Author: Greg Pezoldt

Before I hit the road this morning, I had some unfinished business. I had to met Rosemary’s donkeys, Ginny and Paco.

Then, I tried out her “e-bike”. That was pretty cool. It gave me all sorts of ideas. Ideas of pitching my Fuji. Wait. That would be wrong. For the purpose of this trip anyway. I need to ride this tour using my legs and gravity. Nothing else. But in the future, who knows.

So I said good bye to Rosemary. She is a really nice person and was a great host.

Now it is on to Paonia and some lunch. Paonia is a pretty cool little town with a lot of character. It was only 11 miles by back roads from Hotchkiss so I would need to get a plan for the afternoon. I went over to the Forest Service Ranger Station to sort out the camping option for this evening.

The options were to stop at Paonia Reservoir or pushing up toward McClure Pass. I decided to see what the reservoir option liked liked. Once there, it looked pretty bleak. The water level was so low that the reservoir was just a muddy shoreline. Plus, the campground had no water. I decided to rest there for an hour and then start heading up McClure Pass around 4:30. It was about 12 miles to the FS Campground just below the summit. I got there about 6:00. It was full but one of the campers said I could share his spot. That was welcome news and it worked out fine.

I chose to ride through Colorado so I could ride through their mountains. Maybe I should be careful of what I wish for. These are serious mountains. At least so far, McClure Pass was reasonable, but I would have 2 more miles to tackle in the morning.

We will see how that goes, but not until after a night’s sleep.

Well, today I did get back on the road. I hope my flat tire problems are behind me, at least for a while.

Today I would finally turn easterly again. For the first time in 1000 miles and Whitefish. It would also be into the desert again. Delta, CO would be my goal for the day. It was not a hard ride. Rolling hills and not much wind at all. No towns for 40 miles though.

The country was dry and desert, but the east was dominated by the Grand Mesa.

There is a ride option to ride over the Grand Mesa. I opted for No this time.

I got to Delta for lunch. I also was searching for. Camping option nearby I found lunch, but no camping options that were convenient. So after waiting a few hours, I took off heading for Hotchkiss, 20 miles down the road. The temperatures “cooled” to the low 90’s and there was a tailwind. An easy decision.

I called Rosemary Ranck. She is the cousin of my friend Carol Ranck to let her know I was coming. You might remember Carol from Rest Day 1.

Anyway, Rosemary met me in Hotchkiss at a local restaurant. We had a nice dinner and then she loaded my bike into her Prius and drove to her house.

I got to sleep on the patio, which is a cool deck with chairs, table, and a hanging bed about 50 yards from her “off the grid” house. Very cool.

I was happy to have been back on the road again with no problems. And I was happy to be sleeping on the patio tonight.

I needed to take a rest day. I have been riding for 13 straight days and was feeling it. I just wasn’t sure where to take a day off.

Today was SUPPOSED to be a ride day. It started off as one, until I went out to load up the bike and found my rear tire flat. That seemed odd but no big deal. I fixed the flat, said good bye to the Louck’s and headed out. I was going to go by a bike shop to top off my air pressure first though. The shop I went to was closed for Sunday so I went across the street to a gas station to get some food for the day’s journey. Then I noticed that my tire was flat again. WHAT? that does not seen right. I called the Louck’s and said I was going to walk back to their houses d figure out what was going on.

Once back at their house, iTools the tire off the rim and examined it. I discovered that grim tape had “squirmed” and left several of the nipple holes exposed. The inner tube had been rubbing on the sharp metal edge. I would have gotten a new flat tires about every 2 miles without fixing that problem. Riding today was now out the window.

Next was trying to resolve the rim tape problem. With the help of the entire Louck’s family we found an open bike shop in Fruita, CO. We drove over and got some new rim tape on my rear rim. Then it was back to the house to put the tire back on. About 2 hours later and enough frustration to last an entire lifetime, I could not get the tire back on without rolling the new rim tape. I have never had this problem before or have even heard of anyone having this problem. Period! So it was back to the bike shop. After their tech struggled for half an hour, he finally put a different kind of rim tape in and was able to get the tire in without rolling the tape.

