Day 25: nice to see you, tailwind

Ahhh those all you can eat continental breakfasts are too good. Lindsay and I started the say with two bagels, two packets of oatmeal, juice, an orange and plenty of coffee... Each. I have found it interesting, now that i have become a bottomless pit, to see the reaction of people as we eat all of that food. I don't think that they understand that we can't get full because we are biking so much, even if we tell them what we are doing. Instead, I think they are investing their energy to figure out how two young women can eat as much as a college football player at times. That being said, i would rather make it 15 miles and be judged than make it 5 miles and be tired for the sake of saving humility. (however at mile 4.89 today Lindsay read my mind by asking "why am I hungry?")

Our experiences with continental breakfasts is also that we start laughing at something, since we are full of sugar and carbs, and get on a roll and take forever to leave. Time just won't wait for us to get ourselves together those days. Today, we left at 10:00 am hour later (at least) than we had intended. whoops! It is nice to enjoy ourselves and take our time, especially since we won't have the luxury of the other's company for much longer.

Our day was half hard climbing, half flat.We were trying to make it to Sargants, CO, which is at the base of the highest peak that we will climb in our journey: 11,220 get. Sargants was 97 miles away from Montrose, (little did we know). We could have made it if we started earlier, but i think that doing a century the day before your highest peak may not be one of our most brilliant ideas.

At 21 miles we had finished our descent from our first climb. It was not easy, and began pretty much as soon as we left Montrose, and the last 4 miles were brutal (with a 4 mile descent) the climb was just about 2000 ft, and i think 75% of that was in those last 4 miles. In the middle of those, however, i received notification that with donations we had to mail in and the ones we received over the internet put us over the $20,000. Talk about something sweet to think about for the most difficult mile of the climb. I am pretty sure i have never had a smile on my face while climbing a hill before today. (smiling between gasping for air that is, my legs and lungs were screaming.. Smiling on the inside might be a more accurate, way to put it).Thank you so much everybody's support and generosity. It really does make those climbs and hard days easier.

We stopped for a quick lunch and then we were immediately thrown into another climb. This one was 1500 ft, and just as bad, if not worse. We knew that once this was done, the hardest part of our day would be over (expect one more little pass, but it doesn't count as much after you do the others). Once we finished all of our climbing, it was 4:00 pm and we had only done 35 miles and went about making up for lost time.

I love Colorado; it is gorgeous. It also is the first state in which we have experienced a real tail wind (only teases in the other states), so it pretty much bumps Colorado off the charts. Awwwwesome. I knew this day would eventually come. We were flying, just like last night. I loved it. We rode by a beautiful lake called Lake Fork. It was glistening in the afternoon sun (sometimes it takes us a long time to ride because there are so many things to take pictures of, and thus there is much stopping, but they are important stops to make. I wish i could capture it all... ) and even though we stopped frequently to try to capture the beauty before us, i developed a rubber neck (for those who drove with him know that i definitely inherited this from my father) and kept looking to my left to see how the clouds and lighting had changed and was reflected on the lake. Every time i turned my neck i would ride straight into the rumble strips, (separating the shoulder and the road) and it shakes you so much that it hurts your brain and head. My continuous huffing and puffing and grunting, rather than just learning my lesson, was very amusing to Lindsay, and i could hear her breaking out in laughter behind me every time i got mad at myself.

The lake went in forever, and then narrowed to a stream weaving through rocky canyons that people were fly fishing in. We were starving at this point. We had done some serious riding and we were at mile 55, getting to make it the lady 12 miles to Gunnison, where we prayed had a subway. We were too tired and too hungry to think, and i am glad that the trail wind was there for the extra little boost. Sargant is 32 miles away from Gunnison, and as we were inhaling our food, it was nearing 6:30 pm. We are both fans of night riding with head lamps, but at that point, as i have said, it probably want in our best interest to finish a century and then get up and fight extreme elevation. As we were discussing this, our thoughts were reinforced by our inability to finish a sentence or two and keep a straight face, and Lindsay also was having a ball watching me drop my chips on the table or my lap... Eating chips has never been so hard. Yes, that was as huge indication that we are exhausted. </p>
<p>We will have a 32 mile fairly flat warm up tomorrow with a slight incline to get to 8000 ft, and then charge up that mountain. We will have a bit of a climb the next day before we get into Pueblo, but tomorrow is the big one. This is what we have been preparing for mentally and physically for the last 25 days (or before that, even. In all honestly, i was scared about the Rockies long before we boarded the plane). The elevation will certainly give us a run for or money, but I feel like I can accurately say that we will give everything we've got until we reach the summit... One pedal at a time. </p>

Day 24: blood, sweat, and fear

So i may have neglected to add some interesting details last night as to where we stayed.  We rolled into Rico at around 3:30.  It is a small town, with about a 1/2 mile of store buildings, some of them vacant, a school, fire department, and a couple of hotels. No campsite.  We were excited to get there early and set up camp, make some wonderful pad thai that had been sent from home (we are very excited).

