Yesterday ended on a good note. I made it into La Junta with a fair bit of sunlight to go after an uneventful day. Knowing that Colorado 10 has nothing along it, I got 3 footlong subs at Subway and was off to make a bit of headway before nightfall. I got about 10 to 15 miles down the road before making camp and trying to get a night's sleep. I've found that I've been having very vivid dreams some nights, and my sleep schedule has been strange. After waking up from one of these dreams about an hour before sunrise, I broke camp and went ahead to move forward.
What a slog it was! I wasn't sure if it was the elevation, my poor night's sleep, or lack of a "proper" breakfast, but every mile seemed to be a struggle. Despite that, I managed to pull into Walsenburg about an hour or two ago, got some food and am now relaxing in Mike's Coffee Barn, sipping a frozen drink and using the internet and electric outlet. I also figured out why it was such a slog after calling home to update on where I was - I had gained around 2000 feet of (net) elevation during the ride. I need to get used to it though - this is the last stop before the real mountains!
I'll be crossing the Continental Divide in the next few days using Wolf Creek Pass (elevation: 10,863 feet!) so it should be a tough few days. I'll be interested to see what kind of daily mileages I will be turning out as I hit the hard stuff. For now, it's down the road a bit then perhaps finding somewhere to take a nap. I could use one!
The photos really add an extra level to your blogs. Gald you can include some now and then. We have our atlas out tracking your progress. Now the Rocky Mountains are before you. What beauty they will bring your way as you huff and puff up and down those magnificient mountains. The Pacific Ocean is getting closer!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about those dreams. Mike's Coffee Barn sounds like a hoot...at least the name...suggests it might have been. : )
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