Jackie’s avg speed: 9.6 mph
Scott’s avg speed: 11 mph
Weather: Overcast, 59 degrees, humid, slight northeast breeze

The unexpected delay made us keen to get back on the road as soon as humanly possible. The Pinion dealer in Denver said FedEx would deliver the replacement transmission before 15:00, but the motel owner said FedEx deliveries sometimes came in as early as noon. About 11:00 we packed our panniers, and Scott walked his bike over to the bike shop. The mechanic watched a video about how to replace the part to get ready to perform the operation. All of us were poised, ready to spring into action once the delivery came through.

Heart

1

Comment

0

Link

Log in to comment or reply

We sat in our room with the curtains open watching for the FedEx truck. Noon came and went, then 13:00, 13:30. At 13:50 when a white delivery van with the purple and orange logo turned in, Scott was out of the door in a flash. He went to the bike shop and I went to the sports store to get more mosquito repellent and then the grocery store for peanut M&Ms and nuts. About ten minutes after I got back, I heard a ching-ching, ching-ching. There was Scott, grinning from ear to ear, pedaling up to the door. We put the panniers on and were rolling away at 15:49. We were aiming for a national forest campground some 30 miles away before daylight faded. 

The first seven miles to Bessemer on a paved bike path were sheer joy, it felt so good to be moving again. At Bessemer, we stopped at a federal credit union to get some cash, but it had no ATM. (We look for ATMs in the same co-op as ours because they don’t charge a fee. Cheap, I know). A bank without an ATM? That was a first.

Heart

4

Comment

0

Link

Log in to comment or reply

The stretch of Highway 2 after Bessemer was two lanes with a decent shoulder, but a lot of grit, apparently left over from treating the road in winter. We took Old Highway 2, even though it meandered a bit and added some distance. We enjoyed the casual ride through a country neighborhood, being away from the noise and smelling the blooming dogwood and lilacs. 

After a few miles, we had to get back on Highway 2, but by now the traffic had thinned out. We had never launched a ride in the late afternoon before, nor felt the squeeze of having to arrive at a destination before dark. We pedaled a with a sense of purpose, relieved to be back on the road, absorbed in our favorite exercise. 

Our plan was to eat in Marenisco, then go two miles off route to a national forest campground, pitch our tent, and hit the hay. When we stopped at the “Two Fat Guys Bar and Grill,” daylight was fading and the chill caught up with us. Before we went inside, we noticed a city park across the street with a brand new pavilion and restrooms. The park in Towner, North Dakota where we camped last month had been fine. The park in Marenisco was even better, because it was new. We would skip the detour off route and camp here. 

The bar offered the standard fried food, actually a little heavy, but we enjoyed talking with the bartender. She said the park and pavilion had been built for ATVers and snowmobilers so they’d have a place to change clothes in the heated bathrooms after being outside all day. She did not think anyone would have a problem if we camped there.

Heart

3

Comment

0

Link

Log in to comment or reply

The other advantage of town was the chance to watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals. We had a little time after dinner before it started, so we set up camp. When we went back to the bar, the bartender turned on a second TV for us. A couple of guys who had been there since we arrived had a baseball game going on the other. They were deep into some discussion that we studiously avoided getting involved in. At half time, Golden State was down by 10 or 12 points, so we decided to call it a night. We had pitched the tent in the pavilion, but night lights had come on, so we picked it up and moved it to the grass. (It’s that lightweight and mobile). Nice and soft and quiet.