Miles 1355 to 1450, 95 miles, 2500 feet of climb, max speed: 42 mph, avg speed 17 mph (smokin'!)
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| Upper Arkansas River Gorge |
We followed the upper Arkansas River this morning starting in Salida for 38 miles before we climbed over our last pass in the Rockies. Getting to the top took some huffing and puffing, but soon the climb leveled out turning into a high mountain meadow. Near the Royal Gorge Bridge turn off there was our last high point in the Rockies, and moments later we were burning down a six percent slope on US 50 towards Cañon City, CO. Al and I argued over what was the most spectacular day on the trip, and the only thing we could conclude was that every day the current one is. The upper Arkansas River was breathtaking. All I could think about was wishing my youngest daughter was along for the ride. She would have just loved it. While riding through the many gorges (with cliffs greater than 1000 feet straight up) we could see rafters hooting down the Class III rapids. On the far side of the canyon was the Rio Grande railroad that is famous for its trips through the Royal Gorge. Later in Cañon City I stopped by the depot as a tourist train with open gondolas and observation cars was getting ready for departure.
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| Fly-Fishermen at Cotopaxi Bridge over the Arkansas River |
One of the stops along the gorge was a country store in Cotopaxi, CO. What made me stop was the pair of wooden Indians standing on the covered sidewalk near where horses could be tied up. Al took my picture and then we wandered around a bit to shake the fatigue out of our legs (we did the 38 miles in that section of the ride in less than two hours). I walked over to the river and found two fishermen making their last minute adjustments to their tackle before stepping into the river to start fly-fishing. They said it was the first time this week they could attempt going fishing now that the river was down from 5000 cubic feet per second to 1500. The quick snow snow melt on the divide made it rise that high. At ‘5000’ the river goes from Class III to Class V rapids, and the only ones allowed on the river are certified for that level. Now at Class III the professionally steered LBRBs (Little Bitty Rubber Boats) can take folks with stronger hearts than me for raft rides. I asked what they were fishing for. They said trout, but also said the fishing is the easy part, but bringing the fish into their nets was another story. At 1500 they lose a lot of fish to the current. Other folks I met in Cotopaxi were at a local church that was having a bake sale alongside the road. I got to talk to the pastor and some of the folks there. They were raising money to support their VBS program that starts Sunday.
Tonight we cheered when Steven and Heidi joined us for Route-Rap here at the hotel in Pueblo. Heidi had her arm in a full cast, a lot of road rash, and recovering from bruises to her face. Steven, Heidi's husband, helped her around due to some lingering dizziness. Steven and Heidi also joined us for dinner at a Golden Corral tonight, and like us plan to enjoy the scheduled rest day tomorrow. If all goes as planned, Steven will rejoin the ride Sunday while Heidi will keep our SAG folks company riding in the van. Their arrival was a remarkable lift for the team and staff. Heidi has an irrepressible spirit in her, and a love for life that is uncontrollably contagious.
Bottom Line: Another beautiful day, but the Rockies are now behind us and the miles of plains await us.
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