Saturday, June 30, 2007

The Great Divide Basin

Hey all,

We are in Pinedale, Wyoming. It took a lot to get us here and I'm feeling better after yet another trip to the hospital. The great divide doesn't give anything any for free and I keep relearning that lesson.

First off, The Great Divide Basin, a 150 mile desert that is bordered on both sides by the divide so that whatever water falls within the basin, stays within the basin. Unfortunately, not a lot of water falls in this area and what does is quickly burned off by the unforgiving sun. Leaving a huge desert that is an adventure in itself to traverse.

We left Rawlins at about 530 am after allowing a great divide racer to use our campsite and headed out into the basin. We left early to avoid the afternoon sun and it worked. We cycled through the great expanse and arrived at a small reservoir after about 60 miles. We pitch the tent and made our own shade and chilled by the water. Being a desert and all, water is scarce and the next water source was another 55 miles away. Our water carrying capacity was about 40 lbs or 5 gallons and in order to minimize exposure to the heat of the desert we elected to leave at about 1 am in the middle of the night and get in as much riding in without the sun baking us.

Riding in the desert at night is a surreal experience. Probably one of the neatest riding experiences of my life. Underneath a sky filled with billions of stars and the milky way we set out with our LED headlights providing enough illumination to give us a sphere of light about 30 feet in front of us. Once the light ended, it was like a curtain dropped. All that "existed" in our world was what we could see in the bubble of light we created. Then way off in the distance was a thunderstorm in progress, creating a light show on the horizon. A truly surreal experience.

The sunrise on the desert was another great experience. Watching the sun change the whole landscape into an array of brilliant colors was also something to behold. Unfortunately for us though, we were pretty tired. In fact, Jamie was falling asleep on the bike, so we pitched the tent and caught a quick nap.

Its a good thing we did pitch the tent because the thunderstorm we saw at night turned into a wind storm over the desert by day. The wind was incredible. At one point, it nearly took the tent and us away in it after it pulled all the stakes up in one giant gust. I had to go outside and restake everything while being sandblasted by all the dust kicked up by the storm. We did manage to get a little sleep and awoke to everything inside the tent being covered by a film of fine dust that managed to filter through the mesh of the tent. When the storm cleared, the sky was clear and we continued on. Now the sun was up everything started to bake. I tried to concentrate on the sparse beauty the desert has to offer but being baked by sun and a tree lover, it was difficult. Progress was slow in the heat but we made it to the next water source which consisted of nothing more than a pipe sticking out of the desert. The BLM dug a well and pipe water into the desert for the wild horses and other wildlife. We took advantage of this and filled up our own supply and drank all we could. About the time we put the tent up, another thunderstorm struck with big heavy rain drops and more fierce wind. Learning from our previous encounter with desert wind, the ten stayed down and we sat out the storm. It passed through about sunset leaving us with a gorgeous sunset to watch as the light changed all the clouds into a variety of oranges, reds, purples and blues. The next morning, we packed up and made the final climb up and out of this harsh land. Although we had some really incredible moments, I was glad to see the desert behind me and shade trees in front as we climbed up and out of the basin.

One final note about the basin. The Oregon, Pony Express and Mormon Pioneer trials all crossed through this area and as an example of how harsh this land can be we passed by the site of the Handcart Willie tragedy. In the late 1800s a group of 400 Mormons were going to Utah when they were caught by foul weather in this area. All 400+ died of exposure. A sobering reminder about what life can be like out here in the west.

On the other side of the climb, we dropped into Atlantic City, an old gold mining town from the late 1800s. In fact, most of the building still date back to the 1890s. Tired, we stopped there, ate in a bar that was built in 1893 and still has the original bar. We stayed in a bed and breakfast operated by Bob and Barbra, two super nice people. Atlantic City is a tiny little town that has remained pretty much unchanged since its founding and we had a great time reading and hearing about all the history. We later ate at the other restaurant in town and I had a buffalo burger, something I would later regret.

