Today we woke up fairly late, feeling uneasy because of an impending pass and 3,000 feet of climbing over a relatively short day. The morning was cold, so we all hustled to get packed up. The faster you pack, the more time you get to relax in your fleece and warm clothes. To start the day we had a continuation of the road from yesterday for 9 miles to Wolf Creek, where there was a gas station. This was our only opportunity to get food for the whole day. There was little information about the gas station on the internet, so we were hoping it was unlike Chick-fil-A, and it was open on Sunday. Luckily, it was open, so we stocked up on food and drink for the day.
After breakfast, we had a 20 mile stretch to the base of our pass. We were told to expect climbs on the way to the base, so we braced ourselves for a tough 20 miles. The road started out flat. The first hill was a gradual climb with some switchbacks. This hill was no big deal until we turned a corner and got smacked with a long 9% grade that disappeared around a corner. This hill was very draining, perfect for right before a pass. After this hill we had long, steep rolling hills until the base of the pass. The views of the Rockies helped me to ignore the burning sensation in my legs, but it still lingered. At the base of the pass we all pounded some snacks and waters to fuel up. The pass was just over 10 miles long, and the last 3 were supposed to be brutal. Much of the first part was rolling hills, but there was a strong headwind so we couldn’t get speed up. This made everyone quite frustrated, as downhill should mean fast, but we were crawling through the downhill sections. The last 3 miles seemed to be just a gradual uphill, but when we stopped for a brief water break we looked back and it looked very steep. At the top of the pass we saw a sign warning drivers about the 6.5% grade that we had just done. The top of the pass was the continental divide, which was a cool landmark to see.
After the pass, we had 18 miles left of downhill to town. Because I was excited to see how fast I went, I tracked my ride on Strava for the first time ever. The wind continued however, so my top speed was only 33 miles an hour. This downhill was quite fun, but the headwind put a damper on our moods, especially after dealing with wind nearly all of last week. When we rolled into town we saw a nice park with a large pavilion. We all said to ourselves “Wow that would be a perfect place to stay the night!” and went to the restaurant across the street from us to meet the other group. They then informed us we were staying at the park, which helped the mood a lot. We will probably have a fairly late wake up as we have a semi easy day tomorrow. Some of us might wake up in the middle of the night to see the stars, which were really pretty.
