Hello everyone! Days 25 and 26 were our first two full days in Colorado, and boy were they hot. As we left Grand Junction towards Montrose, the heatwave that ramped up over the last several days pressed on, with the dry heat once again approaching 105 degrees and sapping water from our bodies almost as soon as we took it in. Never have I more acutely experienced transpiration. But the heat didn’t stop our ride from being interesting—one could say that it augmented our experience.
On day 25, after we said goodbye to our hosts for the night Rebekah and Adam, two Stanford alumni named Jolie and Anna hosted us for the best breakfast we’ve had thus far on this trip. We filled up on delicious eggs, bacon, tofu, pancakes, fruit, potatoes, and other dishes. While we dined together, they regaled us with tales about their time at Stanford and the paths they took post-graduation.
After the blissful breakfast and hearing Kawther’s satisfaction at having gotten a warm meal, we set out. It was difficult amidst the heat to think of much else besides food, water, and the heat. Yet once we stopped for lunch and the temperature dropped to a pleasant 95 degrees, we experienced something long forgotten called humidity. It reminded me of the ancient debate about water being wet—we are all familiar with water, but we rarely stop to think about whether it’s wet. Similarly, we are all familiar with humidity but rarely consider how it’s situationally beneficial.
My second flat, marking two days in a row!
Lunch vibes.
Joy at the humidity
As we basked in the wetness, one of Tubb’s spokes broke and we learned a great lesson about our team’s namesake. Spokes on a bike hold the wheels together and determine their shape, but losing one spoke isn’t immediately detrimental if there are at least 24 spokes on the wheel. This means that (1) every member of our team is essential since we have less than 24 people on our team and (2) Tubb was able to keep riding with us for the last 20 miles of the day. Good to know!
The next day, a rest day in Olathe and Montrose, was wonderful. Tubb and I took a refreshing bike ride from Olathe to Montrose in the morning to finish the previous day’s mileage that was cut short by the heat and to bring his bike to a bike shop. For some reason, biking a bike to a bike shop is so much cooler (pun intended) than driving a car to the auto mechanic. Then, in the afternoon, while some of us rested with our Warmshowers hosts Andy and Gina in Olathe, the rest of us visited our third national park—Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The park, situated at 8000 feet, was a needed respite from the heatwave and a hidden gem of nature. If you ever happen to be in the vicinity of Grand Junction and Montrose, I highly recommend.
Will, Eva, and Tubb at the edge of the abyss
Lastly, I wanted to shoutout Gina and Andy for being such welcoming hosts. They shared their quaint home, delectable cooking (and kimchi recipe), biking wisdom, and gorgeous garden. We talked about everything from bleeding hydraulic disc brakes to growing silverberries. Olathe is a place I want to return to someday, if even just to try their famous sweet corn that we missed by several weeks (the season is late July to August, if you ever happen to be in the area then).
Thank you to Gina and Andy!
And with that, I leave you with an Olathe sunset. See you all in the next post!
Rays of sunshine + cow. How many sublime sunsets has this cow seen?
- Hunter