The next day we rode out of Atlantic City and through South Pass city (the first city in the US to introduce a bill allowing women to vote). The town is yet another blip on the map and the sign outside list the population as "about 7?". Leaving that we climbed up to south pass and took off parallel to the divide. On one side you could see endless wasteland of scrub similar to the basin, on the other was the windy river mountain range of jagged snow covered peaks skirted by green and trees at the base. The contrast couldn't have been greater. I wasn't feeling too good that day and about terrible by the time we finally made camp by a creek. The next day, I was sick yet again! We were able to hitch a ride with some other campers into Pinedale and at the hospital I received 2000 mL of IV fluid to offset the loses I experienced trying to fight off the bug I acquired by eating the aforementioned buffalo burger. I feel much better now and we are going to take an extra day in Pinedale to recover.

I hope everyone is doing well at home. We will keep pedaling on here as we always do and I will not be eating any more questionable meat. One GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Andrew Gilchrist who shipped us out some much needed new tires. They are working out really well and now Jamie is taking off way out front. Another big thanks to Scott Hodge who shipped us out a special rear rack for Jamie's bike after her's broke yet again. Probably the next time you'll hear from us is when we make it to Lima, Idaho about 6-7 days from now.

Lee

Monday, June 25, 2007

Goodbye Aspens, Hello Wasteland

Hey all,

We're in Rawlins, Wyoming now. Since we left Steamboat, we've seen a lot of really neat stuff. First off, I love Aspen trees. They are always around to provide shade on the big mountain climbs we've been doing and their white bark contrasts the deep green foliage behind them. On some of the dirt roads, we've been riding through "tunnels" of these trees providing nice cool shade while cutting the wind into a nice cool breeze. I was disappointed to see the aspens go when we left the Medicine Bow National Forest and enter the hot, blazing and super dry desert leading into Rawlins. No worries though, we'll be back in aspens in a couple days.

The first night out of Steamboat, we climbed up to nearly 10k and camped out on the top of this pass with incredible views of a barren 11k peak on the next range. While on the top we met the leader of the Great Divide Race*, Jay, who was completely crazy. The guy acted like he was on some extreme sugar high, quickly chuged a big bottle of soda and then took off on the steep rocky road that we had just pedaled/hiked up. You could hear the guy screaming for several minutes afterwards. That guy was nuts.

The next day we decended fromt he top, through tunnels of aspens, through high meadows covered in little yellow flowers and eventually ended up in a steep sloped and dry valley. The road was cut into the side and had several ups and downs. During this time, we met Matt Lee, the second place rider in the GDR. Matt is from NC and he's the guy I'm pulling for. He won the race last year and he was doing fine when we saw him. What is so incredible about these racers is that they are self supported (like us) but they are carrying almost nothing and pulling 130-150 mile days vs our 45. We eventually hit bottom in the valley and started climbing back up toward the medicine bow national forest. It was a long climb and the sun was blazing. Half way up, we ran out of water and Jamie bonked pretty hard. A guy in a truck told us there was a stream about a mile down this other road and we went. Man! It was an incredible, clear mountain stream, in a field, sorrounded by aspens. A perfect place to camp and we saw an incredible sunset through the trees. Sometimes, the worst of times and transform into the best of times. Had we not run out of water, we would have never of experienced that.

The next morning, we awoke to the sound of sheep. Sheep?!? We got out of the tent to witness a sheep drive right through the area we were camping. There were thousands of the animals all being herded down the road by dogs and guys on horses. Turns out, the road we camped on is also a stock driving road. When the sheep moved on, they left lots of little "presents" that encouraged us to pack up and get moving. We finished our climb, met Pete (3rd in the GDR) at the top. Pete had been sick the past couple days and was just starting to recover. He's a tough guy. We then decended/climbed/decended again throughout the Medincine Bow being shaded by our favorite trees until we finally left and moved on into the desert. The desert to Rawlins was a series of several steep rollers all completely exposed with severe wind and even more severe sun. We kept the water stocked today and by the end we have consumed 3 gallons each!! We finally rolled into to Rawlins after pulling a hard 64 mile day. We picked up some tires here in Rawlins shipped to us by my hero, Andrew Gilchrist (THANKS!!!). Another big thanks to Outback bikes back home that helped Andrew get our package together. We have the Great Divide Basin to look forward to tomorrow. Its a 120 mile desert that everyone loaths. In order to minimize the sun exposure, we will leave out at 4am tomorrow and hopefully be able to pitch the tent by noon, siesta in the shade and then repeat, getting most of miles in at night. Either way, we'll be loaded with about 40 lbs of water just to be sure.

