From apollo.hp.com!netnews Sat Jul 16 17:43:50 1994 Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.rides Path: apollo.hp.com!netnews From: mev@ch.apollo.hp.com (Mike Vermeulen) Subject: Ride Report: Across Colorado Sender: usenet@apollo.hp.com (Usenet News) Message-ID: Date: Sat, 16 Jul 1994 21:07:39 GMT Nntp-Posting-Host: hpcomet.ch.apollo.hp.com Organization: MLL, Hewlett-Packard, Chelmsford, MA, USA X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1.4] Across Colorado A bicycle trip from Raton NM to Cheyenne WY including Ride the Rockies. Mike Vermeulen, June 17-28 1994 ============================================================================ For the past several years, my summers have included an annual bicycle tour. In 1994, I decided to try taking part in the 9th annual ride named Ride the Rockies. Ride the Rockies is a ride organized by the Denver Post. I submitted my application for the ride in March 1994 and was fortunate enough to have mine selected in the "lottery" held for the two thousand spaces for official riders. My previous trips have been longer solo rides. This was the first time I participated in such an organized ride. The ride was scheduled to start in Trinidad, CO and end in Golden, CO. I decided to extend the ride slightly to include a start in Raton, New Mexico and a completion in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Along the way, I planned to visit my brother in Boulder and visit friends in Fort Collins (my former home). In the process, I would cross the state of Colorado from south to north. Attached is the log of my trip. All miles are cumulative. June 17, 1994, Raton NM Miles: 0.6, Elevation 6700 First night out, motel room in Raton, NM. Today was largely a travel day. Day started at 4:30am. Last minute packing and off to the Manchester NH airport. Arrive with plenty of time to box the bicycle and read the newspaper before catching the plane to Denver. Manchester is a much quieter airport than Boston/Logan, and also more pleasant and cheaper for long term parking. Bicycle box looks pretty scrunched at the Denver airport! Luckily, all looks okay inside. There is a minor snafu at the rental car place. I had asked for a hatchback car so that I could easily transport the bicycle. Unfortunately it appears that the Paseo is too small to easily fit the bicycle. Hertz is unable to switch cars due to my rental being a one-way rental. Hertz folks help me finally maneuver the bicycle in the car; In the process, I unfortunately got a grease smudge on the back of the seat :-(. Uneventful drive down to Raton. Roads in Colorado appear surprisingly busy. Not clear if this is a local phenomenon or if Colorado is becoming more populated and congested. Raton, New Mexico. Clearly a town that has seen better days. There appears to be one main street through town with all the downtown shops. Feel very comfortable here; while walking down the street folks will smile and greet you. Old movie theater playing "The Flintstones." A number of restaurants, down by the intersection with US87. Otherwise, a quiet relaxing evening, anticipating the first semi-cycling day ahead. All my stuff safely fits on my bicycle, but it looks like I'll be fairly loaded until I can hand things off at Ride the Rockies. June 18, 1994, Trinidad CO Miles: 21.8, Elevation 6120 Three candidate routes from Raton to Trinidad were considered. The most straightforward route was on the shoulder of I-25. The second candidate route is to first head east toward Clayton NM before turning way north again. This route is ruled out due to the excess distance involved (I'm too lazy to take all my gear fully loaded all the way east and then back west for an approximately ninety mile ride). The third route is a set of thinly penciled county roads up to Raton Mesa and then back again. I asked three different locals about this route. General responses were that the county roads were unmaintained, unpaved. One comment about them being "confusing" and "not clear if they would be open yet." With this feedback, I decided to play it safe and take I-25. Once I'm committed to I-25, I find out that bicycles are prohibited from the NM side (oh well, not going to change my mind now). Switched my Avocet-50 odometer to an elevation setting, put it in low gear and slowly started grinding my way uphill. Very straightforward climb and in shortly over an hour I am up at the top of the pass. There is a wonderful view up top. I can see the Sangre de Cristo