(**These methods include having the tent fully zipped before constructing, spraying bug spray around the entrances to the tent, and making hasty entrances and exits, squashing all invaders immediately. We also sprayed the edges of the rain fly so that the bugs would not try to keep warm on the inner side of the rainfly and attack us in the morning. These are vicious, cold-tolerant, high-altitude mosquitoes and caution is advised.)
30 June 2011
The next morning dawned clear and chilly. It was beautiful. Below are some photos of the campsite, all packed up.
On our way out we took the opportunity to play in the snow piles. Snow in summer - defnitely not something we ever thought we'd encounter when we started out on the Southern Tier from San Diego.
The snow piles were amazingly still fluffy, and deep, as Chris found out when he jumped in the pile of snow.
Oooh! Wet socks :) Oops.
Our Keens (shoes) have traversed all landscapes now: sand, ocean, desert, grasslands, valleys, rocky mountains, and now snow!
I couldn't resist playing with snow and making a snowman, though he wasn't too tall. I even made a snowball! (Chris was my test subject - sorry Chris!)
With snowcapped peaks surrounding us and the dense, thriving pine trees, it was an amazing location, and made even more enthralling by the lack of people and the noise of the nearby highway drowned out by the gurgling stream.
We were sad to leave, but it was time to continue our journey, and we were excited to go flying down the other side of the mountain that we struggled up yesterday.
It was a glorious, breathtaking and harrowing descent down the mountain. 6% grade for 10 miles, and though we had traversed two of these miles the previous day, the next eight were still wonderful and fast. There were some strong winds, so we controlled our speed quite a bit, still reaching top speeds in the upper 30s (mph). It is very satisfying to fly downhill after a climb like Monarch.
We continued our cruising as the land changed into gentle rolling hills and slowly flattened out. We biked into Salida, stopping to get more snacks (Cliff bars and such) at a Walmart before heading over to the Pancake Patio Place for a breakfast-lunch (breakfast at lunch time!). It was delicious. We both had coffee, pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Chris had hashbrowns as well and I had blueberries in my pancakes. Yummy!
The staff were very nice, telling us about the roads ahead and filling up our water bottles. As we left, we took a look at the sky behind us.... uh oh. More clouds! We debated whether to stay or just head out and try to race/avoid the storms. We decided to head out and took off at a brisk pace on US Highway 50 heading for Pueblo.
We biked along the Arkansas River and through canyons, passing rafters and more rapids than we could count. It was a really neat ride, so different from the descent from Monarch. The tall pine trees were long gone, replaced with shorter, scrubby pines, juniper, and mesquite (I think). The green grass was replaced by rock, stones and clumps of wildflowers, including happy sunflowers!
But the clouds were still following us! Eventually they caught up and we made a run for the front porch of Eggie's Acres Restaurant. They were actually closing up for the day, but the waitress gave us sodas and said we could sit on the porch, use the Wi-Fi and restrooms, and stay as long as we needed. Below you can see the rain from the porch.
While we sat and waited for the rain to abate, and then to get a bit farther away, we read our books and Chris became fast friends with the hummingbirds that frequented the feeders on the porch.
We got on the road again finally and tried to get a bit farther before calling it a night. We didn't traverse too many miles before we turned a corner and ran into the storm. With high, gusty winds, non-existent shoulders, RV and tourist traffic, and rain, we realized our biking day was over. We U-turned and beat a hasty retreat to an RV park and campground we had passed a few hundred feet back.
We stayed at the Sugarbush Campground that evening, enjoying the hot, clean showers, our nice campsite complete with a creek, and pleasant hosts. We slept soundly, waking a few times when the rain pattered on our tent. The next morning greeted us with a sunny day and complimentary fresh cups of hot coffee. Despite that we had to cut our day short due to weather, it was a good place to stop!
Location:Monarch Pass, CO to Howard, CO
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