Lee

*The great divide race is a race alogn the divide from north to south in which the riders must be completely self supported. The record is about 16 days. There is a link to the website on our webpage, its really worth checking out. Those guys are insane! It is the mountain bike equivilent of the race across america. This year, Scott Hodge attempted it from Atlanta, Georgia. Unfortuneately for Scott, he ripped his achilles tendon early on and had to quit.

In other trival news, to give you an idea how steep some of this stuff is, I hit 39.6 mph on a gravel decent yesterday WHILE RIDING MY BRAKES! It was pretty sketchy with the trailer and the wind. Speaking of the wind, we had a cross wind so severe, that the bike was being steered and angled toward the wind while tracking straight. How often can you say you've crabbed a bicycle? The wind would just slide you across the gravel and you had to manhandle the bike to keep it generally straight.

Also, I've updated the Journey Stats page for those that need to know all the numbers.
That's all, y'all have a good day. We're having fun out here.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Big climbs and big news

Hey all,

Lots of things have been happening to us on our way here to Steamboat Springs, CO.

First, Jamie and I are engaged now. The story behind that is below.

Second, pictures are published and you can view them by following the "view more pictures" link on the right column underneath our picture

Third, I'm feeling much better. Turns out I haven't been eating enough and my body ran out of gas. This trip has been one great big physiology experiment for me and I keep learning things the hard way. I've been operating on about a -1000 calorie per day since the beginning of the trip and it finally caught up to me. I spent the time in Breckenridge eating and I'm feeling much better.

Fourth, We've seen some phenomenal sights!

Breckenridge/Silverthorne area is an absolutely beautiful place! Sorrounded by snow covered peaks in every direction, with the clear blue river flowing through it, bike paths everywhere, mountain bike trails and ski resorts everywhere you look and a free bus for public transportation I can easily see why the cost of living is so high here. It was a shame to leave it but we had places to go.

After climbing Ute pass north of Silverthorne we were treated to a expansive view of the Gore range. Below the pass you could see hwy 9 running north to Kremling. I feel kinda sorry for people in cars and cyclists that never stray from the pavement. Granted, even from down in the valley, its cool to look up to see the mountains looming above you but there nothing like being able to look directly across the valley from the other side. After Ute pass, its was down through a raped landscape of mining in complete contrast to what we just witnessed then back through ranchland on the long way to Kremling.

Leaving Kremling, we headed added to our zig zag path to Steamboat. This involved several climbs up and down. At first, it just seemed relentless and then we got to inspiration point and started to comprehend what we were doing. We were following a landscape formed by volcanos, earthquakes and then eroded by the Colorado river into a very steep walled canyon. Inspiration point lived up to its name but is nothing compared to what we were treated to later that day. From the point, we screamed dowhill only to turn right back up to another climb only to scream down again, all the way down toe the colorado rivier and the blip on the map known as Radium. It was at Radium the real climbing began. The road was chiseled directly into the steep rock walls that the Colorado had eroded centuries ago. I cannot even imagine how they built this road or why they even felt it was needed but steep is to mellow to describe it. This had to be the steepest longest climb I've ever done in my entire life. Pedaling proved impossible, so we pushed our bikes all the way up to the top. It took about 3 hours to go 2 miles. But the top... Man at the top, you could see EVERYTHING. Now inspiration point was below us and on the other side of the canyon. You could see the snow covered Gore range way off in the distance and the Colorado snaking below. You could see the road we climbed and decended all day and you could see the railroad that ran along the Colorado that took 30+ years to build because of the challenges of construction through the very canyon we just summited. The landscape was crowded with steep mountains and hills leaving me to wonder, how did people ever manage to find their way through here and then, how did we, as a country, figure we could just build roads and railroads through here. Truely an amazing sight. Perfect site for a proposal but not before a downhill. A short downhill to the French Creek allowed us space to pitch a tent. I made Jamie dinner. Somehow, she managed to split her fingernail with a rock and I thought it would be good to hike back up to the summit and watch the sunset so that she can forget about the pain. She agreed and when we got up to the top, my real plan emerged.

I pulled out a ring I made for her out of a chunck of titanium (after all, it needs to be light for the trip) with a small diamond set in it. I asked, she accepted. The ring.... It was too big. I guess its back to the lathe when I get home and start carving out another one.

