make progress, yet still fear persists!

When we reached the flatter portion of the end of the ride, a group of us stopped for some food in Alta. Both Alta and Fairplay, CO, our destination today, lay claim to the South Park TV series, and the place we stopped clearly played that up.

The rest of the trip will involve substantially less climbing and often longer distances. With this behind us, the end of the tour comes into vision, but hopefully we still have lots of great riding ahead! Onward!

Riding to the summit. Photo credit Marilyn Hutchinson.

Day 12: Kremmling, CO to Dillon, CO

This was a day where many things changed. The physical environment did and it feels as though we have come back to civilization. Kremmling did not have a lot to offer, but Dillon is quite a busy and thriving place! There will be no shortage of things to do on our day off tomorrow, though shopping is not really an option since most of us have full bags that are close to the maximum weight allowed. However, there is a Pearl Izumi outlet as well as REI. Restraint may be a challenge!

Today’s ride split fairly neatly into 4 sections. When we left Kremmling, we were on a busy road, but the shoulders were good and the scenery was beautiful, of the type we have seen since entering Colorado. A bull moose was spotted, but not by me.

About 13 miles in we turned and began to follow the shore of Green Mountain Reservoir, which was my favorite part of any ride this year. The water was such a beautiful blue color - one we don’t see in Eastern US lakes. The terrain was rolling, which I love to ride.

Green Mountain Reservoir

The next, 3rd, part was tough riding. Initially, there were no shoulders and lots of traffic. Shoulders did appear later, but the traffic was very heavy. In addition, the wind made a repeat appearance and we faced heavy head winds. The terrain was still rolling, and the mountains spectacular though so it was still a beautiful ride. Sadly, it was not easy to stop and take pictures along this part of the ride. We were in a paceline of 5 much of the time because of the head wind and it isn’t appreciated to stop for photos when the line is moving. You will have to take my word on that!

The final phase of this ride was when we got close to Dillon and we moved to a bike path. At first it was really a glorified sidewalk, but eventually it became more of what we think of when we think of a bike path. And there were the usual inhabitants: people waking dogs, joggers, bikes going in both directions and then us: a rag tag group of women looking for their hotel. Well as it turns out, this bike path has quite a unique “feature.” Switchbacks for the last half mile or so, with a mac grade over 8%!

You can't really get a sense of how high we climbed on this bike path. I had a feeling this picture wouldn't come out great, but taking it gave me a reason so stop and catch my breath!

Here is what some of it looks like as a Strava segment.

Upon arrival, we were all clear we are not riding our bikes way down there on our day off tomorrow! Walk maybe. Lyft maybe. But ride our bikes? No way!

Day 11: Granby, CO to Kremmling, CO

Today was a much needed easy day. 29 miles to Kremmling from Granby. Winds were not a factor and the grade trended down, though there were some small climbs.

11 miles from where we stayed in Granby, there was a Hot Springs and Sulphur Resort. For $20 we had full access to the pools and and additional $2 got us a towel! We knew about this in advance, so a few of us brought our bathing suits and planned a stop there. Why rush ahead to a hotel that would not be ready for us for hours?

The pools were essentially cool to hot as you progressed up the stairs. Each one was quite small and so our threesome filled a couple. There was evident moss and a strong sulfur smell. That said, it was fabulous. Our muscles were so happy to absorb the potassium and magnesium!

We got back on our bikes, but we were decidedly not feeling like we were in any hurry. We had been in hot tubs and we had only 18 miles to go, so we meandered towards Kremmling. It was a pretty ride, though not as beautiful as yesterday.

As we approached our destination a private jet came in to land right above us. It felt like it was about 6 in over our heads. It landed at the very small Kremmling airport, which seemed to bolster a rumor that there was great shopping here in this “gateway” community. Hmmm

We had a leisurely lunch at a local brewery with others in our group who had skipped the baths. Then we headed out to find the quaint shops we had been told were here. The server at the brewery had no idea what information we had gotten. In her educated opinion, there was nothing here. We wandered and concluded that the “Mercantile” was the only locally-owned consumer shop and Dollar General was the alternative. I happily bought a kombucha at the mercantile, but there really wasn’t much else that was appealing.