mountains and also the Spanish peaks. Also, I can see a ways back into New Mexico. Good preparation to see where I'll be headed next. Good downhill grade. I'm still riding pretty cautious, my top speed will not top thirty on this descent. The miles down to Trinidad pass quickly. Trinidad looks like another town that has seen the best of its glory days (lots of history here including mining, Santa Fe Trail and lots of cattle herding). Mining is still an industry here as is tourism. The locals I meet are very friendly. Ride the Rockies is clearly a big event and the town has done an excellent job at putting out the word. Half the shops in town have an RTR banner. There are also many RTR Trinidad T shirts for sale. Given that I have most of the day, I decide to do all the touristy things: ride a trolley bus, visit two historic houses, wander through an art gallery. Afterwards, I take some looks around as the main crowd of RTR fans arrives. June 19, 1994, Walsenburg CO Miles: 103.5, Elevation 6185 During yesterday afternoon the crowd arrived. The buses from Denver arrived in mid-afternoon. Soon after that, the entire grounds were covered with tents. Went to an afternoon cycling seminar, "Top ten tips for Ride the Rockies." Good as general background as well as a chance to get the crowd together. Around 4:30 a.m. the gym starts to stir. By 5:00 the majority of folks are up and getting packed. Wow, lots of early birds! Got my stuff together; Dropped my bag in the baggage truck (three separate semi trailers were commissioned to haul all the baggage for the trip). The extra support vehicles are quite impressive overall (one large shower truck, a multitude of smaller cars donated by Subaru and labeled with tags of "SAG," "REPAIR" and "STAFF"). Wait in line to get breakfast before heading off. On the road at 5:45. Definitely takes longer to get started with this crowd. A few miles out of town the route starts to climb. Shift into lower gears, but I'm still fresh and able to make the hills pretty easily. Several fairly big hills in the neighborhood of Cokedale. My under water bottle rack falls off at the bottom of a hill. Oops, I carefully got the pieces back in my pannier and save them away. Terrain is rather flat with gentle rolling hills. This gets me to the first rest stop at Segundo approximately 7am. After Segundo, the road continues to climb very slowly. I'm in a moderate gear, but keeping a reasonable pace. The second stop is at Stonewall, approximately thirty-two miles from the start. Feeling good about the ride so far. After Stonewall, the road has a reasonably steep hill. I start out ok, but am soon starting to drag a bit. Whereas earlier in the ride I had been passing lots of folks, now it appears that mostly other folks are passing me. Monument lake is at mile thirty-two. From here it is flat until I come to the last rest stop at North lake. 9:45 a.m., forty miles out and feeling pretty good about the ride. The first mile outside North Lake is fine, with a flat route. Then the trouble begins. I start having a long fairly steep hill in the route. Now I really start slowing in my hill climbing gears. Everyone is now passing me. I continue slogging along and also occasionally stop for a thirty-second feet on the ground rest stop. It is really taking a lot of extra effort to do this climb. Feeling rather rough overall. With multiple stops, I finally make it to the top of Cuchera Pass by 11am. The last half mile before the pass we have a bit of rain, but it feels more refreshing than cold. Downhill! Though I pump my brakes occasionally to avoid speeding, the descent is pretty fast. The next seventeen miles to La Veta takes much less than an hour. Hooray! It is festival time in La Veta, the main street is closed down . . . lots of individual vendors with their food are there. From La Veta we have a slight downhill and a slight tailwind. The last step to Walsenburg goes quickly. It appears the entire town of Walsenburg is out. Lots of people on the street waving and a few people even cheering. Feels like a special day overall. Afterwards, decide to walk through town. It appears that the town normally has about three thousand people. Main industries are ranching (and unfortunately welfare). A lady in town tells me there probably haven't been this many extra visitors in town in the past ten years! Lots of music, all the shops are open, otherwise folks are out and around. Gather my stuff to prepare for the evening. June 20, 