The crew had a big day today and took advantage of cool temperatures to sleep in until 6:30. We then dined in the Wingate Hotel’s breakfast room. Nothing fantastic but coffee, waffles and cereal to fill the tanks.
The ride started at 7:30am with temperatures in the upper 30’s. We layered up. 20 miles up the road we began to shed layers. At mile 31 we arrived at the Tomichi Trading Post for a Bobo bar (Colorado’s own version of a PowerBar) to eat before the big climb.
Over the course of the next 2 hours all of us ascended to the Summit of Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet.
This represents a major milestone, we crossed the continental divide and are now headed towards the Atlantic Ocean.
We enjoyed some burritos, pizza and ice cream at the summit. We then had a long descent all the way to Salida, CO to purchase dinner and snacks (which we carried in string bags 18 miles further up the road to the Big Horn RV and Cabins along the Arkansas River).
Tomorrow we have one more day of up and down to Pueblo where we will take a rest day on Thursday.
