Today's Mileage: 73
Total Mileage: 1957
We awoke with plans of getting an early start to avoid the heat of the day. My rain fly was still wet, and though the sun was up, it hadn't risen enough over the walls of the Arkansas River canyon to dry anything out.
Before leaving, a nice family brought us over some sausage-egg casserole and canteloupe, so we had a good breakfast base to ride on.
The leg by the Arkansas River was beautiful in the morning light. We arrived at our only real climb for the day, up and out of the Royal Gorge. A few more miles downhill put us in Canon City, where we had a bountiful picnic in the park.
The day wasn't getting any cooler, and we still had a lot of ground to cover, so we headed out. We had been deliberating back and forth on which way to go. After much map talk and consultations with locals, we decided on the straight route via Highway 50, even though it would be less scenic and more trafficky.
We had been told that Pueblo was basically downhill, save for a few rolling hills. It turned out to be ALL rolling hills, but unfortunately not the kind where your momentum gets you up the next one. In fact, we were facing HOT headwinds that had us pedaling the entire time. But luckily, we were all in good spirits and pressed on.
The day Karin and Debbie left on their trip, they had stopped at REI for some last-minute gear. The attendant there was a nice guy named Zachary, who told them he had an aunt in Pueblo. To make a long story short, we decided to stay with Aunt Irene, a woman we neither knew nor had any real connection to.
Boy, were we lucky! Aunt Irene had a beautiful home stocked with clean towels, an excellent showerhead, comfy beds, washer and dryer, and internet access... and tons of food! We were thrilled and went to bed happy. Aunt Irene was the best!
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