1994, Alamosa CO Miles: 177.6, Elevation 7650 Community Dinner. A special event put on by the town of Walsenburg for the cyclists and locals. Lots of extra music and also all you can eat spaghetti. Lots of people out and around town. One local tells me the last time there were this many people must have been before the mines shut down. At the peak there were 17500 people in town. The gym begins to stir at 4am. Several fairly loud alarm clocks go off. I had gotten my shower the night before, so I can pretty quickly pack my stuff and set it by the baggage truck. Also, get in line for breakfast. On the road by 5:30 a.m. Looks like a pretty clear nice morning. Slow gentle grade starts a short while outside town. The wind also starts to blow. I shift down several gears and slog my way out of Walsenburg. A gentle hill out by Lathrop State Park. The wind speeds up. It is definitely slow going uphill. Finally reach the intersection with US 12 where we came down yesterday. Continue to slog uphill, even periodically get off the bike for a thirty-second rest. Finally, reach the first aid station at sixteen miles. Lots of folks out. Lots of folks with disappointed faces due to the wind. An unsaid message is that if it is this bad on this side of the pass, it must be even worse in the wide open San Luis Valley on the other side of La Veta Pass. After the first aid station, the grade picks up a bit. However, at the same time, the wind starts to die down until it is completely still again. Hooray! Slowly climb up out of the valley and up to North La Veta Pass. There is a sign that says "Summit 8 miles." With luck, the sign is fortunately off by a mile and the summit appears sooner than I expect. Entire commotion at this aid station, with lots of folks stopping and the road narrowed with orange cones. At the prior station, I was clearly ahead of the crowd, but now am closer to the middle of the pack. Shortly after 9am when I'm up at the top. Not bad overall. Descent. The first twelve miles of descent go quickly. The grade is just right so that no additional pedaling is required, but also not steep enough to require some extra braking. As we get to the bottom, the grade becomes a little more gentle and some more additional cycling is required. A gentle climb is required about fourteen miles from the top. Following that another downhill for two miles and the next aid stations. Aid stations. I make it a point to stop at these. I refill my water bottle with additional Gatorade, and also eat a piece of fruit. The fruit alternates from bananas to oranges at each aid station. They also have portable toilets at each station. At least ten toilets at each, so all in all, the ride must have rented fifty or more. From here it becomes somewhat flatter. However, mercifully it is still calm. No sign of the anticipated wind. From this station, we continue past Fort Garland and make it to the last station at Blanca. Here it is perfectly flat and also perfectly calm. My bottom is becoming a bit sore, so I make certain to alternate the cycling a bit, standing and also letting myself coast. In fairly short order, I find myself at Alamosa, at approximately 12:30. Approximately seven hours, not the quickest, but also reasonable given the extra pass and headwinds. Adams State college. In contrast with prior two towns, this one is at a college instead of a high school. Makes a good difference, with many more showers, large restrooms and a large feel to it. Instead of parking the indoor campers in the gym, we find ourselves in a large indoor track. I do some walking around town. While I'm certain I've never cycled through here, I have a strange sense of deja vu as if I've cycled through before. I suspect that it is a combination of having driven through town and also having this town look a lot like some other towns I am also familiar with. Afternoon seminars. Each afternoon there is a seminar put on by Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter. Both are former pro cyclists (Olympic medals, Tour de France, etc) and are now doing a cycling camp. They are very entertaining as speakers and pack the house pretty full each afternoon. Today were some stories from the Tour de France experience. Also, sad news today. A cyclist on today's ride was killed. A fifteen year old was bicycling with a group and somewhat unexpectedly swerved. He ended getting caught under a dump truck in traffic. Surprising to have that sort of thing happen here. June 21, 1994, Salida CO