  Come to find out, Rico didn't have a campground...  We sat under the gazebo outside of the playground to try to figure out what to do.  We were totally willing to go ahead and camp in the park (soccer field to be exact), but we looked around and noticed that everything was bear proofed.  (we couldn't even figure out the garbage cans either, at first).  And that is when we decided that we should probably get a hotel since we had so much food in our panniers. (i bet bears like beefaroni, too)  One of the two hotels had no vacancy, and we couldn't get in contact with the last who owned the other ( she left a number on the door). I asked the fire department, we tried calling churches. Nothing.

So, not knowing else to do, we decided to get food (at least tea, we were freezing).  On our way to the café, we noticed the hotel door was open, the lady had returned.  Lindsay went to inquire.  It was our only option at that point, so we decided to go for it, and she gave us the grand tour.

Rico originated from the silver mining that flourished in the area in the 1870s.  There were about 23 saloons at that point, which made Rico a popular town along the railway that was built from Ridgway to Dolores (it was not easy to build the tracks because  of the mountains).  The owner of the house that we were standing in, now a hotel, was a successful silver smith.  The house was absolutely gorgeous.  It was old, and the owner tried to recreate the atmosphere from 125 years ago, with many old pieces if furniture, artifacts if you will, including old stoves. The ceilings were high, the walls ornate.  There were chandeliers in every room.  There were also two kitchens, from an addition i believe, and many bathroom with old showers.  The lady who now owned the hotel, Susie, was very sweet and absolutely adored the place.  She currently lived in Dolores (38 miles away) as she was her 90 year old mother's caretaker, and had plans to eventually live in it while renting out rooms to people (there were maybe 10 bedrooms).  So as she is showing us this beautiful place, which we are just trying to take in, she told us that she had to return to Dolores after she vacuumed, and the place would be ours... All to ourselves.  she gave us the key.  She was very trusting, obviously, even after a couple couches had been stolen and the people that she let stay there the night before failed to leave money for her after she told then whet the key was.  We were very grateful that we had such an amazing place to stay that didn't involve snuggling with hungry bears.  And then nonchalantly, out of no where, she says, "oh by the way there are spirits in the house.... They are kind though." I think i choked briefly on my breath, and glanced at Lindsay to see if i could read what she was thinking. Her eyes were a bit wider than normal.  We asked if there was any common activity and she definitely didn't hesitate to say, "oh yeah, here follow me." She led us up the steep, narrow, winding stairs to the room we were supposed to stay in.  She said "you will see up here.." She lost her train of thought mid sentence and went on to say "this was the whore room." At this point, i was thinking good lord, is this really happening and is she serious.  I studied her for a moment and realized that she was not trying to pull our leg, or scare us. I think she was trying to be honest and open, but was just slightly scattered in approach.  She went on to tell us about her son, and more about her life (she had an elk farm and camels in Dolores).  Then she sent us to find hot springs near and get some food as she finished her cleaning and left to go back to Dolores.

We left the hotel, and neither of us really knew what to say to each other.  We both kind of cracked up about the fact that we were offered a place that we had all to ourselves and didn't think that there would be a catch....That it is haunted.  We couldn't find the hot springs, so we ate dinner at a cafe across the from the hotel, and just kept looking over at the dark windows, and started freaking ourselves out by thinking of scary movies, and seeing if we could see any odd activity from the windows.  We decided that we would be on the buddy system and escort the other person to the bathroom, etc, not that we were in danger but if we were going to be spooked we wanted to be spooked together.

We got back to the hotel and decided that we should stay downstairs, and called the owner to make sure she was ok with it (we didn't want to make "anyone" mad), and her initial response was, "of course, but why? Did something happen?" Didn't help our current state of freaked out.  We wisely chose a room with a bathroom attached to it, and enjoyed a nice shower, and crawled into bed, shutting the doors to the rest of the hotel.   10 minutes later, the shower faucet started dripping, so Lindsay got up and made sure the faucet was turned all the way off, we tried to forget about it. This happened twice. A half hour later, we were loudly giggling about something while we were blogging and all of a sudden Lindsay's eyes got huge and she pointed to the bathroom, and i became quiet to hear that the shower had turned partially on... Way way way more than a drip.  As suddenly as it started, the running water stopped.  Yes, we were totally freaked out. We sat there in silence covering our mouths, and then tried to pretend that it never happened, saying nothing to each other, getting back to our blogging.. No big deal, right?  Within a minute, the water turned back on again.  We were pretty much paralyzed.  Knowing that there was nothing that would harm us, we finished our blogs and tried to forget what happened, and were desperately hoping that nothing else would happen that night, or when we were packing our things up in the morning. Sleep didn't come that easily our soundly for us though.

