September 13, 2024
Day 26: Hartsel to Salida and beyond!
I woke up before the alarm today, as with most days. It must mean that I’m getting enough sleep. We decided today that we’d eat our own breakfast since we didn’t need to carry it another 100 km. We had also just enjoyed 3 restaurant meals in 2 days so it didn’t feel that novel. I’ve been increasing the calorie intake of the sugary oatmeal packets by adding in either cranberries or raisins and walnuts. After breakfast we rolled the bikes over to the diner for a coffee to warm up and allow the sun a bit more time to warm things up. In hindsight the best bike conditions were at the start of the day when the wind was down.
In the diner we saw all our bikepacking companions who were enjoying the amenities before hitting the gravel again. We started riding just before 8 and we were into gravel after a short piece on pavement. The conditions were pretty terrible at first with complete washboard. It wasn’t really a surprise when we saw a guy tearing around a corner at what appeared to be 90 km/hr. I thought he would drift the corner he was going so fast.
Eventually the bumps subsided and while we were peeling some layers our new Aussie friend went screaming by us. He was alone which was a surprise as he is doing this trip with his wife. I figured she was riding with the other group but later found they ride separately for a time to maintain marital bliss. Smart! I said to Peter that we could use his figure in the distance as a training partner. That was motivation enough for me to start cranking the pedals and 10 minutes later I was riding beside Jason and Peter was right behind. We had a great conversation with him about the differences between cultures and what it’s like in Australia. He’s an interesting guy who plays in a band and seems to have experienced a lot of what life has to offer with copious amounts of adventure travel.
While we were riding at about 9:30 there was a significant change in the wind conditions and it started to feel like riding into town. Nonetheless we kept pedalling hard and said goodbye to Jason after about 40 km at about 11 and kept going. We knew there was a 4-500 m climb up before we’d have a long descent into Salida. There was talk of trying to do the climb before lunch but then we hit a shady section and decide to eat early.
We powered down a huge portion of Spanish rice, black beans and corn which has become a go-to meal. The climb up was great. The road conditions were favourable and we entered a much more forested area with aspens turning colours and grasslands that were very colourful. Although it was beautiful we didn’t see any views until we crested and rolled around a corner and then we had epic views of mountains on the full horizon. Peter commented that several of the peaks were part of Colorado’s famous 54 peaks that are 14,000 feet plus. At the top we were at 3000 m. We enjoyed the view for a few minutes and then started a fantastic descent with a grade that kept the speed in control so we could navigate the corners easily on the right side of the road. We saw a few jeeps on the way down and ended up dropping 800 m over about 10 km in one shot.
Approaching Salida on pavement we had good views of the city and it sits in a nice valley surrounded by mountains everywhere. It looks like a nice place to live although we didn’t explore much because we had a plan to hit Walmart and carry on for another 20 km more before camping. In Walmart I was most excited about getting the peanut butter and jelly combination and bagels, although I found a tasty Indian meal for tonight’s dinner as well.
Out of Salida by 3 pm we had to spend 10 km climbing on a highway. It wasn’t pleasant but we got it done and turned off for another 8 km of climbing. I hit a wall near the end and felt like having a tantrum when the campground sign said 1/2 mile and it was a 12-15 degree angle with switchbacks all the way. I stopped partway and ate 3 Oreos to try and right myself.
Success! We made it to the National campground and it’s very nice with a lake, running water, and pit toilets. Peter is most excited for a picnic table and I have to agree it feels like a luxury to be able to lean your bike against something and sit for meals.
We managed to ride half of the big 1000 m climb out of Salida. Tomorrow morning we are going to ride a brief section of hiking trail hoping to connect to the road that continued climbing after we detoured to the camp. It would be a letdown to ride back down to the road only to have to regain that elevation. Fingers crossed. It could be several kilometres of hiking with our bikes.
Tonight we were talking about how fortunate we’ve been with weather and forest fires. We’ve only had 3 rain events and we haven’t had a rainy day yet. We diverted around the two fires and that ended up being picturesque riding. And soon we will be through Colorado and there won’t be much fire risk at all. Our big remaining risk is rain in New Mexico. They get mud famously called peanut butter mud. You must stop or risk destroying your bike while getting nowhere. And that’s a problem because then your food and water supplies are at risk. We will plan accordingly.
We are onto the second last map for the trip with less than 1500 km to go. It sounds like a lot but we are well over 2700 km now and right on track with our original plan of completion in 40 days. We’ve started talking about the end of ride logistics. There is a fair bit of figuring left to do because the trail ends at the border which is essentially just a fence. There isn’t a city for miles and miles. We need to coordinate a shuttle, and also find a bike shop with a boxing service. And then we need to find flights. I spitballed the idea of renting a car to Phoenix so we could get a direct flight to Vancouver but we need to sit down with good service..and time…and formulate a plan.
Highlights:
-diner coffee
-chatting with Jason
-climbing up to descend down into Salida
-nice campground
-great colours and views from the top
Distance - 101 km / 1462 m elevation gain
Today's ride: 101 km (63 miles)
Total: 2,970 km (1,844 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 9 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |