Day 39: Breakdown

We started in Colby, Kansas. We woke up at midnight to celebrate Maceo’s 24th birthday, and then went promptly back to sleep for our long day. We cooked ourselves a breakfast of Kale, eggs, and peppered cheese.

There was a strong crosswind to the north throughout the first part of our ride. We had to reroute our day to avoid a notoriously dangerous road. Throughout the day we gave Maceo various presents we had bought the night before, including twizlers, almond butter, and spicy pistachios.

The last 20 miles we turned south to head into WaKeeney. There was a fierce headwind that dehydrated Travis and Anna. This was a very difficult ride and the car wasn’t around to make a stop. Travis ended up getting picked up by a sheriff, who bought him a sandwich from Subway and delivered him safely to our end destination.

We had a good dinner cooked by Asia and a fruitful discussion on how to improve team planning to avoid situations like the one that happened today.

-Sean

Day 38: Colby to Wakeeney

Another day in Kansas

More cornfield madness

Eighty miles with crosswind

Am I energetic or exhausted

Great church at Wakeeney

Blue sky looks dreamy

Not much too report

Kansans are nice, we do assert

-Sean

Maceo and Asia Leap with Joy in front of the Largest Canvas in North America, Featuring a Van Gogh Painting

Asia Takes a Quick Nap in the Car

Cole andTravis Resting at the Car. Is Travis not the Most Photogenic Biker You’ve Ever Seen?

Day 32: Down to Denver!

(Evergreen, CO -> Greenwood Village, CO)

Hi all! This is Anna, saying hi from Denver, Colorado!

Our group willingly splintered this morning upon waking up in Evergreen, CO in our lovely hosts’ house (Thank you to Bill and Ann! We are so honored to be your first Warm Showers guests!). Maceo and Sean went off to rock-climb at a huge indoor rock-climbing place. See below image for evidence

Maceo and Sean rock climbing

Asia, Cole, Travis, and I got on our bikes (it hurts physically and emotionally to get on the bike some mornings). But we had our sights set on Denver and the 4,000 feet decline that was ahead! Today’s ride was fun - downhill and along shaded bike paths almost all the way. It’s almost like people bike a lot here in Denver or something?!

Travis and Asia dippin’ their heads into the river to cool down

About 5 miles from our destination, we came across a river with a standing wave upon which locals/tourists were river surfing. It’s apparently a thing. And it’s Cole and Asia’s newest hobby. Travis and I sat on a rock and waded/swam in the water while Cole practiced his surfing (he was able to stand up and do the surfing thing!! Although he swears he got better the moment we stopped watching him…)

We arrived at our home for the next 3 nights - the Leede family - and were greeted by pure joy in the form of air conditioning, fresh fruits, salad lunch, beds, snacks, and just about anything else we could dream up. It’s incredible.

Now we’re off to explore Denver, Boulder, and also the fully stocked (!!!!!) kitchen in the Leede family house :)

View from the bike - Red Rocks near Denver, Colorado

Day 31: Continental Divide Part 2

(Silverthorne -> Evergreen) 7/17/19

Well, you may be surprised to read this, but, I love biking up hills. There. I said it. Today was possibly my favorite day of biking yet. It began at 6:30 am, when we woke up to microwaved oatmeal with protein powder and brown sugar. We have been spoiled with eggs for breakfast for the past few days, so it was kind of nice to have oatmeal to mix things up. We got a later start this morning because Sean needed to go to a clinic to make sure he is healing up okay. Incase Sean’s appointment kept him for a long time, we all packed food with us and planned to bike at least 40 miles without a supported stop. 

The biking began with about 10 miles of following a bike path that parallels the river. We climbed up and over a beautiful dam and reservoir and coasted along aspen groves and manicured golf courses. I listened to my daily Democracy Now podcast and was frustrated to hear about New York City’s decision to not fire Daniel Pantaleo, the NYPD officer responsible for the death of an unarmed black man. It is the five year anniversary of Eric Garner’s death and people are protesting the tragedy and lack of accountability for policeman. Today, people are also protesting Amazon for supporting ICE and CBP and for inhumane treatment of workers. It was distressing to hear accounts of Amazon workers detailing their unsafe and unfair working conditions. While sobering, I value the time I spend listening to the news every day. It helps me feel engaged in the world, even if I am on my bike. 