It was a rocky night's sleep, but we got through it without any more blunders and hurried to eat and get or of there this morning, nut only because we were ready, but because we had a long day of riding to do.

We had started our ascent to 10,220 feet the day before, so  we knew that it was up hill from the beginning of the day.  Our muscles immediately felt as though they had checked out in Dolores, as the burning was quick to start and they were very fatigued, not to mention we were easily it of breath.  We were at about 9000 feet, so it would make sense that we were more tired than usual, but just like the day before we felt as though we had never climbed before, or at any elevation higher than sea level.  By mile 1.7, we had stripped off our long sleeve shirts and pants as the sweat was pouring out of us.

We made our way up the rest of the mountain, one hill at a time, and it was exhausting.  About two miles from the top, there was road graffiti that read "shut up legs," which was so perfect and true.  We had to block out what our legs (and lungs) were telling us and keep going, knowing that the summit was getting closer and closer.

The summit was gorgeous, but so cold.  The scenery is incredible in Colorado... The mountains are large and majestic, covered in pines, or they were large rocks protruding into the sky.  You can't be frustrated at how far you have yet to go, how cold you are, how steep the hills are or how tired you are because of the peacefulness and tranquillity you find when you look up. Not to mention, the people are extremely nice.

After our first summit, we descended, for a bit and pulled off at a scenic overlook to get a bite to eat.  It was also the meeting point of a local biking group that was about to climb what we had just finished (...for fun)  one of the ladies came over to talk to us, and see what we were doing.  Unfortunately, we were extremely hungry and as we were taking were simultaneously eating cashews as fast (and politely) as physically possible before we cracked into our tuna.  As more members showed up, they came over and marveled at our bikes, especially at the load we were carrying and the distance we have covered in 3 weeks.  It was very touching.  They were incredibly nice.  One couple gave us fruit, and it was so so so delicious.

One more summit.  Again, we were exhausted, even at 9,000 feet.  12 miles down the hill was Ridgway, where subway was waiting for us, 61 miles into our trip.  We had thought that Montrose was only 17 miles away at that point, but we were mislead...26 instead.

They were the best 26 of the day, and i am pretty sure that i feel in love with biking all over again today.  I don't know where we got the energy, but we did 26 miles in one hour and 20 minutes, with an average speed of 19 mph. This is a speed that is usually maintained by road bikers, who have light bikes with no gear, not after 60 miles with 60 lbs. The pavement was smooth over the flat terrain with a few rolls here or there.  I'm not sure where we dug this out of, but it was exhilarating, in every sense.. It was liberating.  This is what cycling is all about, the feeling of flying, of gliding along the landscape.  Descents are rewards for the effort of climbing, but that is as different joy.  In addition, on the descents you have to worry about maintaining control in the wind, around corners with cars and trucks, braking to maintain sense of control.  But when you can reach this speed (which may nit seem far to many people) on the terrain tonight, you are in total control and it is almost effortless.  You are free.