Miles: 260.7, Elevation 7270 Breakfast starts early so I am on the road by 5:15am today. Definitely feels like I'm ahead of the crowd. Nice cool morning, calm and still before sunrise. The route today will cross the length of the San Luis Valley. This valley is extremely flat. From shortly past Alamosa, I can already see the notch that will be Poncha Pass, almost seventy miles away. Zooming along, the extremely flat terrain allows me to make excellent progress. I shift into a fairly high gear and allow my legs to pump away at a quick pace. The miles go by pretty quickly. Without much effort I am at the first aid station at fifteen miles. I pause only briefly before hopping on the bicycle again. Some of the land around is cultivated, giant sprinkler wheels are out in the field. However, most of the land is covered with dry sagebrush and scrub. One can see across the valley to much of the same landforms straight across. A few miles down the road, it actually becomes misty for a while. Off on the right is the second aid station at mile twenty-one. I arrive and they are still setting things up. Wonderful progress, definitely feel like I'm ahead of the pack. Head out from Hooper and get off zipping along the road. A few folks are now also on the road, so I am occasionally passed by the real speed demons. Zipping along feeling like I'm making real progress. All the sudden, I head a loud hissing sound. My back tire! Oops, looks like I've got a flat. I pull over to the side and start changing the tire. A few of the bugs who are around the area also land for a meal of the first human that may have stopped here for a while. As I'm patching the tube, more of the hordes start to pass me. Several folks offer to help, but I have everything I need. A Subaru sag wagon also stops. In fairly short order I have things patched and am back on the road. In not too many miles I make it to Moffat for another aid station. I continue on the flat terrain for more miles. The notched form of Poncha Pass has gotten closer, although it is still a ways off. Shortly before mile fifty the land starts to tilt up just slightly so I notice that I need to get in a lower gear. The long flat has lasted almost fifty miles. I join the main intersection with 285 and start to climb perhaps fifty feet per mile. In fairly short order I am at Villa Grove. Now the wide valley has pretty much closed up to a narrower form. The rise also starts a bit. Luckily, we also have a tail wind. Poncha Pass looks like one of the easier passes so far. By 11am I find myself at the top of the pass. Descent! Again, a quick descent. I find myself occasionally pumping my brakes on the first stretch until I find myself in Poncha Springs. From here, the grade levels out a bit, but I still don't have to pedal much. I arrive in Salida by noon. Postcards, cycling seminars, writing my log, washing my shorts, taking a shower, . . . all the ritual tasks of arriving at camp. Given the third day out, I'm starting to become an old hand. June 22, 1994, Leadville CO Miles: 320.2, Elevation 10000 This morning a time to sleep in. Until all of 4:15am! Everything is packed in short order. It looks like all is going very smoothly this morning. The baggage truck is already open, there is no line at breakfast. I can buy my morning paper and have a relaxing breakfast. On the bicycle by 5:30 and on the road again. The first mile or so descends gently toward town, but soon after that it starts to climb. In some previous days I had kept my odometer reading miles, but today decide to keep it on elevation to see how today's three thousand feet of gain will go. After the first mile, start to head out of town. The road is a bit beat up but otherwise ok. The elevation gain is slow but steady. In relatively quick order I find myself at the intersection with 285 and then shortly after that at the first aid station. Following this station there is a fairly long hill, with several hundred feet of climb. I'm going slowly but feel like I'm making excellent progress and am passing most folks. After this hill a fairly nice descent into Nathrop. Unfortunately I watch my precious elevation dwindle down. From Nathrop the climb begins again. Pass the prison on the right and then come through the town of Buena Vista at approximately 7:30am. First few miles outside BV are pretty flat, then the grade steepens. Not too long after that the wind starts to pick up, a rather consistent headwind. It is taking some extra effort now to keep