Day 20: Salida to Pueblo

Today’s Highlights:
We had a very enjoyable 94-mile ride today. It was mostly downhill, dropping from 7000 feet to 4800. It included some great scenery. And everyone seemed to agree that the best thing of all was a very helpful tailwind that we had been hoping for!

We started our morning at the Patio Pancake house for a very nice breakfast, and appreciated the change from the usual hotel continental choices. At 7:00, we were on our bikes for a very chilly start. Thankfully, the smoke that filled the air in Salida yesterday afternoon was gone and the sky was clear and blue. Some smoky haze veiled the mountains that were far in the distance. A few miles from town, we entered Bighorn Sheep Canyon, where the Arkansas River carves its way east toward the Mississippi. We followed the Arkansas almost all day, and were in the canyon for the first forty miles. The canyon ride was thoroughly enjoyable. First of all, it was downhill almost constantly. The canyon walls were impressive, and the river was soothing and sparkling in the morning sunlight.

At mile forty five, we had our only climb of the day, and it was only three miles long. It was getting very warm by then, and the temperature continued to climb from the 80’s to high 90’s. After the climb, we had an incredible descent. It was long and fast, and a pleasant surprise. Near the bottom, the town of Canon (Canyon) City came into view. We rode through the middle of it. It seemed like a very nice little western town. By now, we had dropped to about 5500 feet, and the landscape changed dramatically from the previous two days. We were back in an arid environment. Leaving Canon City, we had rolling hills, but this is where the tailwind really picked up. On gradual downhills, I could easily ride above 22 mph and sometime over 30 mph with little effort. Then rolling uphill, it was still easy to stay near 20 mph. The ninety four miles were going by quickly.

Near Penrose Colorado, the landscape was getting very stark. The land was practically barren. Not even sagebrush grows here! I saw a “scenic overlook” sign, and pulled in to take a look. There was really nothing to see except a barren plain and small distant mountains. They set the bar very low here. I guess it’s all relative. Anyway, I continued the great wind-assisted cycling into Pueblo, just enjoying the ride.

I finished today’s ride in only six hours (5 hours of pedaling time), with an 18.6 mph average, thanks to the favorable wind. My bike computer registered 111 degrees near the end. The air temp was probably in the high 90’s, but the heat from the road and traffic raises the temp around us. You can really feel it in our feet. I was very happy to end before it got even hotter.

Pictures Of The Day: Click any thumbnail to see the photos in full screen mode.

Day 20