Another big day tomorrow, but after tonight I'm really looking forward to it

Day 23: a lazy sunday ride

Out bikes were still at the shop this morning getting tuned up.  The owner of the shop was a bicycle genius, a young man that had started his own company three years ago. He had originally worked out of his house, but two months ago he had opened up a shop right on Dolores' main street.  He said that his location is perfect as it is right along the Adventure Cycling Association route (hence how we find it) and other major cycling network that goes from California to Quebec.  He said that he has had people come from New Mexico to have him service their bikes. 
You walk into the store, greeted by wind chimes made from recycled bike gears, and don't find much rhyme or reason to the organization as there are bike parts strewn about: bins of old bike cogs, sections of blown tires, old frame forks and pieces.  They are pieces from bike that are useless to the average person, that he cherishes and recycles, making jewelry out of spokes, lamps (the base is the front wheel, the shade is made from spokes), wind chimes, belts out of chain links and tire.  I think i may have speed a steering wheel cover made out of tire but i can't sure.
There is a display cabinet that houses a few energy supplements, displays his jewelry, and his cash register and paper work.  Behind the wall he had about 20 metals from various triathlons and winter triathlon (running, cross country skiing, and biking), as well as mountain biking races, and others.  Today he was wearing the Spartan Beast race shirt (that he participated in.. it is a half marathon with horrendously hard obstacles).  I told him that i had signed up for the one that is taking place in Killington, VT this year, on September 22, and i wasn't sure if i would be able to make it back in time (definitely trying, but it is not looking so good).  He immediately started giving me all of these tips, which i appreciated but doubt i would be wanting to jump headfirst through a tire into a barrel roll the day after i finish biking across the country... or put spikes in track shoes for better traction.  I would do it more for the experience and for a good laugh at this point anyway.
Anyway, the far left corner of his store was where he did all of his magic: his repair bench.  He replaced my chain (he was the second person who told me out was almost totally worn out) and replaced a baring in the front wheel that he said was completely warped (he thought it was my entire axle at first, wouldn't have been good) and then he tuned up the entire bike, and put more posing on my handle bars to see if out would help my hand. it was 11 by the time we left (So much for getting on the road at 9),  we had wanted to make the climb to 10,220 feet today and make it to a campsite, but the late start was not that great of a start, (we left Cedar City at 10 the day we had the 10-500 ft climb, and e ended up sleeping in a shower stall.. Neither of us wanted to go down that road again) so we decided we would make it the majority of the ways up the mountain to Rico, set up camp early, and get up early and put some major miles in.  Our decision was reinforced by the fact that the weather forecast was dismal and predicted thunderstorms today.
I felt like i was riding the bike equivalent of a Ferrari. It has never felt so smooth and easy to handle, even with all of the extra weight.  The tune up was a small but great investment.  I couldn't get over it for the majority of the ride.
Lindsay's iPod decided that it wanted to work today, surprise!! So, i used mine as well, and it is amazing the difference it makes... Even with one of the headphone in.  I had refrained from using it when Lindsay's was being stubborn as it helps so much that i would rather suffer with her on some of those hills and tough days than to have her suffer alone... Team effort, remember? Plus, we are never sort on conversation.
The scenery was totally and equally as amazing.  A stream separated the road from beautiful green pastures full of grazing horses and cows, with a backdrop of mountains covered in pine, some rocks visible.  I swear that i saw every shade of green that exists in those mountains today, from tints of yellow to having a hue of blue from a distance.  Crayola should really check this place out. It was peaceful, and serene (when the groups of motorcyclists weren't blarring by... I randomly actually asked a guy tonight who was standing next to his motorcycle what he thought would be faster, his Harley or my loaded bike.. I think he may have just pretended to be amused). I kept one ear bud in so i could listen to the stream that the road followed, and so talk. to Lindsay.  I cant wait to see more of these mountains in the next few days. They say that green is the color of balance, harmony, and growth.  What a beautiful thing to ride through.
The elevation map to Rico shows a gradual incline, and we were both kind of waiting for it to start.  We sped through the miles... Rico was only 38 miles away, and it took 3 hours to get there,  but i honestly feel like we went through some sort of time warp, because it felt like an hour. Our bodies were exhausted.  It felt as though the muscles we have gained were just like "see ya later!"  I am not sure if it was the elevation affecting us again, or lactic acid build up, (or the fact that i had only had 5 hours of sleep because i thought that eating the majority of a pint of coffee heath bar crunch at 4:00 pm was a good idea). It was bizarre.  We both experienced.  And then we reached Rico and realized from the elevation sign (8876 feet) that we had climbed 2000 feet, and we looked at each other, asking when the heck we had done that.
After we were settled, one of the locals had told us about natural hot springs down the road that we tried to investigate.  On our way back we met these two lovely ladies on the side walk that were sitting behind a table full of clay hands and hearts.  We began talking with them, and the artist saw our shirts and started asking questions about our trip.  She insisted that we each take a heart that she was selling, so we would travel with love.  It was very thoughtful of her and generous of her.  She makes them all out of clay and smokes them.  it sounded as though it was quite the process.  It is so refreshing to met such wonderful and kind hearted people.
Time for bed.  We have some mountains to wrangle in the morning.

Day 20: mmmm.. full day of climbing

We woke up at 630 and after we took down our tents, sat on a cement cinder block and ate power bars dipped in peanut butter. We were both quiet as we knew that we had a full day of climbing ahead of us, and we were both very much dreading it. It was the last  climb of the map, and we knew that it was going to be tough, especially after the dinner that we had (or lack there of). As we were enjoying our breakfast, the we heard thunder from the clouds above us. I looked up at the dark sky and then over at Lindsay, who was wearing a huge grin on her face. We just sat there as it started to rain, shaking our heads and chuckling...eating our power bars,  Knowing exactly what the other person was thinking.

We got everything together and headed down to the convenient store to restock our completely empty food supply. A week ago, the food that we had originally bought would have sufficed, but as our muscles have gotten stronger, so had our appetite. The store had very little... No bars, no chef boyardee, nothing that wouldn't totally perish on our 79 mile ride to Blanding, the next town.&#160; So we settled on the last can of spaghettios in the store to split, fig newtons, poptarts, lunchables, and a bag of ice... And a cookie ice cream sandwich to eat immediately and get some delicious calories. It was kind if scary knowing that is all that we had (plus tuna) as we get hungry so fast and often.

