June 26, 2005
Day 40: Rifle Gap to Meeker
Today I woke up to a glorious sagebrush-scented morning - loaded up - and took off for the reservoir. Unfortunately, the park office at the entrance didn't open until 9:00 and all the spigots were under locked plates. It's a reservoir and you can't get any water. So I just chilled.
The ride up West Rifle Creek was lovely - hills, rocks, meadows - and shade every mile or so. Topping out, I came upon a stunning field covered entirely in balsamroot - bordered by a lodgpole fence.
There were also sheep grazing alongside the road. No fences - just lots of sheep. Sheep ain't too smart - especially the domesticated variety. They wouldn't even move. But the sheep dogs sure did. As they came charging at me, I hightailed it out of there.
Little did I know that the ride down would prove something else entirely. Here I was thinking it would be a breeze getting to Meeker and I hit 6 inches of slimy mud - bentonite - the stuff kitty litter is made out of. My bike wheels locked up and I fell - a couple of times. Then I discovered that I could not even walk in the slime. I guess it was from all the rain we had last night. But this was supposed to be a county road - Hah! I got off the road and carried my bike maybe a half-mile.
I got to Meeker covered in mud from head to toe. My bike and panniers were covered in mud, too. I had to spend $5 at the car wash - two runs - to get most of the mud off. Then I found a hose outside of the chamber of commerce office and kept cleaning. Plus I had a slow leak to patch. Boy was I grumpy.
I went out to the far edge of town to the grocery store for supplies and came back and had a late lunch on the square. It was already late when I left town. At the convenience store at the highway junction, a young woman convinced me to quit early. There was a campground just across the highway next to the White River. I was frustrated. I was pooped. It was the smart thing to do.
Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km)
Total: 1,989 miles (3,201 km)
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