The Climb

The climb began after about 14 miles, when we met Josh, a young man who moved to Colorado about a year ago for the “epic biking and running.” He enthusiastically told us that this was one of the best climbs in the area, boasting it maintained a 5% grade for 10 miles. Phew. So we will be on this for a while! I entertained myself by calling my brother, Milosz, and listening to a voice message from two good friends, Keaton and Nalani. This really helped me get up the mountain! After a while, I lost cell service though. We passed a ski resort, Arapahoe Basin, and kept climbing. It was wild to bike past ski lifts and snow-covered peaks. In one small section, the road was being worked on and a construction worker gave us a lift in his pickup truck for about 100 yards to pass the section of unfinished road. 

Passing Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

At the top, the views were spectacular. On either side of the divide were sweeping vistas of mountains, snow, forests, sky, and the valleys beyond them. We took a break for snacks, photos, and chatting, but left before too long because of the cold and wind. 

Posing at the top of Loveland Pass

While I already confessed my love of climbing up hills, I might as well admit that I love going downhill too. A lot. Riding down from 11,990 feet was absolutely thrilling. We picked up so much speed as the wind ripped across our faces and the road snaked down the mountain with treacherously sharp turns. We took a bike path that followed I-70 that was smooth and fun. We met Sean in Georgetown for lunch and tried my new favorite canned food: BUTTER BEANS! Delicious. There were sections of the ride that went alongside the river and we got to pass people rafting down the rapids. 

Asia Pauses for a Photo During our Descent

We arrived in Evergreen around 5 pm and rewarded ourselves with warm showers and a cold beer (for me at least). Our hosts, Bill and Anne, were so lovely and accommodating. They cooked us an awesome meal of salad and burgers and we slept happily on full stomachs. 

Tomorrow, we descend into Denver!

Thanks for reading

-Maceo

Day 30: Continental Divide Part 1

(Steamboat Springs, CO -> Silverthorne, CO)

Anna:

Halfway up to Rabbit Ears Pass!

Packed up with farm-fresh eggs, breakfast burritos, salad, cookies, and cake, we set off from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We miss Jenny and Sean already! Those 3 days in Steamboat Springs were a much-needed break and a chance to get back into teaching.

We started our day with 20 miles of climbing up to Rabbit Ears Pass, where we passed over the Contintial Divide. It was a big moment for all of us. It’s all downhill from here, right?

There was a brief period of rain which I evaded by hiding in the car and eating snacks and then biking furiously to catch up the the rest who had bravely biked through the rain (I never did catch up, but such is life….). By the time the afternoon rolled around and we were still 35 miles from our home for the night, we wished the rain would come back and take some of the hot and heavy sunshine with it. There was a brief and bizarre 15 minutes where the sky was perfectly blue and the sun shining down on us, but it was somehow also raining?? Unclear.

Sean went to get a saddle sore checked at the doctor, so he’ll be out of biking for the next few days, sadly :(

We ended the day eating Chipotle (one of the rare times we get to eat at restaurants!), and it was yummmmy. Another big day ahead tomorrow - only 40 miles but a lot of elevation (back over the Continential Divide, this time at Loveland Pass).

We’re basically at the Atlantic ocean now…

Day 25: Longest Day Ever!

By the numbers, today was 114 miles of biking. We started at Duchesne, UT and ended in Rangely, CO.

For lunch we stopped at Vernal, UT. There was a wonderful park with large water fountains that we splashed around in. At mile 100 we crossed into Colorado. We took a picture with the giant welcome to Colorado sign, just like last years Spokes team did.

It started lightning after entering CO, so we packed everyone into the car and drove the rest of the way. We stayed with our wonderful host Cindy, who bought us pizza!

You don’t even want to know how many tries it took to get this photo

We celebrate under the shade of a passing cloud

Anna caught mid-selfie at one of our rest stops (Ft. red Utah earth)