July 9, 2006
Day 38: Pueblo, CO to Guffey, CO
86.30 Miles, 7:17:57 Ride Time, 12.04 Average Speed, 34.6 Maximum Speed
I got up fairly early, certainly earlier than I normally would on a Sunday morning - I wondered if this pattern would continue once I was back home, and decided that it probably would not.
While I was eating breakfast, a couple walked up to me and asked if I was riding across the country. Apparently the lady at the desk had told them about me yesterday (one of the nicer things about staying at a place that is a little off the route is that people you meet aren't as jaded - often they've never heard of anyone riding their bicycle across the country, and want to ask you lots of questions).
It turned out that this couple (the husband, at least), rode bicycles, and had in fact been in the area for an organized ride over the weekend. Apparently, they got rained on a lot. Everyone I had met in Pueblo the last few days had commented on the unusual amount of rain the area had been getting. I figured my mostly-rainless streak would be ending soon.
The traffic leaving the motel was much lighter this morning, and I didn't bother riding on the sidewalk. I stopped for some snacks at a "Loaf N Jug", a regional chain whose unusual feature is a drive-through - you can pick up a loaf of bread and a jug of milk without getting out of your car.
As usual in a larger town (and Pueblo was the largest town on the TransAmerica Trail), I had a little difficulty finding my way out of the town and back on the route. This time, the problem was that part of the city park, which my maps directed me to ride through, was closed due to flooding.
Eventually I found my way out of town, and back on to SR 96 again, which I would finally be finished with (after several days of riding) in about 25 miles. As I rode through the foothills of the Rockies, past large ranches, I saw dark clouds forming in the distance in a couple of directions. For some reason (the rest day yesterday?), it was hard to get interested in riding this morning - but the possibility of riding through a storm kept it from being boring.
I had been climbing gradually for days - Pittsburg, KS is at elevation 944 feet, while Pueblo is just under 4,700 - but today I would be tackling some hills. Canon City (at elevation 5,332) would be a short day. My goal was to get to Guffey, another 32.5 miles past Canon City, but at elevation 8,500, it would obviously require some significant climbing. I decided to get to Canon City and see how I felt.
There was only one real hill before I got to the first "town" after Pueblo - Wetmore, in which the only store was closed for Sunday. I rode a quick, mostly flat, ten miles to the next real town, Florence (pop. 3,653), while I kept an eye on a storm behind me. I stopped there for lunch at a fast food place, Carl's Jr. I'd never been in one of these places, which apparently are prevalent in the west. My burger and fries were good, certainly better than McDonalds (but then, what isn't?)
I rode the ten miles to Canon City (pronounced "canyon" city) on busy two lane SR 115. I started seeing cyclists - lots of them - participating in an organized ride, the "MS 150". At several places, local police were directing traffic (and cyclists) during this ride. I must admit to giving one of the policemen a little attitude when he tried to stop me from riding past his checkpoint - "Uhh, I'm not part of your little local ride or whatever." Not very mature of me, I'm afraid...
When I got to Canon City (pop. 15,431), I stopped at a convenience store for Gatorade and snacks, and tried to decided whether to try for Guffey. It was 2:00, hot, and the weather forecast was for storms in the afternoon. According to my "Bicycling the TransAm" book, there was a "Cabin B&B with outhouse" in Guffey. I called the number, and talked to a man there who said something like "You'd have to be superman to get from Canon City to Guffey before dark." What?! It's only 32 miles. Thus motivated, I rode out.
The first ten miles out of Canon City were on US 50, a four lane divided highway with a nice shoulder. It was a gradual climb almost the whole way. I saw dozens of MS 150 riders coming the other way, coasting on their light bikes, while I chugged along at 8 - 10 mph.
I rode past Royal Gorge, a sort-of-tacky touristy looking area, and turned onto State Route 9, an isolated two lane road with little traffic. There were more hills to climb, although none were in the same league as the Appalachians. I was more worried about the thunderstorms that I could see on all sides of me. Finally, with five miles to go, I got dumped on. I was soaked within a few minutes, having left my rain gear in my panniers. The last mile and a half climb in the rain to the tiny town of Guffey wasn't much fun. I stopped at the Bull 'N Bear Saloon to ask for directions to the "cabin B&B", and they told me to go just down the road to the "Guffey Garage".
I rode in the rain a few hundred feet to the Guffey Garage, which apparently hadn't been used as a garage in a long time. It was full of all kinds of interesting stuff; Bill, the man I had talked to on the phone earlier, was doing some welding on some sort of project for an artist friend of his, who was also hanging around. He immediately handed me a beer from the small refrigerator, and although I don't usually drink, I accepted it because 1) I was very thirsty, 2) I didn't see any soft drinks in his refrigerator, 3) I didn't want to offend the guy who apparently had the only place to stay on this rainy evening in Guffey.
I stood shivering in front of the wood stove in the garage until Bill's wife Colleen arrived. She showed me through the maze of small buildings to my home for the night - "The Hog Barn" There was no bathroom or running water, but there was electricity and a wood stove, and the price, $20, was certainly right. Next she drove me in her jeep through the maze of buildings to the building with a hot shower (included in the $20). After the shower, I was able with only a little difficulty to find myself back to the Hog Barn, while I contemplated my dinner options. They were apparantly limited to the Bull 'N Bear Saloon.
The rain had mostly stopped as I walked to the saloon. The small place was full of locals listening to a live three-piece band doing Beatles and Led Zeppelin covers. I sat at the bar and had a pulled-pork sandwich, fries and two pieces of pie. While I was eating, I talked to a local character, Joel, who asked questions about my trip, including how the elevation was affecting me. (After I told him it hadn't bothered me so far, he asked "Did you used to smoke?" "No." "What about pot?" "Uhh, no." "Oh, that's why you're not having any trouble with it.")
After dinner and my interesting conversation with Joel, I walked back to the Hog Barn, where I had the most difficulty sleeping since I last stayed in my tent, in Booneville, KY. In defense of the humble cabin, I will say that I never got cold, even though I was at elevation 8,500, and it was a cool night.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 86 miles (138 km)
Total: 2,423 miles (3,899 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |