Day17

(This is cool if you like lots of data! It may take a few seconds to load but you can hit play 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!!

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!

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!"

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!!"

PHOTOS OF THE DAY
Morning breakfast with everyone looking all bright eyed and bushy tailed. John is briefing everyone on today's ride, water stops, and lunch.	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!!
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.	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!!
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!	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!!

Day 17 (Tue 7/14/09)

The Rockies are insight!!

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