And so we began the climbs... No easing into it-- the first one was steep and daunting. my muscles were screaming at me to stop what i was doing, but i knew that getting to the to meant one less hill that we would have to climb.... 5 miles in we stopped. We were already exhausted and frustrated, and it would have been a perfect day for a day off (mentally and physically) or for an iPod, but since Lindsay's still wasn't working, we kept to the awful songs we had stuck in our heads. (including the bear went over the mountain, and i added the verse, "i bet the bear never climbed to 10,500 feet) This is when the flies joined us, and they didn't do much for except infuriate us and bug us the entire day. All we wanted to do is drink water or catch our breath, and we had to fight the flies to do so, every time we stopped. What was more infuriating was that they would sit on me as we were riding, and i couldn't stand the fact that i was now transporting flies at that point... They looked like little fruit flies (there were black flies at one point, too- don't worry), and we couldn't figure put where they came from. I think they were attracted to the abundance of salt on our bodies, (cause we smelled like flowers so it couldn't have been that). I will admit a few times i screamed at them. Especially when you turn to hit one on you're leg and you miss because your leg is miss pedal... Or you think you have a fly on you and you glance down as you are riding, give your arm, stomach, whatever, a smack reinforced with frustration and realize it is dirt.

It was extremely hot, and so was our water, and so i decided that riding with the back of my shirt pulled up would be better than over heating... One extreme sunburn later (yes, Mom, i had sunscreen on ;) )... Today i cannot sit back in a chair or sleep on my back. The picture shows it well.

Speaking of chair, we saw a monument for Jacob's chair, and Lindsay finally found it and told she would much rather be sitting on s chair than on her bike. That amused us for quite sometime, until e started taking about the fact that all we wanted was endless bowl of spaghetti and meatballs... We knew deep down, however, that tuna was in our near future (and this conversation might have been initiated by Lindsay's lingering dissatisfaction about last night's dinner) And while it seems ridiculous that we could talk about spaghetti for ten minutes, it is conversations like these that get us through those endless miles of climbing. It gets to a point where we are looking forward to a water break not only for water and to give the legs a break, but to chat about random things, or grunt our mutual frustrations to each other. It is a recovery time for our mind and sometimes spirits. It is the little things that get you through.... Focus on the hills, put your head down and power through and be rewarded with water and chatting, even if it is for a minute.... Or to ride side by side trying to rap and beat box, or harmonize the national anthem.. We were very lucky that the two of us are able to laugh at ourselves and what we go through... It is has set the tone for this trip.the other thing is that there is a lot that we dread in a day, as far as elevation and climbs go. It is wonderful to have somebody who understands what is ahead, to share that experience with, and know that we will get through it together. We pick each other up, and we try to stay positive for the other person.

It took us hours to climb 50 miles, and then about 10 minutes to go 10 miles on ouR descent. We enjoyed a few cans of tuna, and as i was getting the life back into me, i could only laugh as Lindsay started shaking her bike at the flies that surrounded us. We had 19 miles to go, the majority up hill, it was getting late, and were starring the steep road ahead of us right in the eyes... And the thing that bothered us the most were the flies.

Oh man were those last miles tough. The hills might have been straight up and down. When we got to the top, we were greeted by another electrical storm right over blanding, about 10 miles away. Perfect! We have lucked out on weather (as a whole), but mother nature loves to wait until we are close enough to our destination to unleash her havoc, when everything hurts and we can almost smell subway. What a tease.

We pulled into Blanding at around 815 got ice cream and sandwiches and much needed showers. We slept well knowing that we had gotten through one of the worst days of the map, (65 out of 79 miles uphill) that it was our last night in Utah, and the next day was would lead us to a day off... Doesn't get much better than that...

Day 22: Christmas in September

The first thing we did this morning was get to the post office in the small two hour window that we had to pick up packages that had been sent from home. we were excited and giddy and kind of speechless when we saw the bars of chocolate, electrolyte mixes, protein bats, and dehydrated food in the packages. This immediately bumped our already high spirits through the roof as we were grateful for the generosity and exciting treats. Cans of chef boyardee and plain tuna get old quickly (often after the first bite) and to receive a package of items that will brighten our day and help us get through the tougher moments of our journey from people we miss from home is a gift that is hard to describe... It is like 100 Christmases. It is incredible to have such wonderful support.

We had a leisurely morning.. Ate a late breakfast and were pleasantly surprised to find laundry appliances right in our hotel. Boy did we live like Queens today. We laid in bed as our clothes were being washed, and blogged and snacked and laughed at things that had happened during the week. We also got a chance to catch up with friends and family from.home, which was really wonderful.

We took our bikes to a local bikeshop for a tune up before we hit the Rockies tomorrow, and it will be totally worth the money. On our way back to the motel, we each got pints of Ben and Jerry's... Awesommmme! Quite seriously the most frustrating part of my day was trying to come to terms with the fact that i had eaten all of the heath bar out of my Coffee Heath Bar Crunch... Not too shabby.

