Thank goodness we planned for the weather. Lamar was the hot spot for the state of Colorado with a high temperature of 105F at 330PM. We arrived at our scheduled hotel at noon and it was already 100f. We left La Junta at 7AM and averaged right at 18mph with a slight tail wind. We stopped for coffee in a little town (think Vale) called Las Animas. Talk about small town Americana. The locals were in the process of practicing their roping skills with calves at the county fairgrounds that we rode by on the way into town. We were about to settle for gas station coffee when we spied "Jackie's Java" coffee shop. What an unexpected oasis at 9AM and 20 miles into a 60 mile ride. We spent 45 minutes drinking coffee and visiting. I told the owner that we had decided to strike out on our own route and he assured me that we had made the correct decision as he described the desolation of the route that highway 96 went through. He said we were by far not the first cyclists to make the same option. The next stop was a country store inHasty, Colorado. We sat in the shade and visited with the owner (the store is for sale) and other customers while Betsy cooled down with ice and I drank a Mountain Dew. We met a couple from Missouri who had driven to Eastern Colorado to shoot "praire dogs"(of which there are plenty). We then rolled into a truck stop at 1130 just in time to partake of their salad bar (pretty good). We then pushed on the last few miles to our hotel and arrived shortly after noon and the tempurature was already 100f. HOT!! HOT!! HOT!!. All in all still a great day to be on the bike. Beats working. I could get used to this. Anyone want to give me a few hundred thousand dollars so I can continue to do this?? Just a thought. Probably not a good retirement plan.
Thank goodness we planned for the weather. Lamar was the hot spot for the state of Colorado with a high temperature of 105F at 330PM. We arrived at our scheduled hotel at noon and it was already 100f. We left La Junta at 7AM and averaged right at 18mph with a slight tail wind. We stopped for coffee in a little town (think Vale) called Las Animas. Talk about small town Americana. The locals were in the process of practicing their roping skills with calves at the county fairgrounds that we rode by on the way into town. We were about to settle for gas station coffee when we spied "Jackie's Java" coffee shop. What an unexpected oasis at 9AM and 20 miles into a 60 mile ride. We spent 45 minutes drinking coffee and visiting. I told the owner that we had decided to strike out on our own route and he assured me that we had made the correct decision as he described the desolation of the route that highway 96 went through. He said we were by far not the first cyclists to make the same option. The next stop was a country store inHasty, Colorado. We sat in the shade and visited with the owner (the store is for sale) and other customers while Betsy cooled down with ice and I drank a Mountain Dew. We met a couple from Missouri who had driven to Eastern Colorado to shoot "praire dogs"(of which there are plenty). We then rolled into a truck stop at 1130 just in time to partake of their salad bar (pretty good). We then pushed on the last few miles to our hotel and arrived shortly after noon and the tempurature was already 100f. HOT!! HOT!! HOT!!. All in all still a great day to be on the bike. Beats working. I could get used to this. Anyone want to give me a few hundred thousand dollars so I can continue to do this?? Just a thought. Probably not a good retirement plan.
Cold,cold,cold here! Wool sweater and down vest this afternoon. Fresh snow on the mountains and tonight we could see snow in the valley.Our sky looks positively Autumnal. Looking forward to a warmer week ahead,though.
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