Day 44, Walden to Hot Sulphur Springs, CO

Miles – 61

Miles From Start/To Finish – 1,892/2,336

Ave Riding Speed – 3-27 mph

Hours Start to Finish – 6.75

Weather – Mostly Cloudy and 86

I was awake at 5:45am and laid there to 6 and got up. As Kim and I agreed we should try to get an earlier start and open the window shades. I put on some coffee with the motel 4-cupper and swung open the shades to let the day in. Kim rolled over and flung out of bed. We were ready to rock the day!

Kim walked over to the gas station to get herself a crème with coffee and we showered and packed up. At 8am were carrying our gear and bikes from the second floor to the exit door. We packed up our snacks and 8 bottles of water because our maps told us there would be no services like, food, drink, bathroom, etc. For breakfast we went light and shared a Clif bar to go with our powdered drink supplement.

By 8:15am we were heading south out of Walden on Hwy 125. Hwy 125 is two-lanes with no shoulder. Our main focus for the day was the 32-mile stretch to the summit of Willow Creek Pass at an elevation of 9,651 feet, up about 1,500 feet. It was a great ride, with little traffic. We could see the mountains in the distance for the entire time. I tend to look ahead at the mountain terrain and try to figure out where we’ll pierce through what canyon or slope.

22 miles into the day we rode into Rand, an unincorporated community established in 1881, and saw a  business open. It was a book and gift store, but they are used to seeing bicyclist, so they had a couple shelves of snacks and cold beverages. Kim picked out a back of chips and crackers with cheese and I grabbed a string cheese stick. The owner also sets out a jug of water for the bicyclists to fill up their water bottles with. We did just that.

We got back on the highway to continue cruising through the sage brush prairie. About 5 miles further and the terrain turned to Aspen and pines trees. This is the Colorado I was thinking of. The ups and down became more frequent and our climb to the summit was becoming steeper as we zigzagged up the mountain. At mile 29 we were geared to super-low and kept pedaling at just over 5mph. It felt good to actual ride up the hill vs. walk. We did do a little walking, but for the most part we rode to the summit. At mile 32 in for the day we reached the top of Willow Creek Pass. We stopped for a picture, a drink of water and change over the map on my handlebar bag.

The scenery of the descent through the canyon along Willow Creek was unexpected. It was sad yet beautiful at the same time. For more than 20 miles the canyons walls on both sides were nothing but burnt forest pine trees. Some of them were charred, some were bare and some had their brown needles still attached. It’s one thing to see it on TV, but to see it close up makes it even more real. It must have been scary to have gone through it. I guy in Hot Sulphur Springs told us that it started close by and that most of the fire happened in one-night last summer. The other visual side to our view was very peaceful. We could see all the terrain of the mountainsides. It was just us, the flowing Willow Creek beside the road, a slight breeze in our face and quiet.

About 10 miles down the descent we met Isaac, from New York. He goes to college in St. Louis and is doing the TransAm solo, heading west. We chatted for a few minutes and we talked about where we’ve been staying. He said he was camping and doing the Warm Showers thing.  Warm Shower is like a VRBO, but only for bicyclists. It’s managed by an app and the hosts let bicyclist stay in there home for free. His recommendation was to stay where the host is a couple, that way you can just get some rest and don’t have to chat too much. As we departed Kim reminded Isaac to call his parents, as they are likely worried about him.  

At 53 miles in we hit Hwy 40 and headed west. Heading west was a strange feeling. It was like we were backtracking. But that was where the map was taking us. We instantly had a strong headwind; the skies were darkening and we could see the rain hovering over the mountain about 5 miles ahead of us. We were meandering around steep cliff rock formations and when the wind was coming at us from the right side, we had to lean into it to keep from being pushed off the shoulder and into the traffic lane.

We rode right into the rain. We were only a couple miles from our destination that we didn’t bother to put on any rain gear and kept riding. By the time we rolled into the Canyon Motel in Hot Sulphur Springs, the rain had stopped.

We checked in and asked if there was an open restaurant in town. The manager recommended the Bait Shop Grill. We dropped our gear in our room and walked down the hill to the restaurant and met Jim, the owner. We read the sign on the door that said they were closing and asked if the place was open. He said he was just cooking up what they had. We inquired further and learned that the building was sold and he had 20 days to vacate. The owner sold the place and it was going to be turned into a house. He was pretty down. He said he had 3 children and had been sleeping in the restaurant because there was no place to live in town. It was a similar story we’ve heard before. Places are being bought up and the locals are being pushed out.

Jim recommended we head down the street to the Dean Public House. He said they open at 4pm, Thu, Fri and Sat. We walked down to restaurant and arrived early so we sat on the porch. The place looked like an old boarding house and the sign on the building said it was established in 1872. At 4pm the front door opened and we were escorted into the one room dining area and bar. The wood lacquered long tables were setup family style. We sat down and looked at the menu and started to drool. It was chef or gourmet style pizza, salads and appetizers. Kim and each ordered our own small pizza and shared a salad and appetizer, plus 2 pitchers of water. It was the best dine-out meal we’ve had since we started the adventure.

Upon paying our tab we got to know Jen, the hostess, waitress and bar tender. She said she sold her house, bought an RV and was hitting the road in a week. She was in her early 40’s and wanted to visit her kids, see the country and figure what she wants to do with her life. I commended her for taking a leap and look for happiness. We gave her our card and talked about out LBCA fundraiser and Kim’s cancer experience. She gave Kim a hug and we wished her well.

Kim is responding to some e-mails and catching up with the kids and I’m recharging bike lights and reviewing tomorrow’s adventure.

I was thinking about this ride across America and tried to put it into a life perspective. Most people, and even us in the beginning, can’t fathom riding a bicycle over 4,000 miles. If you look at it that way it doesn’t seem attainable. The way to digest it is to look at it in very small pieces, like a day or two days, and it’s digestible. It’s like a project or everyday life. I think that’s what worry is all about. Some of us worry about all this stuff, that may not ever happen and we forget to live the day. We are missing living because we are looking to far into the future. Think of it in the all to familiar sports analogy when a team gets into the playoffs and the interviewer tries to get someone from the team to make a prediction about the future and then the interviewee says, “we are taking it one game at a time” or “we’ve just looking to win the next game.” They cannot afford to look farther than the next game.

The end goal is always there, but I’m trying not to look past tomorrow or maybe the next day. I am making an effort to live the day, to live the next day and the next.