And while this day was full of fun and rest, there was some sadness in the air knowing that this is Lindsay's last week on this great adventure due to work.&#160; It would be our last recovery day together... Crazy.. I cannot express how much her partnership has meant to me, and while i know that it is important for her to return at this time, my heart is heavy knowing that i will not be able to wake up to her antics and jokes in the morning, that i won't be able to turn around at the top if the hill and find her shaking her head at what we just did and then returning it with a chuckle or grunt, and vice versa.&#160; She has made me laugh when i didn't think it was possible, she has kept me going when i didn't know if i could. we have climbed incredible, mountains together, survived heat, storms, we have gotten stronger together, and not just physically. Most importantly, we have shared a journey of a lifetime, and  over the hardest terrain at that. She is a gem, and will be greatly missed.

So tomorrow we face the Rockies, a climb to 10,222 feet (we will sleep in a tent this time, and not a shower stall). This map will be hard, but I'm not really as nervous...i believe this is partially due to the fact that i have learned that being anxious with anticipation doesn't get me anywhere because we always end up with surprises (our plans never really pan out as we expect them to) and 90% of the things we encounter i have no control over. I am more nervous about Lindsay's departure, and all i can think about is enjoying these last few days, the last few challenges, and the fun that I am about to have with this incredible gal. When you look back on all that we have experienced and accomplished together, it is hard not to be excited about tackling one last mountain range together... And the Rockies at that.. (alright, i admit this will be no walk in the park... My legs hurt thinking about tomorrow)

Day 21: a long, but joyous, road to recovery

We woke up with pure excitement as we knew that the only thing between us and and a day off was 81 miles.... And a fare well to Utah.  The Utah-Colorado boarder was about half way into our day, but the anticipation of entering our 4th state in 3 weeks (less than that if you only count actual riding days) was a driving factor of our levity and kept the morning light... Even when w found out that there were a few more hills than we expected.

When we reached Colorado, we got off our bikes and ran to the sign.  I tried to do a pull up, even climb it, but failed miserably... And as Lindsay got done laughing at my feeble attempts, out of no where and nonchalantly did a hand stand, gracefully.  We waved to a few of the cars as they passed and have us thumbs up, throwing our other hand up in excitement.  While im sure it was fun for them to see, i very much doubt that they knew what this meant to b us.  Three weeks ago today we flew in to San Francisco.  I was overwhelmed with excitement to see Lindsay again and start this adventure (and to be reunited with my bike, too), but i realize how full of naivity i was, and what we have done, the mountains that we have crossed, and what we have had to give from our bodies and minds to get to where we were under that welcome to colorado sign, was nothing close to what i had envisioned or imagined us doing.  we had to dig deep to get through done of those days, deeper than we once thought we were able to go.  I remember leaving the bike shop that day in san fran with fully packed panniers on my bike for the first time, barely able to balance and feeling so scared about what we were about to do, really asking myself how we were really going to pull this off.  I couldn't even get up a small knoll in a road because of the weight...  But... We just did what we had to do each day.. And there we were under the sign, three full states and 1200 miles later.  There is a nice ring to that.

It is also exciting to not know what each state will bring and be in a constant state of surprise...  Each state has been different and beautiful in it's own way... Each has given us a new set of obstacles to overcome.  I will miss that anticipation, the element of surprise, and the ability to be able to see the beauty in this country everyday.  If you asked me a year ago what i would be doing right now, the last thing i would tell you is that i would be riding my bike across the country (or eating pints of ice cream by myself, daily).  And while i am riding for a cure for a disease that makes my soul shudder, i feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to be riding my bike across this incredibly gorgeous land, to experience all of the elements, to hear what the birds and the trees are doing.  Your senses become a sponge for their surroundings.  Not to mention you have to work for what you see.  on our first night on the road, we met an wonderful guy who was finishing the journey we were just starting.  Recently, he left a quote by Ernest Hemingway, on Lindsay's blog that she shared with me today: "It is by riding a bicycle that you lean the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.  Thus you remember them as they actually are."

Ahhh yes, those hills.  By mile 60, we were ready for the rolling hills to go away.  One thing i noticed today is that from a distance any hill looks awful, but as you approach them, you get a better understanding of what you have to do to get up them.  When you get to the top, with the feeling of accomplishment, you get to see what is on the other side, and you hope that it is not another hill.

