Category: The motivation to move

Nebraska 2010 – Day 31

Nebraska 2010 – Day 31

E Sharp

Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area, NE to Julesburg, CO: What’s that stinky chick doing in the Welcome Center?

Saturday June 5, 2010, 50 miles (81 km) – Total so far: 1,298 miles (2,088 km)

So last night was a Friday and there were several people rolling in late in the evening for their weekend of camping. About midnight, a car comes and the two blokes decide to set up directly across the gravel road from me. There’s a million other places they could camp in the huge area, but no, it has to be right there. And so, for the next two hours, I listen to them as they pound in tent pegs, chop wood and make all sorts of noise. I figure they must be building the Taj Mahal over there. By 2:30 am, I’ve had enough. My alarm is set for 4:30am, so I’m pissed. I put on some clothes and start to unzip and open the tent. They hear this and immediately shut up and stay quiet from then on. Thanks. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 43

E Sharp

Carbondale: Hiking Avalanche Creek

Thursday June 17, 2010

Today is planned as a rest day and time to explore around Carbondale. Neither of us have ever been in this part of Colorado. We get some ideas for hiking from the local forest service office and we decide to head down to Avalanche Creek for the day. Mom hates driving on gravel roads, and we have to drive a very narrow and rough one to get to the trailhead. Applause, applause to Mom for going outside of her comfort zone. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 32

Colorado 2010 – Day 32

E Sharp

Julesburg to Sterling: Sprinting to beat the storm

Sunday June 6, 2010, 63 miles (102 km) – Total so far: 1,361 miles (2,190 km)

There’s a brief thunderstorm in the morning, so I wait until the roads have dried up a bit before heading off. I stop at the little supermarket in Julesburg to get food for today and tonight. The checkout woman asks where I’m headed. I tell her, ‘Colorado Springs, but just to North Sterling Reservoir for tonight’. She replies, ‘Watch out for the rattlesnakes. They’ve really started to come out. My niece lives near there and they’ve just had tons of them in the past two weeks’. I thank her for the tip. I’ll keep a watch out, but reptiles don’t really scare me, just lightning. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 44

Colorado 2010 – Day 44

E Sharp

Carbondale to Paonia: The toughest climb of the trip

Friday June 18, 2010, 54 miles (87 km) – Total so far: 1,751 miles (2,818 km)

Once again I’m up early. The ride up the Crystal River is one of those imperceptible grades where you, at times, think you are going downhill and think you must have a tire going flat because you’re going so slowly, only to realise that you are actually climbing. There’s not too much traffic and it’s yet another beautiful ride up a canyon. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 33

Colorado 2010 – Day 33

E Sharp

Sterling to Brush: The green patch

Monday June 7, 2010, 40 miles (64 km) – Total so far: 1,401 miles (2,255 km)

Today I’m riding Hwy 6 to Brush. The scenery is more Platte River valley agriculture, a hill or two here and there, and not all that much traffic. I’m roughly following the Overland Trail today (and have been since entering the state). The Overland Trail started in Atchison, Kansas and paralleled the Oregon, Mormon and California trails through Nebraska. It broke off at Julesburg and followed the path used by hopeful miners in the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 45

Colorado 2010 – Day 45

E Sharp

Paonia to Gunnison: If only more roads were like Hwy 92

Saturday June 19, 2010, 81 miles (130 km) – Total so far: 1,832 miles (2,948 km)

I have about 80 miles to do today to Gunnison. I’ve never been over here before so don’t know what to expect. I’m up and on the road before the sun makes it over the mountains. I take the back way over to Crawford. It’s a county road with quite a few ups and downs, but it has good pavement and is a nice alternative to Hwy 92. There are deer bounding down the main street of Crawford this morning. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 34

Colorado 2010 – Day 34

E Sharp

Brush to Limon: The magic shoulder

Tuesday June 8, 2010, 76 miles (122 km) – Total so far: 1,477 miles (2,376 km)

As I’m leaving early in the morning, I notice that there are two storm chaser trucks parked out front. Okay, so they don’t look like the trucks from Twister, but the satellite dish looking thing and the logos on the door make them pretty obvious. I will have four different sets of these from different organisations pass me today. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 46

E Sharp

Gunnison: Jenny joins the ride

Sunday June 20, 2010

Today’s a rest day and the day my friend Jenny joins us. She has convinced a co-worker to drive her here from Fort Collins so she can ride the last 10 days of the tour. Jen and I were thrown together as roommates in the dorms at Colorado State my freshman year (1994). We became good friends and have stayed in touch all these years, even though our lives are vastly different. She’s one of those friends where you pick up right where you left off no matter how long it’s been since you last saw each other. Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 35

Colorado 2010 – Day 35

E Sharp

Limon to Falcon: There’s mountains ahead somewhere

Wednesday June 9, 2010, 61 miles (99 km) – Total so far: 1,538 miles (2,475 km)

When I wake up it’s drizzly and foggy. I pack up wet, put on my rain jacket and tights and head off at 7am. I pick up two donuts at a shop in town (it’s pretty impossible to find good donuts in Oz) and head off on Highway 24 towards Colorado Springs. There’s plenty of climbing to do today. Lots of little hills between these towns as well as the general upward trend from Limon (elevation 5377): Matheson (5801), Simla (5978), Ramah (6118), Calhan (6535), Peyton (6780) and Falcon (6831). Read more →

Colorado 2010 – Day 47

Colorado 2010 – Day 47

E Sharp

Gunnison to Taylor Park Reservoir: The cabin de los muertos

Monday June 21, 2010, 36 miles (58 km) – Total so far: 1,868 miles (3,006 km)

It’s a short ride today to Taylor Park Reservoir to set us up to climb Cottonwood Pass tomorrow. You could potentially do Gunnison to Buena Vista in a day, but I felt that might put us up above treeline right about time for afternoon storms, so I broke the day in two when doing the planning a couple years ago. I figured we could always find a place to go hiking in the afternoon. Read more →