So now with tire outback together I was ready to ride the next day. I think the universe was just telling me that this was the day to rest!

There was an additional benefit to the rest day. We allée t over to the Louck’s daughter Robin’s house for a BBQ. The food was terrific.

I had gotten my rest day. Whether I wanted it or not.

Here is a photo of Bob and Erma Loucks. Great hosts and friends.

Some Stats:

Miles Ridden: 2166

Crosses the Continental Divide: 6

Highest Elevation: 8428

National Parks: 5

National Monuments: 3

State Parks: 6

Flat Tires: 3

Miles on Bike paths: 105

Today, I really got up early. Nothing like being in the middle of nowhere for motivation.

Yesterday, I had walked up the road to scout the rest of the climb up Douglas Pass. It would get steeper than yesterday but the nights rest helped. The 1.5 mile climb up to the summit elevation of 8,266 went pretty easy although there was no sign at the top. Then a great downhill where I did not turn a pedal for almost 10 miles. Yowser! I just had to dodge the cows that were scattered along the road since it was all open range.

The descent was fast and I quickly returned to the scrubland of the Colorado desert. After 36 miles, I again found civilization in the town of Loma. They said I would have to travel 5 more miles to Fruita to find a restaurant so civilization might have been a slight stretch.

But fruita was nice. I had a real nice lunch and then it was only 11 miles to Grand Junction, my destination for the day.

11 miles huh? With being so close, I decided to take a side trip to the Colorado National Monument right here. Plus it would pop out in GJ so I wouldn’t have to backtrack. Great idea.

29 miles later and 2200 vertical feet later I was questioning what a great idea it was. And did I mention it was pretty hot?

But it really was worth it.

After the initial 4 mile climb, it wasn’t so bad. Well except for the heat. Did I mention it was hot?

After a much needed descent I found myself at the city limits of Grand Junction at a convenience store. I was pretty thirsty. I casually inquired to the clerk if he knew the outside temperature. He said 105F. Did I mention it was hot?

I had made plans a long time ago to stay with the Louck’s. Bob and Erma Loucks are the parents of one of my best high school friends and just really great people. Bob came and picked me up at that point. I was done riding for the day.

They really made me feel right at home. We all went over to their daughter Robin’s house and I met the whole family and their friends. A good time was had by all.

For me, I got up early since I didn’t want any sprinklers to soak me down and I didn’t want to scare any children who might want to play at the park before it got too hot.

I made really good time riding to Rangely, CO. So good that I ended up having breakfast instead of lunch at the local cafe.

I made a point of getting extra water for today’s ride. It was 73 miles to the next town and I was not going to make it that far today. I would need to camp along the way.

I rode for about an hour when I saw a simple generic rest stop sign. I needed to rest so it seemed like a good idea to stop. Once there, I found out there was a trail that lead to a great collection of ancient Native American wall art.

It really was excellent and it was just luck that I stopped. I should point out that I would have never stopped if I had been driving! Another reason I like bicycle touring so much are the unanticipated things that one might have missed otherwise.

Now back riding after an hour and a half break I found myself pedaling into a modest headwind. No one should ever say I don’t learn from my mistakes. After an hour of this torture, I took another break. Both to let the temperature drop a little and to see if the wind would change. For once, patience won out. The wind did stop for the most part.

Now for the next hurtle. That would be Douglas Pass. It was my plan to ride up most of the way and camp below the summit. The climb was very gradual and the scenery gradually changed from canyon land to mountainous.

About 6:30, I found a flat place to set up camp. It was ‘t very elegant. Latterly a wide spot on the road. I set the tent up about 150 feet from the road but nobody bothered me at all. One person did stop to inquire if everything was alright. He even have some extra Gatorade that he gave me. Another unexpected act of kindness. I think I have a lot of Karma to give back to the world after this trip.

Today’s plan was simple. Ride to Jensen, Utah, take a shuttle to the Dinosaur National Monument visitor’s center, tour the fossil quarry, ride to Rangely, CO and camp. Easy.