At this point of our trip, we started to get hungry.  Lindsay decided she would eat a can of chef boyardee.  Immediately, she regretted that decision and started to not feel well... When she came out of a store a few miles later, i finally noticed that she had sauce all over her face. In my attempt to keep a straight face when i told her this, (it was especially hard as i was picturing her conversing with the store clerk in this state), i lost it and doubled over in laughter.  Her reply, as she was fighting hysterics, was "i just don't care anymore.. I'm saving it."  That is what got us through the last 20 miles,

We rolled into Dolores, once again later than we had planned, but extremely happy to have finished another map and reach 1244 miles.  We pulled up to the hotel where we would be laying on for the next 36 hours high fived, and gave a sigh of relief that those climbs were done, that we wouldn't have to face them again.  After 81 miles, we could relax and know that tomorrow we didn't have to do another 80, or even 5.

We got an incredible discount on an incredible room, or suite i should say that had futons and the works. $80 for a $140/night room, which had been generously gifted to us by Lindsay's grandmother. We are grateful.

We walked down to the local brewery that had high recommendations.  We indulged in beer synced we weren't biking the next day, and due to the fact that we haven't really had alcohol in the last few weeks, were low on calorie intake that day, and at an elevation of 7000 ft, the giggles started early and we laughed our way through the calzone that said "hope you are hungry" next to it on the menu.  When the waitress took our plates she said "wow, you girls must have been hungry... We normally don't see girls that finish these." That amused us all the way to the gas station where we found desert.

It was heaven knowing the only thing we had to do the next day was do laundry and go to the post office... and it is funny that those are usually the things that i like doing the least at home. 

