Have you ever dated someone you knew in your heart wasn’t for you, but they had potential and you wanted it to work? A thrill coursed through you every time you looked at them. You tried hard. When you spent hours together it started out awesome, but as time passed you always ended up arguing, until you eventually resigned yourself to the fact that you … Continue reading Winter Park to Boulder via Rollins Pass
All of the tension has been pedaled out of my body. I’m so relaxed that I could ride more miles or just as easily take a nap. Right now I have my feet up and wonder if we can buy a recumbent tandem before tomorrow, it feels so good. Today’s ride from Kremmling to Winter Park was a short 46-mile jaunt on tired legs. A … Continue reading Kremmling to Winter Park
Public Service Announcement: If you pedal at a 4.5 miles-per-hour pace near mosquitoes, be assured they will have their way with you. We spent today crawling along the rises between Carbondale, State Bridge, and Kremmling. Our ride was unlike the last couple of days, which have been a big up followed by a big descent and that concludes the day. Instead our route went up, … Continue reading Carbondale to Kremmling
Runaway train never going back Wrong way on a one way track Seems like I should be getting somewhere Somehow I’m neither here nor there… –Soul Asylum Ever since we started pedaling from New Mexico, “Runaway Train” has lodged itself into my head and essentially become my 2017 bike tour theme song. This is a song I haven’t thought about in years, I don’t really … Continue reading Buena Vista to Carbondale
I would have written you sooner, but I had to return the fire extinguisher to the hotel lobby. I borrowed it when my shoes became so hot that they burst into flames before our arrival in Buena Vista. Believe me, it surprised me too, especially after our relatively cool and comfortable climb up to 11,300 feet on Monarch Pass. They’re fine now, though – Sidis … Continue reading Gunnison to Buena Vista
Greetings from Gunnison! We’re on a rest day, which I’m quite happy about. I wish you were here so we could go grab a gluten-free muffin and chat about life over kombucha. Perhaps you could also help me look for my bike tour legs, which seem to have fallen out of the Carradice somewhere. My spidey sense told me that yesterday’s ride would be a … Continue reading Montrose to Gunnison
Guys, we are in Montrose and I just can’t believe this day! 115 miles point to point with three big summits: Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass, and Red Mountain. And all over 10,500 feet. Fortunately for us, the final 40 miles of our day trended downhill or I’d still be out there riding. Today was a big day. We left Durango, and encountered some local … Continue reading Durango to Montrose
Update: the banana bread is gone and for a while today, so was my positive attitude. We planned for our ride from Chama to Pagosa Springs to be 50 miles. However, because of some gambles we made on exploring dirt roads – in hopes of avoiding the main highway – we ended up with almost 80 miles in our pockets. We hoped that one of … Continue reading Chama to Pagosa Springs
Every day that goes by, our 2014 Colorado tour becomes more memory. I’m surprised to feel saddened by that, since one of our intentions while there was to feed our wanderlust and tire ourselves out so that we would be at peace with settling back into our life in Washington, D.C.
Maybe that peace will come in September, but in the interim I’m left daydreaming about the two weeks when I felt small, invigorated, and satisfied.
Felkerino uploaded our routes to his Ride With GPS page, and I’m posting the overall image of our daily profiles along with a link that provides more details about each day’s ride.
I wish I could figure out an easy way to sew the routes together so I could display it as one big loop as well as by days, but seeing it in segments is okay. UPDATE: Thanks to Ronnie, who commented below, I was able to put our routes into one image.
Through this post I have an overall record of our trip and I keep the good memories flowing! Again, many thanks to all of you for taking an interest and encouraging us throughout our time in Colorado. Continue reading “Colorado 2014: By the Days and Miles”
I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now,
from up and down, and still somehow
it’s cloud illusions I recall.
I really don’t know clouds at all.
–Joni Mitchell
I first listened to Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” when I was a teenager, and found it terrible. I had never imagined that a person could think about clouds so darn much. Continue reading “I Really Don’t Know Clouds”
Since I started bike touring, I’ve trained myself to keep an eye open for others who might be on an adventure. Bike riders can blend into the landscape, but if you pay attention they will jump out at you.
During the two weeks that Felkerino and I pedaled our bicycle around Colorado, we crossed paths with several other bike tourists. It was exciting to meet fellow travelers and learn more about their riding.
Remember me? It’s been a few days, but I’m mostly free of my post bike tour fog and thought I’d rip off a quick top 10 list of what I learned on our tour.
Continue reading “10 Things I Learned on Our Colorado Bike Tour”
Felkerino called our day going over Rollins Pass an immersive experience. It’s definitely one of the most intense things I’ve done on a tandem.
But if you try sometimes You just might find You get what you need. –The Rolling Stones More to come. Continue reading Rollins Pass: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
The short story is this–
82 miles from Leadville to Winter Park.
Our bike is still in one piece. Thanks to everyone who complimented our pure power and torque after the broken crankarm incident. This also provides solid evidence that Felkerino is indeed pedaling. Continue reading “CO Tour Day 10: Another Day, Another Mountain Pass in Colorado”