The plan started to divulge almost immediately. In Jensen, I found out I had to ride 7 miles to the Monument visitor’s center. That would be an extra, unexpected 14 miles for the day’s ride. Next, I suffered my first flat tire of the trip. So getting that all behind me, I finally arrived at my the visitor’s center. Much later than I had planned.

But is worth it. The Dinosaur National Monument is cool.

In 1909, a fossil hunter found a few dinosaur bones. It turned to be an entire hillside littered with thousands of dinosaur bone fossils. Now the hill is covered under an entire building.

There are AT LEAST 1500 bones that are exposed inside the building. If you have any interest in paleontology this is a “must see”.

Now returning to the bike I pedaled back the 7 miles to the Hwy. By now, the temperature is nearing triple digits and it is the hottest part of the day so I am going to take a different tactic. First, I am only going to go as far as the town of Dinosaur saving 18 miles of riding. Second, I am taking refuge at a picnic area until 4:30 and letting the temperature drop to something more reasonable.

So at 4:30 I was rested and cooked off enough to proceed. But was still hot! I had to drink every 2 miles because my mouth would get so dry I felt my throat constrict.

About 3 miles from Dinosaur, I crossed into Colorado.

Way back in the 3rd or 4th day of the trip, I was riding with a local from Whidbey Island in Washington who was originally from Colorado. I mentioned that I had never cycled a single pedal stroke there. We both agreed that that was “just wrong”. That situation is now resolved!

In Dinosaur, I found a local cafe for dinner and then settled in to camp at the city park. Right in the middle of the play area on nice soft level wood chips. A softer camp site for sure. Hope the dinosaurs don’t get me tonight.

I felt a lot better this morning. I think the rest helped.

I talked to this person who said that my destination of Vernal, Utah was downhill. That sounded great to me. So off I went on another sunny morning.

So where was this “downhill”? All I did was mimic the up and down routine from the previous day. As a matter of fact, at one point I even set a new high altitude mark for the trip. 8428 feet ASL.

And still no significant downhill. This guy must have picked me for a rube or something. Downhill, downshmill.

After about 18 miles I found the downhill. 9 miles of 5-8% downhill. What a ride. I would even now make Vernal for lunch (and lunch is always important to me!).

Now only 5 miles from Vernal, I saw a sign for Steinaker State Park and there was a swimming icon on the road sign. Swimming sounded good, especially since the temperature was climbing fast at this lower altitude. Probably in the low 90’s already. So swimming it was, and lunch could wait!

The detour for swimming was worth it! And I still made it to Vernal at a reasonable time. Time enough to inquire at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center for a campground, bike shop and restaurants.

I bought new cycling gloves and a new hat. The guys at the bike shop also checked my tire pressure and lubed my chain for me. The tires are holding up well. They estimated I was at about half the life of my rear tire. The front is barely worn at all at this point. Not bad for 1994 miles. Yep, just not quite 2000 Miles. That will be official tomorrow but I am averaging right at 50 miles a day. Ok, for you math nerds, it is actually 49.85.

So now I am cooling my heels at the Vernal Brewing Company Pub. Big surprise, huh? A couple of beers, dinner, then off to the campground and a shower. Life is indeed good. Broken down to life’s basics, but good.

The wind really howled last night so I had no idea what to expect for the day ahead.

When I awoke, the weather had settled down. No wind and sunny skies. I am feeling pretty tired from 8 days on the bike, but instead of a rest day, I decided to opt for a short, easier day. It would only be about 30 miles to Red Canyon and the choice of several campgrounds.

What a difference a day makes, or a State for that matter. I left the sage brush immediately after leaving Manila. And I was climbing. I guess one had to do with the other! I was entering the Red Canyon part of Flaming Gorge NRA. At Sheep Creek, I met some locals.

From there, it was uphill. A couple thousand feet uphill and I used ALL the gears including the small ring this time!

The sage turned to piñon pine, and as I climbed higher yet, to ponderosa pine forest. The day might have been shorter, but is was not easier! I kept waiting to get to the summit of my climb, but it only teased me. I would get to a downhill but would only last for a half mile and start climbing back up again. This went on for the entire morning and into the early afternoon. I really never got to a “summit” per se I think I spent most of the day over 8,000 feet, but there was no way to tell for sure.