day 19: late start, very late arrival

After a beautiful ride in the Capitol Reef National park, we were refreshed and energetic when we woke up. I was starving, as per usual these days, upon waking up, so we took full advantage of the free continental breakfast in the lobby. The make your own Belgium waffle station was a delight, but did little to curb my hunger. Oatmeal, muffins... The orange juice was joyous. Full of sugar and carbs, one would think that we would be hurrying to get on the on the road, but that was not the case. For some reason, which was probably due to the fact that subconsciously we didn't think we had far to go and the maps didn't look that bad, we took our sweet time. Lindsay put on the oldies station on Pandora, and i must say that it is hard to pack up when you are dancing, singing, and laughing at each other. When we finally did leave, at 1030, we kept the singing and laughing up, especially when we saw signs for the Wayne County Idol Auditions that we were just barely missing. Unfortunately Lindsay is going to have to wait for next year for that to happen.<br />
it was a fun ride to Hanksville, 18 miles flat and slightly down hill, through the desert canyons. It felt like we were biking through a sand castle. The sand at the bottom of the canyon "walls" had clearly been weathered off. The ground was cracked and dry. I must say this was aesthetically more like what you would think a desert should look like, which made it easier to ride through than the one in Nevada. We saw a family that had climbed up a sand dune. We kind of wanted to join them, and then realized it would be difficult in bike shoes (barefeet are not recommended.... Thistle weeds are everywhere, and the thorns are sneaky and cheeky). Simply walking is difficult in bike shoes... And you certainly have to watch your self in grocery store tiles and wet surfaces. Hioll sprinting in them is also not easy. A few days before we were descending down from one of our climbs and my cell phone flew out of my case (since then, changes have been made as to where i keep it).&nbsp;I stopped my bike quickly (as quickly as you can stop over 200 lbs with cantilever brake pads that were already hot), and heard a car approaching. I threw my bike down and pretty much did a hill sprint to save my phone from the RV barrling down the hill. (my phone is my camera, my GPS, and the only connection we have with the outside world, I'm car of emergency especially) Hill sprints are not my idea of fun, and especially not in bike shoes with very little surface area and a cleat protruding one half inch out of the ball of you're foot. But alas, you gotta do what you gotta do.<br />
<br />
We stopped in Hanksville to enjoy some lovely homemade sandwiches (ham, Kraft singles and hamburger buns) We stocked up on food at the market, it was the last grocery store w would osoee for miles. The campsite at Hite National Park, the only service in 124 miles and our destination for the day, only had a convenient store, so we had to be prepared with enough food and water for two days. We had expected we could restock some supplies (chef boyardee for example) that we would use at lunch and have extra on hand.
The next stop was the gas station down the road to fill our water bottles with ice and water, and get twoo extra galllons each. While Lindsay was inside the store, I was watching our bikes in the shade, and i was overwhelmed by the heat, just standing there. It was getting to be afternoon at that point and i don't think we realized that we would face such heat, and the heat only gets exponentially worse as the afternoon progresses out in the West. So, i remembered some advice from two doctors from work about putting ice in tube socks and putting them around our necks so as the ice melts it runs down our backs. Now, we didn't have tube socks, and the socks that we did have were certainly not fit to be worn around our necks, as we have only a few pair, and they were covered in swear, salt, and blood. Not to mention they would asphyxiate us, as we were far from our last laundry day....
We bought a bag of ice and i put some in a tshirt and tied it around my neck like a cape (it was almost like a travel pillow, and had dual purposes, because as we carried on and i threw my head back in frustration from heat, i had a nice little refreshing cushion to lay my head on) Lindsay put ice in her back pockets of her jersey. She could take me seriously as we ventured forth, and started laughing, which i caught, and we almost had to get off our bikes (for the third time that day) due to laughing induced weakness. We strapped the rest of to my bike in a garbage bag ( loved the extra 3 lbs) and headed towards the desert. As the ice in the bag melted, we dipped our shirts into the ice cold water, as much as we could. The 98 degree heat was quick to dry them, but for the 2 minutes that they were cold, they were a nice reprieve for our bodies that felt sluggish in the heat. The ice was gone within an hour.
When we were leaving Hanksville, there was a sign that said that Hite National Park was 44 miles away. That is what we mentally and physical prepared for. As the afternoon and heat progressed, we found that the heat was really taking a toll on our bodies, and the extra energy we were expending to keep them cool needed to be replaced, so we had to tap into our food supplies earlier than we had thought . Then a headwind hit, and a strong a one. We had spent most of our time in the heat on a slight uphill, and when We finally got to the "descent" and we had to pedal against the wind... It was infuriating... And then we saw the sign that said that Hite National Park was 7 miles further than the sign had originally stated. Now, this was a huge blew for us. 7 miles is a lot, especially after a day of extreme heat--we were exhausted. We make mental milestones throughout the day... "10 miles, only 5 miles to 15, double that and we will be at 30, which is almost half way there.... So that's good...." (yes this is something that has actually gone through my head) so 7 miles screwed with our flow. At that point, we ate a snack, cursed and then laughed at our situation, and,  recharged, headed back into the headwind. We had a lovely time through another canyon, talking, joking. It is amazing how fast the scenery can change in Utah. You can turn a corner and find a drastic change in landscape... Desert to red canyon in an instant.... You can also turn a corner and find an unexpected hill to climb... Like we did. It. Was steep, we were back in the sun. We were running on fumes and the thought keeping us going was that we would be near a lake soon where we could wash the salt off and cool off our overheated bodies. Water is water, even when it is warm, and we would never turn it down even if it was hot. But there is something about ice water that is just perfect. It cools you down, it quenches your thirst. It is a reward at the top of a hill. Our water was warm by mile 5 in this heat. We cherished what we had, but it made the lake seem that much more enticing.
When we got to the top of the hill we saw start of lake powell, blue water surrounded
by the glow of the red canyons in the setting sun, and the burning muscles in my legs, which was on the forefront of my mind, lessened as i concentrated on what my eyes were seeing. Utah had given us some nasty hills, but some great rewards, and that's what it is all about.
We finished the hill and descended in tunnel of rock on 8% grades and slammed on the brakes when we saw the rest of the lake. These sights seemed like ones that you think of in fairytales.
Our campground was 5 miles away, and we had to go around the lake and cross it first, up steep hills. The sun was setting. We were starving. A quick snack allowed us to finish the last few miles. Our final ascent was up the steepest hill of the day and led to the campsite road. After 68 miles of heat, wind, and lots of hills, there is something extremely special about the fact that Lindsay and were yelling back and forth to each other as we gave everything else we had to make it up the hill, saying "you are almost there, you can do it," when you hardly can think of making another pedal.
We got to where the campsite and convenient store were supposed to be, only to find the convenient store had closed for the night and there no place to stake our tents. We found this odd residential area and decided that there was an area that looked as much as a RV hookup as it did somebody's lawn, so we put up a tent, ate (aka inhaled) a can of chef boyardee and spaghettios (Lindsay realized she should have spent the&nbsp; extra 50 cents for the gourmet beefaroni as she choked down some spaghetti and meet balls in a can).during this time we tried to figure out what day it was... Tuesday or Wednesday. After a few minutes we decided on Tuesday, only to find out 45 minutes that it was Wednesday.  When your days consist of sleep,.biking  eating, hydrating, surviving, and not knowing where you will be able to lay down for the night, they blend together easily. Improvisation is key. We set up the other tent and climbed in for the night, tucked in with smelly gloves and gear.
It was still hot. We were unable to swim in the lake, and we had salt caked on our bodies (no bathroom or shower), and we were in our respective tents sweating. Everytime i rolled over, it felt like someone was rubbing sand paper into my arms and legs.... Skin exfoliation, anyone? We were honestly glad to be out of the sun, laying down, and closing our eyes. A cement floor, or even a shower stall would have been fine at that point.
The stars and moon were bright and beautiful....and the crickets eventually lulled us off to sleep. We made it through the day... one that we had expected to be much easier and shorter than it was. I will finish with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that i have reminded myself of more than a few times on this trip. To quote , “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day, you shall begin it well and serenely...”
Luckily we can laugh at most of those blunders.