Whew, long story and I'm out of time at the library. Excuse grammar and spelling as there is no time for corection.

We'll be in Rawlins Wyomming by Monday.

Lee

Thursday, June 14, 2007

In Breckenridge, CO

Yeah all,

We made it to Breckenridge, CO through not the best weather. We left the great town of Salida a bit pre-mature we figure. It was a climb out of Salida that would have provided us some tremendous views of the Collegiate peaks but instead we got view of the weather moving in on top of us. We didn't get too far before it started raining. We were able to pitch the tent but still got pretty wet by the cold rain.

The next day we finished the climb up through pine forests and aspen trees and it started raining again. At high elevation, the rain is pretty cold when it hits you and eventually it soaks through whatever you are wearing. The descent into a nice grassy valley would have been a lot more fun if I wasn't shivering by the end. Once cruising through the rolling hills, I was able to warm up a bit but it rained on us sporadically throughout the day. The clouds also obscured our views of the rockies to our west. I guess its days like this that allow appreciating the nice days. Besides the drizzle and rain, the wind picked up and allowed our wet clothes to be further chilled. All in all, I wasn't really feeling to great and Jamie led for most of the day. We were rewarded at the end by a big meal in the tiny town of Hartzel. There is no place to stay in the town (pop 130) but the owner of the bar allowed us to pitch a tent behind the bar. I was completely spent and not feeling so great.

The next day, we planned to make it half way up Boreas Pass and then roll into Breckenridge today. Sometimes, plans don't work out the way we would like. We ate a big breakfast in the cafe before setting out over what would normally be fairly easy terrain. The strong COLD wind blew directly in our face slowing our progress to a crawl. Once again, I was not feeling too strong and Jamie just kept trucking out in front. About lunchtime. we found some shelter from the wind and I laid down and couldn't get back up. My body was done and it would not go any farther. We should have taken a rest day in Salida but I wanted to push on and now cold and too tired to stand, I laid there. At this point, a truck was driving by and Jamie got his attention and he drove us into Breckenridge. I think my problem is that I caught a little cold in the rain out of Salida combined with not eating enough over the past couple weeks. We intend to stay here for 4 days hanging out with some friends of Jamie's and I intend to eat everything I see. Sorry this wasn't the most positive post but it is what it is. Every once and a while you need a bad day to make you appreciate the good days.

Lee

Monday, June 11, 2007

Del Norte to Salida, CO

Hello Everyone!

We are feeling much better now! Andrew's advice is always good advice. The extra day in Del Norte helped us out in our recovery and we got to meet some more wonderful people!

Gary Blakley and Patti Kelly are two very nice folks in Del Norte that have a soft spot for Great Divide riders and allowed us to sleep in their spare bed, they fed us, AND I got to use Gary full on bike shop! Gary then schooled me on what Ultra-light backpacking is all about. I got a lot of ideas but still enjoy the extra comforts allowed by our items. He did inspire me to go through all our stuff and we were able to throw out/ship home about 5 lbs worth of stuff. I then did what I said I wouldn't and I weighed all of our gear. The trailer (18 lbs) + equipment + 2 days food (but no water) = 65 lbs. Jamie's gear with 2 days food weighed in at 32lbs. For those that were curious at what this stuff weighed there you go. To provide a comparison, when Gary goes backpacking, his base load including pack comes in about 10 lbs.

Big thanks to Gary, Patti, Renee and all her wonderful sisters at the motel in Monte Vista for getting us to the doctor's office when we got sick and another big thank you to Dr. Holdsworth at the clinic for treating us and driving us to Del Norte on his lunch break!

The rest really paid off for us and we had a great ride out of Del Norte. We did a pass that took us over 10k again (these are getting routine now) and we felt great, the grade was not nearly as steep as what we have done before. It appears that we have fully acclimated now to the altitude! The scenery is still breathtaking but now it doesn't take you breath away to climb it! The next day we did another 10K+ pass and then just kept riding and pulled a 70 mile day. The mountains are just as tall but the climbs aren't as steep so we're starting to really pick up the pace. People tell us the hardest climbs we're in New Mexico, it appears they were right.

The hard part was yesterday.

