Day 50, Pueblo to Eads, CO

Miles – 116

Miles From Start/To Finish – 2,231/2,114

Ave Riding Speed – 6-18 mph

Hours Start to Finish – 12.25

Weather – Cloudy/Smokey Haze and 90

Kim and I were up at 6:30am again and head down for a quick breakfast provided by the Hampton Hotel. I did the eggs, bacon, potatoes and coffee and Kim stuck with the oatmeal and raisins with her cream and coffee. I gave our bikes a quick once over and strapped on our front and rear lights. We would have loved to give the tire pressure a boast, but the bike shop on the way out of town didn’t open until 9:30am. We rolled out the front door of the Hampton Inn at 8am.

We had a little backtracking to do to catch our route out of town so we headed north through the backstreets of Pueblo. We traveled 4 miles until we caught up with Hwy 96/50 and headed east across the Arkansas River. We stopped at the first gas station/convenience store to pick up two bottles of water and some Clif Bars, and then got back on the road.

19 miles up we passed through the small town of Boone and kept moving. We came across a rider heading towards us and he pulled over to our side of the road. We met Jordan from Iowa. He was heading west on the TransAm. Jordan graduated from college with a biochemist degree. He worked for a year, quit his job and his apartment rental lease had just ended and wanted to do the ride across America Adventure. He was riding solo, but said he met a guy a couple states back and they’ve been riding together since. He said we’ll come across Alex at some point today. We wished him well and moved on to Olney Springs, another 19 miles up.

Olney Springs was another pass-through town with no services available. 5 miles up we rolled through Crowley and kept moving to Ordway, 7 miles up. About this time we came across Alex and we pulled over to his side. He’s from Tennessee, a recent college graduate and heard about the TransAmerica Trail when he was in high school, so he worked for a year and decided now was the time for his adventure. Alex said he was having some issues with his allergies this morning and waited till he felt better to get moving. He has some friends in Pueblo or Canon City and plans to go skydiving for the first time when he gets there. We wished him safe travels and rode on to Ordway.

Ordway was a potential layover for us today. We rode past the hostel, Hotel Ordway, just across the street from the hostel, and then found a market in town. Camping in the city park was also an option and they had bathrooms. Kim walked into the market for some water, Gatorade and Pringles while I chatted with Stu, also known as Mouse. I take he was nicknamed Mouse due to his stature. He was about 70-years old, 5’-2”, slender and had a long gray beard. Stu moved from Nebraska 3 years ago, to this small town in Colorado, because of the legalization of marijuana. Said he’s never been happier.

While announcing I was from Minnesota, another customer walked out the door and heard me. He walked over to say hello and said he’s from St. Cloud, MN.  Small world.

Kim exited the market. It was 1:15pm and we talked about staying in Ordway and we decided the accommodations weren’t going to work for Team Motch. Our only option then was to ride another 60 miles to Eads. By this time the winds had picked up and coming from the north/northeast and I figured it would be 8-9pm until we reached our destination. Kim looked at me and we decided to make a reservation at the Cobblestone Inn & Suites in Eads, sealing the deal. We were going to Eads. Our expectations for the ride were that we’d have a headwind and it would be a long day. Game on!

We met those expectations and then some. The upside was that the sun was nowhere in sight, but even though I had sunscreen on, I managed to fry the tops of my legs. The constant wind in our face across the open prairie was brutal. We stopped every 10 miles for a break. Soon we were stopping every 5 miles as the bottom of my feet and my personal undercarriage was feeling the miles.

Kim mentioned that the restaurant by the hotel closed at 8pm and said I thought we were not likely to make it and was hopeful to get into Eads before dark. Kim took the lead about 10 miles from town and I noticed that she wasn’t very visible. Our lights were on, but we were traveling a 2-lane highway and it was dusk. At 5 miles out I suggested we put on our neon yellow vests with reflective material. We dug out our vests from our saddlebags and mounted up. We could see the town off in the distance and felt a boost of energy and picked up the pace as we pedaled into town. We stopped at a 4-corner intersection and Kim verified where the hotel was. We kept riding through town and rode to the Cobblestone Inn. Kim yelled out that the restaurant is over there. I went straight for the restaurant while Kim went to check in.

It was 8:15pm, but I saw a couple customers eating through the window. I walked in and asked if we could still get something to eat. The waitress said they shut down the grill, but she would talk to the cook. I told her we just got in from riding 116 miles and would appreciate anything she could do and that we’ll take anything we can get. Then she asked what I wanted to eat. I said 2 burgers, 2 salads and a couple beers. She laughed and commented that they don’t serve alcohol. The waitress talked to the cook and she was very gracious and said she’d take care of us. Bingo! I was super thankful and made sure they knew it and left a generous tip.

While they prepared our dinner, I rode over to the hotel to drop off my bike in the room number Kim texted to me. Kim said they sell beer in the hotel lobby. The manager poured us a couple draft Stella’s. Oh, my goodness! That was refreshing!! I walked back to the restaurant and picked up our takeout order. Upon returning we finished the beer and went to our room to hammer in the food.

After 12 hours, 10 of them in the saddle, and riding a century, plus 16 miles (116 miles), I didn’t have it in me to write up a blog and we went to bed.

The picture is a selfie we took on the road today and sent to Greg for the “Living In Carver County” podcast. Check out the podcast below!