Rifle - Glenwood Springs via Rifle Gap - Big Mountains, Small Towns.

June 3, 2022

Rifle - Glenwood Springs via Rifle Gap

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Oren wants to know if these horses have air conditioning.

Jacinto managed to get an extra 700 feet of climbing in 5 miles extra. He took the Cut Off Road.

Jacinto stopped at the water park to watch the people playing. Look at those fully loaded panniers, and we are on a motel trip!

Jacinto bought a $4. Bottle of soda to go with his pistachios. He says a beer would have been cheaper.

Oren rolled into town at 5 PM, after a two day drive from Arkansas. We went straight to dinner. Catching up with him in person was a delight. COVID put a damper on our touring together. This summer we are catching up!

Oren didn't feel a need to acclimate, beyond requesting that we cut our first day into two. That would give us two easy days to get our legs under us, and used to riding loaded once more.

It is also a good thing we have a couple of easy days because I did something to my hip. I spent the day bustling around, laundry, cleaning, sorting, packing. Somewhere in there I sat down on the sofa to catch my breath. When I tried to stand up, I had great difficulty, with a painful right hip. I have no idea what happened. I was fatigued, but that was all. I have had this happen before. It eventually goes away. Fortunately, bicycling is no issue. It is movement to the side that's the problem. I also had a massage scheduled for the afternoon. Perfect timing!

Both Oren and Jacinto thought our trip was in danger. They insisted I take the bike for a spin. No - I can pedal, I just can't walk. I especially can't stand up from a sitting position. On Day 3, we have to carry our bikes up stairs. I had already planned to offer to carry Oren's bike, as he's recently had surgery. Now, walking up the stairs alone will be an issue for me, much less carrying a bike. Jacinto is on notice he has to carry all three bikes upstairs.

We went to a favorite local Mexican restaurant, Nacho's. Jacinto and I ordered carne asada nacho's to share. It was important to the men to get Negro Modelo beer, their touring favorite. Now, we are really on tour. They've had their first beer!

We all agreed to go to breakfast at 8 AM. Oren and I would finish packing, and depart around 10 AM. I slept quite well, no first day jitters. Taking an easy first day is a nice thing. Sleeping on hip wasn't bad, as long as I didn't move. I had no idea how much rolling over I do each night.

It's been a few years since we've started a tour at home. Usually I get one more chance to cull items before the actual depart. Today - it all went in the panniers. I hope I made good choices. Jacinto offered I could fill one of his four panniers. I kept asking him if there was a weight limit. He told me, "Use it, but don't abuse it". I put a couple of heavy items back, but kept all of the breakfast oatmeal fixings. I had tried touring at Thanksgiving without oatmeal, and ended up a couple of mornings with no breakfast. I included a container of Hammer Perpetum tablets. Those are fast energy on the hard climbs. We have plenty of climbing this trip. I also included a half a bag (down from a full bag) of favored brands of bars. I felt guilty at the heavy bag. I hope he doesn't throw stuff overboard at the first stiff climb.

Today would not be that day. We had one short granny gear climb up Rifle Gap. Besides that, no sweat inducing climbs.

Oren's Accuweather app said 84% chance of rain today. What? My phone app said 10%. That's a friendlier number. The sky was completely overcast as we left right on time. Jacinto had gone to the gym for his last weight lifting session before the tour. Doesn't everyone need a workout before their workout? He didn't end up leaving town until 1 PM.

I led Oren up Rifle Gap, one of my favorite local rides. I was happy he agreed to take the longer route today, instead of staying on perfectly acceptable, but not as pretty Highway 6.

Oren said he hadn't downloaded the route, so he would be following me. We took our first rest break at a convenient potty at the top of the Rifle Gap climb. Two men in a fancy truck with Texas plates pulled over to check out our bikes. The older man had grown up in the area.

The overcast sky was breaking up some. We had more of a headwind than I planned. We should have the afternoon west tailwind, but it hadn't happened yet. Oren commented that temperatures were warmer than he expected. I think this is the third time this season I've worn shorts. It's been a long spring. Temps were in the 70's all day.

We continued on the bucolic backroads to a rollicking downhill run into New Castle. This was worth the climb!

We stopped at the bike shop in New Castle to buy me a spare set of brake pads and to tell Troy thank you for rebuilding Jacinto's rear wheel at the last minute. Jacinto found a broken spoke on his last ride. That wasn't good timing, although better than actually on tour. We had to conscript our daughter to pick up the correct length of spokes an hour away in Carbondale. Troy had spokes, but no spoke cutting machine. He said the machine is $7,000. and his new shop couldn't afford that. Troy finished building the wheel yesterday. Jacinto hasn't ridden it yet. Why take a test ride? It's much more fun to live on the edge!

After a potty break at the park, we discussed getting a cold drink. I estimated us to be an hour from the motel. Oren decided he could drink what he had on hand.

My hip had been doing fine pedaling. Any side motion, such as getting my leg over the frame, or twisting my foot out of the clip in pedals, was not so fun. But, as long as my leg was in line with my hip, I had no pain.

We rode a couple miles on Highway 6, to the interstate onramp. We had five miles to the West Glenwood exit. The side of the road was dirty with retread chunks. I hope one of us doesn't end up with a flat. The miles went by quickly. Oren and I regrouped at the Harley dealer, and then rode down Devereux Road. This kept us off of busy Highway 6 that much longer. At Two Rivers Park, our road ended, and we rode a few blocks to the Starlight Motel. The Silver Spruce is right across the street, and is our usual Glenwood Springs budget motel. This trip the Starlight was cheaper. I looked longingly at the neighboring Best Western. Nope. We are saving a few bucks while we can.

Our room is big enough for the bikes to fit comfortably. I did have a woman (the owner's wife?) follow me right into the room! She spoke with an accent and asked me if this is now a bicycle room. I replied yes, with hesitation. Then man checking us in had noted our bikes and said without any prompting from us to wheel them right in the rooms. The woman didn't stay long, or say anything else, but she sure did cause me pause, appearing through the open door as I wheeled the bike in.

This is a good location for food. Rosie's restaurant is next door. They have an excellent breakfast. It's a bit expensive. The Village Inn is across the street, as is Tequilla's Mexican food. Qdoba's is right behind the motel. Oren and I agreed on a fast shower, and then a quick bite to eat. I reminding him that it was now 2 PM, and we were supposed to eat diner at 5 PM. No matter, he was hungry. Oren ordered a mini bowl. I got a regular size, and saved half for Jacinto.

Now Oren is taking a nap, I'm writing this up, and Jacinto is in New Castle, according to the Strava link he sent me. Let's see how his day went.

Jacinto had a good ride. He took an extra road for more climbing. He said the bike felt strange, with heavy steering. He made sure to eat some pistachios when he got to the room to lighten his load.