Let the windy season begin!

It’s starting to become an issue how much I drool. I put a napkin next to my stuff sack pillow because I know I will need it at least twice throughout the night. I’m teaching myself how to sleep on my back, but no luck. Last night went into the low 40’s, but I actually slept pretty well under the circumstances. I’ve learned the perfect attire to stay warm, but not overheated. We all woke up around 6 AM, with plans to hit up the local cafe by 7 AM. Alex was the last to pack up, as usual! He pointed out frost that formed on his backpack, an indication of the temperatures we are sleeping in. The restaurant was called Glory Hole Cafe. You dirty mind you. The inside was actually well decorated and the waitress was super kind. I ordered some coffee and Tim and Alex grabbed some breakfast. We planned our day to ride 55 miles into Walden, Colorado to sleep in the city park. By 8:15 AM we were rolling out, heading for the outside western parts of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Our first 10 miles were quite easy, and we started stripping off layers of clothes to our base layer. We were about to start climbing another continental divide on and off over the next 20 miles. We all have our own pace of riding, so we climbed and rode our own pace. The park was absolutely magnificent. Very light traffic, beautiful stream, dense foiliage, enormous rock structures, and perfect temperatures. I was blown away that we saw zero moose along the stream, but we were likely too late in the day for that. The day before I downloaded an old Good Charlottle album for the early 2000’s, and sang out loud for over an hour, feeling like I had the whole park to myself. Eventually, the real climbing began. The nice part about Colorado has been the steady inclines, so as long as you’re properly shifted, you can handle the climbs with ease. I made it to the top of Willow Creek a pass, which stood at 9,621 ft. We snapped some pictures and what not, but we were more ready for the decline!

We took off, pedaling easily over 30 mph for quite some distance. With only 30 miles to go, I figured this would be a quick trip to town. I was wrong. Once we hit the open highlands of the area, we were blasted with a headwind/crosswind. You’re instantly slowed down, and now a downhill becomes a working pedal. Sometimes it’s defeating, knowing you could be flying right now, but you’re getting blown back or sideways. There were points where you rode slightly tilted or you’d be pushed over. Fortunately, the town of Rand offered a pivotal lunch break. Our maps indicated zero services in this town, but upon further inspection the town store had coffee, drinks, and even snacks. I finished up my peanut butter bagel and went inside for a well deserved coffee. The owner warned the coffee was strong. “I like my coffee how I like my tequila” I didn’t actually say that, but I was happy it was strong.

Knowing the wind wasn’t going any where, we pushed on for another 22 miles. Had there not been beautiful scenery around me, I would have been furious. I can deal with a headwind, you just do it, but when the road is absolute shit, that’s when I get annoyed. Imagine you’re riding 10 mph, on a fully loaded bike, and every two seconds you’re forced over a respectable crack. Now do this for 20 miles, and explain to me why screaming out loud saying “EFFFF THIS” isn’t justifiable. Nevertheless, you always make it to your destination, so I just got over it eventually with music.

We finally made our way into Walden, and the first biker I see is George from Richmond! Always nice to catch up with him, but I wanted to hit up the library for water, charging, and time out of the wind. I approached the librarian with a smile, and the first thing she says is “Here’s the wifi password, but you can’t charge anything here.” “Ohh, why?” “It’s a board policy.” Okay? I filled up my water bottles, and three minutes later I left. Decided a coffee at a restaurant was better. Later, we grocery shopped at Family Dollar, and rolled to the city park. The gazebo was excellent for our three tents, but man was it buggy. Mosquitoes swarmed us in seconds, so we had to cover ourselves head to toe to prevent getting eaten alive. I’ve never set my tent up quicker, and I enjoyed my dinner in the comforts of my living space. Alex and I struck up a deal, if I cooked him meals at night, he would share parts of his breakfast. Donzo. Anything is worth a piece of pancake in the AM, in my expert breakfast opinion.

I was able to phone my better half back home and hear her lovely voice when she started feeding the kittens and Biscuit. It’s a high pitched tone, but it always makes me smile. Back in the pavilion, I noticed someone had left an unopened brewski, likely from bikers leaving it there last night. I said if 9 PM comes around and it’s not claimed, were sharing it amongst ourselves. 9:01 *siizzz* CHUG, CHUG, CHUG! Best warm beer of my life. Like the wind, the mosquitos surprisingly died down as well. We all climbed into our tents, and agreed an earlier start is a MUST to avoid the headwinds. Tonight is expected to hit the upper 30’s; bring it on biotch.

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