June 30, 2016
DAY 32: Silverthorne to Hartsel: "Today I was high, wet, and scared"
DAILY STATS
Mileage: 58.3
Average Speed: 11.6 mph
Maximum Speed: 32.4 mph
The emotions I felt today were just so remarkably varied. I hope this post can convey to you why.
After a wonderful night's rest and a beautiful, nutritious breakfast at my godfather's place, I was driven back to Silverthorne to continue my journey. I was so joyful that we were able to meet up, albeit briefly.
At 12:45 I started pedaling up towards Breckenridge, and very quickly the rain started to come down. I layered up and pressed on. I took a decent rest stop in Breckenridge to catch my breath and recharge. The altitude was really starting to hit me, and my lips, fingers, and toes were all tingling. And I still has some 1700 feet to go.
I numbly got back on the road and continued my upward trek, passing 10000 and 11000 feet in mostly cloudy skies.
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I finally reached the summit of Hoosier Pass (11542 feet) just before 5pm. This pass is a particularly big deal because it's the highest pass on the TransAm. I was so darn pleased with myself and truly felt accomplished.
After many a picture I started down, and the rain rolled in again. I was hauling butt, though, and made it through the next two towns with ease.
Just three miles from Hartsel, my destination for the evening, cloud-to-ground lightning started to occur. It was genuinely frightening, so I went to the nearest building. Luckily, several ranch hands invited me in to wait it out, and I got to enjoy their talk of ranch life. Oh, and a cold beer.
The lightning subsided after about an hour, and I finished the last three miles in moderate rain. After chatting for a few minutes with a supported group of cyclists, the cafe owner in Hartsel showed me a place to sleep across the street. And that's how I ended up camped put next to an old dump truck. Unfortunately I don't have a picture because it was very dark and rainy!
Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 2,092 miles (3,367 km)
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