I did however get to the Red Canyon overlook area. But I was really gased at this point. I went to the Red Canyon Lodge for lunch and then immediately headed for the campground. Then I did something I rarely do…… I took a nap! For 2 hours.

About 5:30 I rode out to the overlook area.

This part of Flaming Gorge really was spectacular, especially from 1700 feet above the reservoir. No sage brush in sight.

After viewing the gorge from the overlook, I headed back to the Red Canyon Lodge for dinner. Then it was off to the tent for an early night. So much for an easy day. But it was all worth the effort.

This morning is slightly overcast and dead calm. Perfect for riding!

Before leaving Green River, I went to the store to get more food and supplies. This country is too remote and you never know what can happen.

I had to climb out of Green River to the awaiting sage prairie, but it was a reasonable grade. Once on top, the pedaling was easy since the wind was not a factor this morning.

I was following the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. It is a big lake behind the Flaming Gorge dam about 40 miles to the south. Much like the Green River, I did not get to see it very often since it was in a gorge. Duh! I did take a short detour to one of the marinas and had lunch by the lake. It really wasn’t much to look at at this particular point. I am hoping that will change as I get further south.

Something happened right after lunch! A big weather cell was moving through the area and the wind changed and I bet you can guess which way it was blowing. Yes, right in my face. Any rapid progress I was making before came to a sudden stop. I really suffered for the last 15 miles.

Right outside of Manila, I stopped at a store to get a beverage. Just like that, the cell moved in, the sun came out and the wind quit. WTF? Oh well. Manila was my end point for the day. And remember what they say: Eat, Drink, and be Merry for tomorrow you may be in….

Utah! Yes, another new state. Manila is just 2 miles inside the state line.

I stayed at the KOA here. I took a nice hot shower and got to do laundry. Clean clothes. Fantastic.

Wyoming is in the rear view mirror now. I have to say that Wyoming was pretty nice to ride through. With only a few exceptions, the Hwy shoulder width was exceptional. 6 feet. The roads were in good condition and mostly the shoulders were pretty clean from debris. Now if they could just landscape the area to get rid of the sage brush and put some more towns along the way. Is that asking too much?

The calm from last night did carry over to this morning. Hopefully the wind would cooperate for the whole day because I would take any help I can get today.

There where NO towns on my route today until I would get to Green River, Wyoming 64 miles away. As far as I could tell from maps, there wasn’t much of anything.

They say that US Hwy 93 in Nevada is the loneliest Hwy in America. Wyoming Hwy 372 must be a close second. Just as I had surmised, there really was nothing but wide open spaces out there. No towns, no buildings, no real hills, no traffic. It followed the Green River, but you could rarely see it since it was down in a canyon below the line of sight.

Normally, I like to take at least an hour for lunch just get off the bike for a while. Today, I took a mere 15 minutes. With no real place to pull over and no shade, it made no since to sit around in the hot sun for very long as you can see from this photo of my lunch stop.

I had enough water for this ride but it was warm and I was getting pretty parched. Hwy 372 ended at it’s intersection with I-80 and I was hoping there was going to be a gas station there. No such luck. I would have to pedal the last 6 miles into Green River before I would be able to get a cold refreshment. Luckily, the road was mainly downhill so that was the end to a hard day. I said to myself, No Camping tonight. I am in a motel with AC, shower, and a bed.

A day like this is not really what you think about when you decide to undertake a bicycle tour. It is really important to keep in mind that sometimes you have to go from point A to B so you can get to your goal of point C! That is what today was. Point C will be more interesting in the next few days. Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument, and the mountains of Colorado are ahead. Plus, it is probably good mental practice for the Midwest in the next month.

Just a quick note to everyone: Carl Stivers is a co- administrator for my blog site and I appreciate that he posted some viewing data in his comments. I am so amazed that so many people are following me on this trip. I feel extremely fortunate that I have so many friends who take the time to read the blog and offer comments. Thank you everyone!