July 13, 2017
Redstone - Rifle, CO: Home, sweet home
I am certainly relaxed this trip. I wonder how many days I did not set an alarm? Today was one of those days. It was another downhill day. From a terrain standpoint, there was no reason to hurry. However, I did hope to beat the westerly afternoon winds.
Our very nice Redcliff Cabin did not have a fridge or a microwave. Or ice. When Andrea stopped by last night to check on us, I forgot to ask about any of those things. I debated eating cold oatmeal. That is a special kind of punishment. Instead I ate a leftover hard boiled egg and a Caveman Bar. That should get me downhill to Carbondale. Off I went at 8 AM. The sun was just starting to make an appearance on the mountains across the way.
I reflected on the trip as I pedaled lightly downhill at 16 mph. This is the life! It was 10 miles of no shoulder riding on Highway 133 before I reached the beginning of the bike path. Five more miles and I was in town. I debated going to the Village Smithy. That's a very popular sit down restaurant a few blocks off the bike path. Instead I opted for Dos Gringos, a burrito/coffee shop.
I was ready for lunch, but it was breakfast time. I had to get in the line and wait. I ordered the 1 pound gringo burrito. I ate the whole thing! There's nothing wrong with my cyclist appetite. While I was at Dos Gringos I got yesterday's photos uploaded. The internet in Redstone was dismal.
Back I went to the bike path. Why do bicycle riders on the bike path seldom wave or smile or in some other way acknowledge my greeting? Do I look like I"m having too much fun? Or does my recumbent just look too strange? I make it a point to greet everyone in some manner if it's a reasonably low amount of traffic. Yesterday while on Kebler Pass the thought crossed my mind that I was on a low traffic enough road to qualify for the greet every vehicle attitude.
One of the bikes I saw was actually a trike! How about that? I had a delightful conversation with Ted, who had just purchased his trike two weeks ago. He must be having a good time because his wife had a trike on order to be picked up soon.
On down the path I went. In no time at all I was at the terminus in Two Rivers Park. There is major road construction going on in Glenwood with a bridge replacement. Some of that construction has included remodeling the bike path. But look, they have a whole row of porta potties conveniently located. Guess what? They were all locked. Hrumph. I continued on. As I was making my way to the cinderblock bathroom building, I noted several other groups of potties. They must be getting ready for a big event. Perhaps a hot sauce tasting contest?
It was time to get on the interstate for seven miles. I switched my blinky on high and kept pedaling. The shoulder was very dirty. I didn't ride as far to the right as I would have because of the debris. Although I certainly wasn't too far left either. It's the interstate.
I was pleased that there wasn't a strong west wind. It made my final 20 miles home that much easier. I stopped once in New Castle at a potty and to top of my water bottle from my Hydro Flask. Ah! Cold ice water from Dos Gringos.
I averaged 12.5 mph for the day. It was another easy downhill day. This was the finish we should have had on the last trip. Instead the bike path was closed and we had to get a shuttle.
Home again. It's a little odd not having the transition time of driving home from the trip finish. Instead I wheeled the bike right in the door and faced a pile of mail and an empty refrigerator. First things first - shower!
I've gotten all of the household stuff lined out and now I have a chance to finish the journal. I added up the climbing for the trip, according to ridewithgps (which I heartily recommend for route planning/mapping) - we rode a total of 37,612 feet of elevation gain. Jacinto says his Strava was much more conservative.
It has been a good trip. I did not have any mechanical issues other than having the rear brake pads replaced. Jacinto had a flat on the interstate today - it WAS very dirty. That gave him two flats and a blow out on the new tire. He also had the pedal break. Luckily our daughter was nearby and able to bring him replacements. Otherwise he would have found something at a local bike shop, but it probably wouldn't have been his first choice. Plus we already had the spare tire and pedals at home.
It has been a few years since we've toured just the two of us. I think we did okay. Evenings weren't near as fun without other riders to trade stories.
I will probably be home a couple of days and then wish we had put up with the rain and gone to Taos anyway. The plan now is to switch to hiking mode and hopefully go back to Buena Vista and do some 14ers.
Thank you for reading along. It's always a pleasure.
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Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km)
Total: 599 miles (964 km)
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