Whereas in my last entry I said that crossing the continental divide was not as hard as I had imagined, day two of crossing the Rockies certainly picked up the slack.
We started the day in Hot Sulfur Springs with our destination Estes Park, CO. About 20 miles into the day we stopped in Grand Lake, CO; a picturesque community on a lake at the base of 14,000ft peaks. We grabbed lunch while Abby got her derailer adjusted.
From there we began what would be the most miserable experience I can remember. As we began climbing into Rocky Mountain National Park, Abby powered up the hill as has become the custom this past week and I took a few deep breaths and began putting one pedal in front of the other, knowing it would not be over any time soon.
Warmer winters have caused a plague
of beetles that are rapidly destroying
Colorado's lodgepole pine forests |
However, we had checked the weather that morning and discovered it would be like this for the next two weeks with thunderstorms each afternoon. Figuring I would face it now or later, I pushed on. Conditions deteriorated enough that I took shelter for short periods wherever I could find it; in woods off the side of the road, rest stops, etc. But with each break I just got a little more tired, cold and wet so I stopped taking them. My rain jacket and warm clothes were in my dry bag which I didn't dare open as my laptop was on top and would be soaked within seconds if I pulled it out in the storm.
The climb was 28 miles long, with a series of switchbacks and road works in several places often cut the road down to one gravel lane. I had forgotten my tire pump, so to cut the risk of popping a tire I walked my bike along these unpaved stretches, getting splashed as passing cars hit potholes filled with rainwater. By the time I reached the visitor center at what I believed was the top of the mountain (it turned out to be another five miles) I had stopped shivering and feeling cold but could not unclench my hands from the handlebars. I took this to be a bad sign.
As I sat inside to thaw out, numerous people noticed my unusual attire (most ran inside from their heated cars to buy a 'this car climbed Trail Ridge Road' bumper sticker) and asked me if I had just biked up the pass. I told them no, I just like wearing wet spandex. It is hard not to be a little spiteful under the circumstances.
I worked up the nerve to finish the pass and got back on the bike wearing every piece of clothing I have with me, hoping that by the time the water made it through all the layers I would be down the mountain and done for the day. The last few miles were entirely unpaved and took twice as long as they would have otherwise with my walking. When I made it to the summit I almost went right by; there were no noticeable signs, just a bunch of people stopping to take photos of the clouds that were now under us with peaks poking out in the distance. It was quite a view, there was even a herd of elk and the sun broke few for a few minutes. Long enough for me to break out the video camera.
When the skies opened up again I took the monsoon as a hint and started the descent. I thought I had been cold on the way up. Boy was I wrong. The temperature was probably the same, but moving at 25-30mph in soaking wet spandex made it feel like I was wrapped in ice. I had not noticed during the last two days of climbing but my rear brake pads were worn down to nothing, so with only my front brakes I slid down the 20 mile descent.
By the time I made it to town, Abby, who had arrived four hours prior had called the Forest Service to search for my remains. I called off the hunt and made for the showers, then the grocery store where I amassed a dinner that would do a competitive eater proud. We got a cheap motel room (way too cold to camp) and I fell into the deepest sleep I have found in a long time.
My the next morning we woke up and rolled the quick 40 miles into Boulder, CO. Where we are taking a full one-week break! I have been thoroughly enjoying the R&R... then again this whole trip would qualify as vacation for the majority of people.
I have not been just sitting around collecting dust, so far this week I have made it up to New Belgium Breweries, a employee owned company making great strides towards sustainability while making awesome beer, spoke with two researchers from NCAR and I even got a chance to sit down with a sustainability superhero - Hunter Lovins! Hunter started and ran the Rocky Mountain Institute for two decades and now runs her own non-profit called Natural Capitalism. More on that later. Our video editor is making some headway in getting interviews chopped down into a palatable form - stay tuned.
Note: Interview/itinerary suggestions for the trip can be emailed to me.
| Ride To Sustain will pass through the following cities: San Francisco, CA – Sacramento, CA – Reno, NV – Salt Lake City, UT – Denver, CO – Omaha, NB – Des Moines, IA – Chicago, IL – Detroit, MI – Cleveland, OH – Pittsburgh, PA – Washington, DC – Philadelphia, PA – New York City, NY – Hartford, CT – Boston, MA |