Tomorrow will be a more difficult day, not a lot of miles, but more climbing. Nothing that training in Washington County doesn't prepare me for, but sadly, I barely took advantage of those training opportunities this year. I feel that lack of training every day, though I think I am getting stronger as we go. I hope I remember how much I wish I trained harder this year come next. We’ll see… onward! (Pictures to follow, this hotel wifi will not permit uploading anything at this time!)

Martina in the hottest tub: they got hotter the higher they got! This one was 112-115 degrees!

View from the hotel parking lot where we ate dinner.

Another rock formation visible from out dinner chairs! The local owners of the hotel came around to thank us for choosing their hotel while we were eating and told us they do a fireworks show for guests up on the ledge. That would be pretty amazing!

Day 10: Walden, CO to Granby, CO (and a very special field trip)

My legs were tired at the beginning of the day and we had a 57 mile day that included a big climb.

This is the profile from ride with gps

I have learned that it takes me at least 10 miles to feel warmed up, but that did not do it today. In addition, I had on leg warmers and my legs were so tight that the elastic holding them up seemed to dig into my feeble muscles with each turn of the pedals. I was anxious for the day to warm up enough to take them off!

The wind was a factor today, but nothing like yesterday. It made things a little harder, but that was all. We had to pedal on the downhills and the bike was moved by the wind, but it was not terrifying like it was yesterday. Most importantly, I could enjoy my surroundings again. And what beautiful surroundings!

Gone was the high desert. Now the landscape is green and beautiful in a totally different way from where we have been!

A few miles into our ride.

At the top of the climb. The jacket will go on for the descent. However, it took a lot of work to get down!

We are not in the desert anymore

The aspen are beginning to show their fall colors.

And the field trip? Patrica, who was on last years ride, but isn't doing this year's, came all the way from Denver to take a group of us to Rocky Mountain National Park to (hopefully) see an elk rut.

He was very actively controlling his harem. Another young bull did not make any progress in getting into this group of cows.

This was not an easy day, but it is the kind of day you hope for when coming on one of these trips. Challenging cycling, beautiful scenery and something special thrown into the mix!

Day 9: Saratoga, WY to Walden, CO

This 67 mile ride felt like 200. The wind knocked us back right from the start, especially after the day before, which was also very hard due to wind. On this leg however, we not only had grueling winds, we had approaching storms for most of the day.

They caught up with us at the Colorado line and the storms made a hard ride harder and more dangerous. The roads had virtually no shoulder so it was hard to avoid the painted line and for the last 25-30 miles the pavement went from wet to dry and back to wet, making it challenging to ride consistently and predictably.

After the last SAG stop at mile 40, a rag tag paceline that had provided emotional support, if not much help with crosswinds, fell apart and we all did the best we could to get in to the hotel. We all did, but it was totally exhausting. There was over 4,000 ft of climbing and the hills, both big and little seemed to come one after another. The crosswinds were so strong that I looked at a friend just ahead of me and her bike - with her on it - was at pretty darn close to 45 degrees. She was getting blown from the side of the road to the center line. For a while there was rain that felt an awful lot like hail. It just was not a fun ride. It was work, hard work. But the people I rode with and I persevered and we made it. We fought for every mile, every .10 mile at the end.

We celebrate every state line with a margarita party, which we did last night, along with delicious Mexican food prepared by the fabulous chef, Sue Lincoln. But even that was tempered because it was so cold and windy. I was very happy to put Day 9 behind me. Onward!

The storm is coming, but these ranchers were just finishing herding the cattle.

Colorado cowboys

We are still a long way from Walden, CO, but this is a fantastic milestone along the way.