Day 22 – Pueblo, CO to Lamar, CO via US 50, 22 Jun 2014

Map and Pics:  Click Here for Map and Pics.

Miles 1450 to 1570, 120 miles (longest of tour), 1100 feet of climb, max speed: 33 mph, avg speed 15 mph, 5 bonus miles, making a 200km ride. Last 20 miles done in 46 minutes





Storm brewing behind the Post Office at Hasty, CO.

It never is a good thing when college students from eight storm chaser vans are checking into the same hotel standing in line in front of you. Less than an hour earlier the instructions I got from the staff at the last SAG stop (at Hasty, CO) 20 miles out from our destination was “Sign in, I’ll fill your water bottles, and you get on your bike and ride as fast as you can to try to beat the storm.” I did, and peddled against a stiff wind at close to 25 mph for 20 miles. The last two miles into Lamar I caught the outflow from the storm that pushed me well above 30 mph to get to the hotel just before the dust front of the storm slammed Lamar. The two riders behind me had to be sheltered in the van due to wind and dust. The lightning was impressive too, and hail was falling just north of us. If I hadn’t taken my time on the first 100 miles I would have never had the energy to finish that strong and would have certainly been caught in the storm.

Eastbound Burlington Northern Sante Fe coal train

I have been blessed by so many interesting people in the last two days that gave me much to think about over the long ride! This morning we stopped at the ‘Loaf and Jug’ (which is the real name of the gas station/convenience store) in Fowler, CO. While waiting in line for the bathroom four old farmers types (by looking at their clothes) sitting at the ‘Dead Pecker Table’ (I’m not sure what that means) started a conversation with me by commenting quite loudly that I was nuts to be riding my bike. Prior bikers had already told them we were riding across the country. I mentioned, not wanting to start a confrontation, that others have shared similar opinions and I was inclined to agree with them. I mentioned that farming wasn’t without its risks too. Another at the DPT asked, after we had started a conversation about farming, if we crop dusted in Alabama, and I mentioned that activity was something more dangerous than riding a bike. The guy turned out to be a pilot of a crop duster. We ended up with laughter before I was on my way again. Another instance that caused staff concern today was when I disappeared from where I was expected to be. I had ducked into the Valley Community Church in Rocky Ford, CO as services were starting. I got to meet a fellow Gideon in that church before I returned to the route. Thirdly I was very saddened that Steven and Heidi decided to abandon the ride for this year, and they said their goodbyes to the group this morning. Heidi was too broken up to even ride comfortably in the van, and Steven didn’t want to ride without her at his side. They were invited back by AbB to start over where they had stopped this year next year, and they decided to take that offer. The fourth neat thing was being able to communicate with engineers on some of the many trains today. What a great bunch of folks. Saving the best for last: I rode the first 100 miles of today’s ride with Sarge. What a national treasure that guy is. We didn’t solve all the world’s problems, but we certainly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know more about each other.

Yesterday completely caught me by surprise. While at Sam’s Club having pizza I sat at a table next to a pair of ladies. I was going to work on my book and that looked like the quietest place to concentrate. That is when the ‘wow’ happened. Jan, Bonita and I started up a conversation that lasted most the afternoon! What a godsend these ladies were. I had been researching tribal customs and personal interactions for my second book, and it turned out these two ladies were living lifelong resources to exactly what I wanted to understand. In fact, Jan was the daughter of a medicine woman and had many insights, and not just the knowledge but the discernment side of that Indian heritage. She freely shared with us her experiences. What a fantasic blessing to me! I thought about our time together most of today.

Bottom Line: The scenery is nice (and I really love the trains) but it is the people that put the spring into my step. I am so blessed!