Yesterday we left the little town of Sargents, CO (sign out side reads: Elevation high, population low) elevation actually 7800ft. We were supposed to climb over Marshall pass (10k+) on a dirt road and then into Salida but the people in Sargents told us that a 40 ft section of roadway had been washed away and that it was impassable. Fearing another Indiana Pass dealing, we elected to take the paved alternative on hwy 50 over Monarch Pass (11,300ft). We figured it was Sunday morning, not too much traffic, 9 mile climb at 6% grade isn't too bad (think of it like a long Neels gap but three times the elevation). We were wrong. Traffic was horrible up this pass. Lots of tractor trailers and RV (the RVs are the worst!!!) traffic. With a sheer cliff, no shoulder and NO guard rail on one side, we rode in the middle of the right lane to force people to ACTUALLY use the passing lane. It surprises me how few people actually take advantage of this, resulting in several near misses and a very rattled Jamie. We did make it over the top though and into Salida unscathed but it really surprises me how little regard people in cars have for the lives of others. In hindsight, we'd risk a washed out dirt road over attempting that again.

Despite the near death experience of Monarch pass, we rode into the beautiful little town of Salida. This town is my favorite so far. Really cool downtown area with a river running through it full of kayakers, LOTS and LOTS of folks riding around on bikes and one of the best bike shops I've ever been in. Big thanks to Greg and Scot at Absolute bikes! Great shop, very helpful staff and lots of good advice. This was the first bike shop we've seen since Silver City 810 miles ago so we ended up buying a lot and changing things up a bit.

Later we met up with Lara Schrock, one of my former GT classmates currently in residency in Colorado Springs, for some great pizza, beer, coffee, ice cream and good times! Lara also showered us with a big bag of homemade peanut butter and chocolate chips cookies!! Needless to say, we love Lara!

This morning we will resupply and then pull a short day of only 12 miles (with a 2000ft climb) up to a campsite that I'm told has a great view of a row of fourteeners known as the collegiate peaks.

Hope everyone is doing well, we'll be in Breckenridge, CO by Thursday.
-Lee

I've updated the post titled "Journey Stats" so check it out for the day by day.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Hanging out in Del Norte

Hey all,

Jamie and I will be staying in Del Norte one more day. We've met some super nice folks that are letting us stay at their house tonight. It is incredibly windy out today and I haven't really eaten anything in the past two days so we figure its best to take another day to recouperate before going out again (that and Andrew Gilchrist is much smarter than I am and I'm listening to his advice).

We've been writing a lot about how difficult the trail is but not enough about how beautiful the trail is. What we have seen the past weeks are just too incredible for us to describe in just words. Pictures can't even do the scenery justice but its the best we can show y'all. We've mailed another CD full of pictures back to Jamie's parents house and as soon as they arrive, the pictures will be posted. We've seen everything from desert to snow capped mountains, much of it not accessible by cars and even it you could get a 4WD up there, you would probably take an easier route. End result, we've seen things we didn't even know existed and makes all the difficult parts even more worth it. Doing things by bike gives you a completely different perspective on things. You really get the feel of the land and plenty of time to appreciate what you see. Also, because you spent so many calories to get there, you only appreciate everything even more. So even though we talk about how difficult it is (and we're not joking or exaggerating) neither of us would trade it out what we've experienced for an easier route. In fact, easier routes appear all the time and so far the only easier option we've taken is the bypass around Indiana pass. Judging by the stories of the four that went over, I think we made the right decision. Like Jamie said, we're on a bike tour, not a mountianering expedition.

So eventually, more pictures will be posted to give all of y'all at home a small taste of what your missing. Tomorrow, we pedal out on our way to Salida, CO. It should take us about 4 days. People say that this next stretch is the most scenic. I didn't realize you could top what we've seen so far.

Lee

Update on the rest of the folks

Josh and Ryan left yesterday with Micheal (one of the four mountaineers). Josh and Micheal both got sick from the water in Platoro and we hope to see them again sometime.

David, Lee, and George (the other mountianeers that went over Indiana pass) carried on without Micheal and left Del Norte two days ago.

Jon went off the trail to meet up with a friend of his and will spend the next couple weeks mountain biking and will eventually get back on the trail in Crested Butte. I'm a little jealous. Jon left before we all started getting sick so I don't know if he feel prey to the platoro water as well. I hope he didn't and he's doing alright because getting your fluids through an IV isn't a lot of fun.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

4 days in the Valley

Our rest day has turned into a few. First I was laid out with a nasty virus and then Lee was taken hostage. Fortunately, we've had the care of good doctors and are in hotels and not camped out in the wilds of Colorado. Two other guys have also gotten sick so we've concluded it must have been from the WATER!