slogging along. As I continue several miles through the wind, the sky becomes more ominous; I stop to put on my rain jacket. The rain intensifies. I stop to put on my rain chaps. I feel pretty dry and am able to continue slogging slowly. My fenders come in handy in at least deflecting some of the extra water that would otherwise come up from my tires. As the rain continues hard, the wind starts to lessen some. Not too long before Granite, the rain pretty much stops. I stop in at the convenience store and get several snack items. Then, continue to the aid station shortly after that. After the aid station, the rain has pretty much stopped. Now there is just a slow steady headwind. I'm feeling pretty good and make slow consistent progress. Along the road, folks from Leadville have placed some signs. They are typically multi-part signs where you read the first part on one sign and then the following pieces in subsequent signs. Some point out items such as the "National Scenic Byway" designation. The most amusing on is in two parts: "Leadville is now higher"/"New Elevation 10420 feet." I continue to watch my altimeter rise. I cross the Arkansas river. Slowly continue uphill until Stringtown. Then a left into the complex at Leadville. I arrive just past noon. I am due to stay with a friend, Paul at his cabin south of Leadville. I have arranged to meet with Paul at 4pm, so still have some time. I therefore get a shower, grab some lunch, finish reading the paper, and hang out in the gym for a while. I then pack my bicycle and head toward the meeting spot at the courthouse. In leaving notes, Paul I also not that Paul also has other friends staying with him for the night. One of them, Tom has also left notes so we know each others whereabouts. The other friends, Mark and Dorsey will drive up and meet us at the cabin. I wander around town, buy postcards and look at the shops. Shortly before four, Tom and I meet. At 4pm Paul arrives. The three of us attend the Finney/Carpenter seminar. We head up to the cabin. We meet with Mark and Dorsey and settle for the evening. June 23, 1994, Frisco CO Miles: 353.2, Elevation 9090 Luxury today. Sleep on a foam pad at Paul's place. Also, sleep in until 5:30am. Get up, eat breakfast and head down to Leadville for the start. Mark, Dorsey, Tom and myself drive to Leadville. We will start at approximately 8:45am. Mark isn't officially registered but will ride as a "bandit" for the last two days of the ride. Dorsey will drive their car along the route. Right at the start there is a fair sized hill. I pretty quickly get up this and am soon heading down Main Street, Leadville. The street doglegs right and picks up a bit of elevation overall. Shortly past Leadville is a quick descent of approximately 150 feet. From this point the valley slowly winds uphill. The climb is very gradual for the first seven miles or so. There are lots of folks out. In contrast to prior days, I am passing lots more folks. I think I must be much closer to the middle of the pack than previous days. At mile eight or so, the road picks up some grade. I am able to shift into a hill climbing gear and pretty quickly make my way up to Fremont Pass. I am up at the top by 10:30am. All in all, a quick and straightforward pass. In the final stretch of the pass, I cycle past a rider who is sponsored by the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association (CHBA). This organization has sponsored five "at risk" youths, given them bicycles and cycling clothes. The idea is that an event such as this one is supposed to help turn them around. Every day the Denver Post has additional stories about them. As I cycle slightly behind one CHBA rider, the channel four news team is following the rider up Fremont Pass, asking questions as they puff their way up the hill. After a brief rest break, I start down the hill. There is a short descent, but then a pretty long level stretch before the road really goes downhill for good. I hit the downhill and start the descent. The descent is fairly quick, but not as fast as I remembered it. At the bottom of the hill, I turn right onto the bicycle path. We follow this path all the way down to Frisco. The town of Frisco has put out a lot of signs along the way including some that are counting down the miles. At Frisco the bike path ends and we are funneled onto Main Street. I ride down Main and make my way to the High School. Here it is time for a short lunch, a reading of the newspaper and a checking out of the events around town. My parents have a condominium in town where I will stay for the evening. I grab my bag and head off to the condominium. In cycling back, I have all panniers on, so the bicycle handles a bit heavier as it is fully loaded. June 24, 1994, Boulder CO Miles: 448.5, Elevation 5680 Lots of items to celebrate in Frisco. Main Street is closed off and they have a number of vendors out with food. I walk through town and the food shops. I come back to the high school to attend the last Finney/Carpenter seminar. The seminar includes a few stories and remaining tips. Meet with Dorsey, Tom and Mark and head back to Main street for dinner. 