ROUTE:
Rawlins to Walden CO |
DISTANCE:
110 miles |
TOTAL CLIMBING:
5267 feet |
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Garmin daily ride data
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and time compress our ride. )
DAILY REPORT: The
weather report for today was windy again (10 to 20 ktns) and sunny.
We
started the morning having a complimentary breakfast thanks to Tina of the
Quality Inn. Since we didn't have time last night, John, the Navigator for the
day; briefed the 110 mile ride from Rawlins to Walden CO. We were going to be
riding on I80 for aprox 15 miles this morning. We would be riding with a tail
wind on the interstate and then we would be heading due South and expecting to
have a strong cross wind.
We had met a couple last night and
they were in the restaurant for breakfast. Their names were Frank and Summer Bro. She was 80 yrs old and was sharp as a tack. Turns out when she retired at
age 65 she decided to ride RAGBRAI (Ride
across Iowa.) Very nice folks.
The interstate ride was very easy
and safe. There was a nice wide shoulder and we had the wind to our backs which
made for nice riding. We cruised along at 20+ mph the entire time. After we got
off the interstate we headed south and then had a stiff cross wind. It was
almost a repeat of yesterday with the strong winds. No fun here!!![](images/d17_jjJPG.jpg)
As the morning wore on, the wind
direction was shifting slightly so that we were getting the off our rear quarter
which significant assisted our riding efforts. When we met up w/ Skip for lunch;
we were ready for a break and recovery.
After lunch, our road changed
direction which put us in a tail wind and Life was Good!! We had a few large
"rollers' but nothing too bad. By the time we finished for the day we were
over 8,000 ft. The last 15 miles or so were really tough. The wind/road
combination placed the wind at our forward quarter and dropped our speed down
below 10 kts. We were very happy when we pulled into our hotel a little after 5
pm. One of the cool things for the boys was that we broke 50 mph on a bike. John
said he reached 53 mph -- now that's zipping right along on a bike!!
We
would like to thank Betty Lou, owner of the Hoover Roundup Motel for comp'ing
our rooms. Thank you very much!! Turns out she is related to President Hoover.
We met one of the motel regulars, Mickey who comes up here to fly fish a fair
amount. I had a very nice conversation on fishing w/ him until all the mosquitoes
drove me inside.....there were LOTS! He is supposed to be coming out to Seattle
next year and I told him to look me up and I would introduce him to salmon
fishing on a fly rod.
For dinner we ate at the Moose
Creek Cafe'. Very good "home cooked meal".
At the end of the meal we met the owner, Jerry and told him about our charity
ride and what we were doing. Turns out that last week over 350 cyclist passed
through Walden.....Jerry is also the President of the Chamber of Commerce. Once
we got talking about the WWP; his entire family was connected to the military
from both his parents being in the AF and his brother and sister being in the
Army and Navy. What a great patriotic family!! He invited us back for breakfast
tomorrow morning his treat. I am just totally blown away by how nice folks have
been to us on this trip so far. Just amazing! That's what makes this country so
great!
Today Colorado was our fifth state
and our 6th century ride. Tomorrow will be number 7 with a fair bit of climbing.
Weather looks good! We'll keep our fingers crossed!
Thanks for joining
us.....ride safely and keep the wind to your back!!
The Riding4Hope Team
(David, John, James & Skip)
Signing out 7/14/09; 0025
YOU DON'T SAY:
James - "I am not
looking forward to biking w/ all this wind today."
John - At dinner "I
am really hungry tonight. I'll order the biggest thing on the
menu."
David - "My butt
hurts!"
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DID I REALLY DO THAT?:
On one occasion after
climbing a large hill James need to go to the bathroom badly and there
were no facilities readily available. While taking a leak a large gust
of wind blew and he relearned the old saying "Never pee into the
wind!!"
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PHOTOS OF THE DAY |
![](images/d17_breakfast.JPG)
Morning
breakfast with everyone looking all bright eyed and bushy tailed. John is
briefing everyone on today's ride, water stops, and lunch.
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We road along I80 for 15
miles. Shoulder conditions were good and the drivers gave us a wide berth
when passing. And we had a 20+ knot tailwind which was very nice!!
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This is the wagon tire
tracks form the Overland Trail which was used from 1861 to 1868. Just
amazing that 150 years later you can still see the tire ruts. On a good
day they would average 10 miles/day.
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Out in the middle of no
where and as soon as we stop for a break both John & James break out
the phones to stay current on their text'ing. Addicted comes to mind!!
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It was on this hill that we
all broke 50+ mph on a bike. You got to love hills like this! Too bad for
every hill we go down there is another one we have to climb!
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Skip at a water stop on the
WY/CO line. You never want to fall a sleep around John & James because
you just never know what they are up to!!
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More
photos on Facebook Album
Yesterday
Tomorrow
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