During our rest day in Monte Vista the 3 guys we were traveling with went ahead to Monte Vista and ran into the 4 guys that decided to summit Indiana Pass and ride through Summitville. They made it, and the next day only one was sick, BUT...they wouldn't do it again! It took them 12 hours! They had to unpack their bikes and carry everthing over the snow. Their bike tour turned into more of a mountaineering expedition! I didn't sign up for that.

As a matter of fact, I had no idea what I was signing up for! This is definately the hardest thing I have ever done on SO many levels. It has redefined the word 'dirty' for me. For those of you wondering why I shaved my head...if you didn't get to shower for 6 days and had ratted, greasy, hair you would hopefully do the same. There were two days I thought I was getting stronger but that was more than a week ago and I haven't felt like that again. My favorate things are downhills and toilets :) Everyday we see so much that the day before seems like it was weeks ago.

We should be leaving Del Norte in the next two days depending on how well we're keeping food in our bellies and the adventures will begin again.

jme

Monday, June 4, 2007

Georgia Boy learns what real mountains are!

Back when I was learning about building engines with Digger Don* he told me a story once about how he tried to climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska. With only a couple hundred feet to go until they summited, a storm moved in and he and several others turned back. Three people continued up the mountain in the storm and their remains are still up there. That story played over and over in my head yesterday when we were faced with a similar decision. Well, I'm writing to y'all today so I reckon you know the ending already. For those that would like to know how we came to that choice read on.

We left El Rito after meeting five new people also heading north and re-meeting Josh and Ryan. Here's a list of everybody to keep y'all up to date

Josh and Ryan - met in Pie Town, last seen in Grants, NM. Riding for Alzheimer's Disease http://joshuaelder.com/default.aspx Josh starts med school at UCLA when he gets back, Ryan it the authority on birds/ animals, critters, etc.

Jon Pierson - Easy going guy from Flagstaff. AKA Jack-o-lope due to the stuffed jackolope on his bike. We rode with him for several days after he feel behind his group.

Micheal - German guy from Colombus, OH that doesn't say much but you can tell he's a really strong rider

Lee Taylor - retired guy from Oregon (I think). Started trip with a virus and still has it.

David - an ER doc from New York. Using a nashbar trailer that continues to break on him. We met him on the way to the local welding shop for yet another repair. AKA the Transfuser because he carries enough equipment to do a blood transfusion on the trial.

George - older guy that takes off work a lot to do a variety ot tours. Rides with a lawn chair on the back of his rack so he also has a nice place to sit.

Alright, so Josh and Ryan had to stay in El Rito to wait on a package, and the other five took off and started laying down mileage. Jamie and I did a long climb out of town and eventually camped by a river surounded by ponderosa pines, aspens and green grass with lots of little yellow dandy lions. Although the first climb was hard and took us up a couple thousand feet the bigger climb awaited us.

The climb over burned mountain (10,4ish?) was long but very scenic. We caught up with David pulling his crippled trailer up over the rocks and we got to see a B-1b Bomber fly right beside us through the canyon! That was really cool, how often do you see a four-engined bomber carrying nuclear weapons fly alongside you through a canyon? The climb was 16 miles long and Jamie never quit. She's becoming a really great mountain biker! The day ended with a downhil into severe headwinds in which you had to pedal to go 5 mph. The great divide doesn't give anything out for free and it seems it always saves the hard part for last. Sometimes its a steep climb the map never mentions but usually its headwinds. Nothing like a strong wind to sap your strength when you're already tired from the days ride. During this day, we also caught up with Jon who decided our slower pace was more fun and that's cool, 'cause the trip is a lot more fun with his stories.

After getting a good nights sleep by the river, we climbed up onto the Brazos ridge. The ridge starts at 10k and keeps getting higher and higher. At this point, I would like to add that whoever tells you that climbs out west aren't steep should be shot. NOthing about the roadway was smooth, or shallow in grade. In fact, the forest service road had deteriorated so much from the weather that it was actually closed to all traffic expect us and hikers. What started out as a dirt road, turned into single track and then turned into essentially "notrack" as we were forced several times to blaze our own trail through the woods to get around obstacles.