4:00 a.m. the alarm goes off. I pack my remaining stuff to head back to the high school. Baggage truck is already loading. Have breakfast at 5am and then head off. The first part of the ride is cold. The thermometer at the bank says 41F. It is probably even colder in some pockets. My bare knees are actually slightly warmer than my hands which get cold if I travel too fast. I get slightly sidetracked on a bicycle path by Dillon Reservoir. The first part past the reservoir is fairly level, a slight climb by Dillon and a bit more by Keystone. Reach Keystone at 6:15am. Stop at the aid station. Shortly past the aid station the road starts a continuous 6% climb for nine miles. I shift into a low gear and start up. My altimeter is reading the feet as I climb. Several folks pass me up as I continue a slow steady pace. Reach A-Basin with a minimum of stops. Already at 10,800 feet so climbing is going well. Somewhat after A-Basin the road gets above timberline and has several switchbacks. I reach the summit of Loveland Pass at approximately 8:30, a steady 4mph for the past nine miles. It is still pretty cold at the summit. A bit of celebration given that this is the last major hill. Start the descent. Overall descent is pretty steady down to the intersection with I-70. At this point we go on the interstate for five miles. The road has a ten-foot shoulder and feels pretty comfortable. Get off I-70 at Bakerville. From here the frontage road has a slight increase before starting another major descent. I pump my brakes occasionally but also let it go some. In fairly short order I reach Silver Plume. Here back on I-70 for a two mile sharp descent to Georgetown. In this section the shoulder is a bit more narrow and the descent a bit steeper. Off the interstate for the section past Georgetown Lake. Seems like it is always windy here. After level at the lake, continue a more gradual descent to Idaho Springs. Reach the next aid station at ~9:30am. It feels a good thirty degrees warmer here than up on the pass. Also down to 7500 feet. After Idaho Springs, take the frontage road on the right hand side. In several spots a bicycle path has been constructed. Some of the volunteers are busy sweeping extra gravel from the path. Past the hunter check station. Floyd Hill. We rejoin I-70 here and do a moderately steep two mile climb on the shoulder of the interstate. It is suddenly fairly hot and the car exhaust makes it a bit unpleasant. At the top we exit I-70, cross over the interstate and take a secondary road past Soda Springs. Here the road descends fairly rapidly only to level and then climb again back up to Chief Hosa. Voicemail. Check my work voicemail and take care of some minor work emergencies. Mostly by forwarding the messages as appropriate. Get back on I-70 at Chief Hosa and off at the next exit. Last descent. From here the road goes sharply downward toward the plains. Feels like the home stretch now as I head toward Golden. At Morrison we get off onto Colorado 93. They have blocked off one lane with cones so we are able to travel faster than the cars remaining in the other lane. Right turn into the Colorado School of Mines campus. Lots of cyclist there as I arrive at 1pm. Finish line. Stretched across the road is a large banner indicating "Finish." There is a large crowd waiting for particular riders and they clap as they arrive. Feels good to have completed this ride so far. I get off my bicycle, park it in storage, grab lunch and a paper. I find my stuff. Given that it is 1pm, I decide to hang around for a while and wait for the closing ceremonies. The closing ceremonies contain a number of thank yous (e.g., the 100+ volunteers, sponsors such as Zima/Post/Teledyne Waterpick . . . ). Also have a raffle for bicycles. At 3:45pm I load up my stuff in panniers and head out from Golden. There is a brief descent through the center of town before a climb out on 93. 93 itself has a narrow shoulder and lots of traffic. It is fairly warm and sunny on the plains. There are several hills up and down, and I can definitely notice that I'm fully loaded. Reach Boulder at ~5:15. Follow a stretch of bicycle path before getting lost. Reach my brother Bert's place and park my bicycle. June 25, 1994, Fort Collins CO Miles: 502.0, Elevation 5000 Leave Boulder at about 8am. Fairly quick cycle out of town on the Diagonal Highway. Pass Longmont on Hover road. For some reason my Achilles tendons have decided to act up. I can feel both, and decide to take it easy, periodically coasting. Overall the now loaded bicycle acts very stable like a truck in continuing down the road. Try to take a sidewalk/bicycle path past Longmont. Definitely in poorer condition than staying on the road. Up past Hover Road it becomes more of a country road. Do a bypass of Berthoud and make it to Loveland by 11am. Decide to mellow out by a gas station drinking some Gatorade and relaxing. See an ex-HP person drop through. Talk with him a bit about his new work at Colorado Memory Systems, CMS. I drop past Burger King for lunch. There are no more aid stations, so I find my stops along the way. Leave Loveland and arrive in Fort Collins. In Fort Collins, I drop through the home of my ex-wife Mary and give her cats some company (Mary is out on vacation). In the evening I bicycle in to town to a Brewer's Festival taking place. I have dinner with several friends from the local bicycle advocacy group, C4 (Choice City Cycling Coalition). In the evening I stay with Paul at his home in Fort Collins. June 26, 1994, Fort Collins CO Miles: 502.0, Elevation 5000 Rest day today in Fort Collins. Take time to visit the mall, check up on work email, and do a walk through of a duplex I still own in Fort Collins. In the evening I stay over at Mary's place. June 27, 1994, Cheyenne WY Miles: 573.0, Elevation 6050 Sleep with the cats. Winston decides to sleep on top of me for much of the night. Spark wants out at 5am when I wake up. I leave a note for Mary and then depart for the day. Leave Fort Collins at 5:30am. Still nice and cool with not too much traffic. Dash up Shields Street on the east end of town. Make my way to Lindemeier lake. See several joggers along the way. Make the way up to intersection with Colorado 1 before the wind starts up a bit. The wind is mostly a cross wind but there is a slight forward component as well. Works well when the road shifts east as I coast forward. Stop in a cafe in Wellington shortly before 7am. Have a good breakfast. Wellington is at 5200 feet and after that point the road starts to climb gently. I follow the frontage road on the east side. Not too far out of Wellington see a sign for "State Line 20." The wind and slight gain continue to be a problem. I stop several times for thirty second timeouts. Owl Canyon at mile 281. Buckeye exit at 288, with a sign pointing off to the power plant. At mile 288 I am back on the interstate. Some trucks can pass closely and flap my shirt. Continue up right-hand side. I've got two water bottles and am going through water fairly quickly. Not much at mile 293 for Carr. At mile 296, I stop briefly at the natural fort. Finally just past mile 299 is the Wyoming sign. Wyoming! Stop to take pictures of the sign. From here the road continues upwards for three miles to 6200 feet. The wind speed has really picked up. Luckily it is still mostly a cross wind. Top the ridge at mile three and also turn slightly from the wind. I can really fly on the side of the interstate. Get off the road at exit seven and have breakfast at McDonalds. It is shortly past 10am. Navigate back in and through town. Stop at visitor information center. Lights are timed just wrong so I can't get through more than two at a time. Head up toward north 8th street and the airport. They have a Taurus and a Grand Am. Neither looks very suitable for the bicycle but one looks slightly better in the back seat. Drop back to buy a newspaper and then load the car in the seat. Pack things up for the journey's done. Car ride back to Fort Collins. Dinner and a restful evening. June 28, 1994, Chelmsford MA Back home again. Left Fort Collins around eight. Drove slowly past Loveland and Longmont. Had a bit of a hassle at the airport with returning the car. Got to the airport at eleven for a 12:35 flight. Vacation over. Time to start planning next year's adventure.