It was up on the brazos ridge that we started encountering large snow drifts that blocked the roadways and the snow melt caused lots of mud and streams across the already eroded dirt track. It was at one of these snow drifts that I figured that with enough speed, I could just plow through the snow. How wrong this Georgia boy was..... What actaully happened was me getting the bike stuck in the snow drift and falling over. Good times. It was also on this pass I got to experience 11,000+ feet of elevation. Luckily, we are apdapting better but it is still a push up there. I have to take rest breaks to breath, not because my legs are tired. To continue our acclimitization, we camped at 10,600ft.

The decent off of the ridge was equally rocky, eroded and steep and the ascent. I ate it hard after my front wheel fell into a hole but eventually, we made it all the way down and entered...

COLORADO

Yeah, one state down, more to go.

We finished the day with a pavement climb over La Magna pass along with a descent at over 46 mph (with knobby tires and bob trailer behind you, this is a little scarier than a road bike) we turned back on dirt and climbed up a gorgeous river valley spotted with beaver dams to Platoro. Platoro began our biggest decision.

The next morning in Platoro, we ate a fantastic breakfast and listened to the locals tell us about the upcoming pass. He had two smaller passes before the big one, Indiana Pass elevation 11,900ft, the biggest pas of the entire route. We were warned by everyone that the pass was unpassable and they expected stroms and snow throughout the rest of the week on top. They told us one guy was stuck up there in a four wheel drive pickup and is waiting it out. How long does it take the pass to clear after a snow storm? The local casually replied "oh, if the weather is good, about 10 days". Hmm, not sounding too promising but these are car people. What do car people know about what mountain bikes can get through anyway?** So we continued with our plans on how to traverse this pass because after all, we climbed the Brazos ridge, it had snow, how much snow can this little thing have in front of us.

About that time, a group of guys came in looking exhuasted. They tried to get over the pass using a combonation of four wheelers, motrocycles, and even snowmobiles. They had seen the four cyclists ahead of us and warned them to turn back (no word if they actually did). They told us about the huge snow drifts that are a bit crusty on top, but if you broke through the crust you'll sink in over your head. Trying to recover a motorcycle from one drift proved too much and they will atempt to go back in a week. All of this snow and treacherous terrain was about 4 miles from the summit. One can only imagine what lied ahead (and you can only imagine b/c no person has been able to make the entire trek since last summer). Hearing this, I kept thinking about Digger Don and his mountain climbing. I kept hearing him say, "Man, I really wanted to summit but its not worth it if you can't tell the story". After all, if we got stuck, there would be no way someone could get up there to carry you out. We would really be on our own up there. It was the biggest pass of the trip and a rite of passage for great divide riders but we elected to take the alternate which led us down a different river valley into the San Luis Valley and to Monte Vista, CO only 16 miels off route. We've tried calling the other four but as of yet no word. As we were descending down the river valley, a series of storms hit everything above 11,000 feet in that range. I hope those guys are okay.

Jamie and I are taking a rest day here in Monte Vista. Tomorrow, we weill rejoin the trial in Del Norte*** and continue back up into the mountains to eventually work our way into Salida, CO.

*Digger Don is an engine builder I apprenticed under in Norcross, GA. Don used to drive front engined top fuel dragsters back in the 60's and early seventies when a horrific explosion nearly killed him. Doc's said he would walk again. Instead, he kept at it and in the late seventies started climbing mountains in Africa, North and South America. Look him up sometime, he's got a lot of stories. Don Dixon High Performance Engines 201 Cole Ct, Norcross, GA

**One rule of bike touring is that you never trust what someone driving a car tells you. If they say its only 4 miles, it is actually 10 miles. People in cars have no real perspective of distance, time, or type of terrain they are actually driving over.

***Del Norte, CO is on hwy 160 in Colorado. When Jin and I rode across America, we rode thorugh Del Norte and ate at the Taco Bell. There we met three people riding the great divide. I thought they were nuts until I saw the pictures they took. After that, I bought a set of maps and started planning this adventure. After Del Norte, we climbed Wolf Creek Pass. To us, is was the biggest, toughest climb we ever did. On the great divide we climb a wolf creek pass like climb once to three times a day.