I have arrived in Dolores and instantly I like this small town.
Every shop and street seems to have a charm that appeals to me.
My first port of call is the brewery, that apparently does great food and local beers.
It's just reward for putting in an 81 mile day by 3pm. I'm writing from this location so my grammar etc may suffer.
The difference between today and my previous long days is that on those rides I had no option but go the distance if I wanted a bed. This time there were several places to stop short of 81 so I'm pleased with myself for keeping going.
I started out at 7am, riding solo again.
It's been nice to meet a few other riders and join together for a while, but equally I have been very happy to set off on my own.
It's a bit like holidaying with someone else, in that you never do exactly what you want, when you want. It may sound a bit selfish but part of the appeal of this trip is the absolute freedom to go and do as you wish.
The solitude that comes with it has its pros and cons.
I have had plenty of time to reflect, think and talk to myself. I haven't had any life changing epiphanies just yet.
My main observation after having lots of time to analyse life and the world is.........
its best not to think to much, especially if you're me.
Today's ride started out with about 20 miles uphill, but nothing too strenuous.
Soon after the climb finished I crossed the border into 'Colorful Colorado', my fifth state since starting out. It is indeed (so far) colourful. Looking to the horizon all I could see were rolling green fields. More like England. Looking up close though, the ground was still fairly dry and arid between the grass shoots.
According to the map the route after the first uphill section was pretty flat. It's true, there were no mountain passes, but it was continuous rolling hills the whole way, meaning I still climbed 4,400 ft over the 8 hour ride - So no walk in the park.
The theme for today's ride was watching some very imposing mountains in the distance get larger and larger. These I'm told, are the actual Rockies!!!
I had been under the impression that this vast mountainous area I had already been riding through were the Rockies. Apparently not!
The areas I have travelled through have indeed been very mountainous and rocky so from this point forward I will refer to them as the Rockies too.
I hit another small landmark today. I'm now onto the 4th out of 4 maps covering the first 1500 miles of the journey. 360 miles until I join another ACA bike route and hit the Great Plains of America. Can't believe I'm saying this but I already think I'm going to miss these climbs. There is always something on the way up, and the way down which requires you to stare at it in awe.
I'm worried the plains will be a bit plain.
I'm noticing a pattern of places that live up to their names in the USA;
Grand Canyon
Short canyon,
Long canyon,
Red canyon,
White canyon,
The plains (so I'm warned)
Blanding,
Color-ado,
Turkey knob (don't ask)
Milford is not on this list.
Every shop and street seems to have a charm that appeals to me.
My first port of call is the brewery, that apparently does great food and local beers.
It's just reward for putting in an 81 mile day by 3pm. I'm writing from this location so my grammar etc may suffer.
The difference between today and my previous long days is that on those rides I had no option but go the distance if I wanted a bed. This time there were several places to stop short of 81 so I'm pleased with myself for keeping going.
I started out at 7am, riding solo again.
It's been nice to meet a few other riders and join together for a while, but equally I have been very happy to set off on my own.
It's a bit like holidaying with someone else, in that you never do exactly what you want, when you want. It may sound a bit selfish but part of the appeal of this trip is the absolute freedom to go and do as you wish.
The solitude that comes with it has its pros and cons.
I have had plenty of time to reflect, think and talk to myself. I haven't had any life changing epiphanies just yet.
My main observation after having lots of time to analyse life and the world is.........
its best not to think to much, especially if you're me.
Today's ride started out with about 20 miles uphill, but nothing too strenuous.
Soon after the climb finished I crossed the border into 'Colorful Colorado', my fifth state since starting out. It is indeed (so far) colourful. Looking to the horizon all I could see were rolling green fields. More like England. Looking up close though, the ground was still fairly dry and arid between the grass shoots.
According to the map the route after the first uphill section was pretty flat. It's true, there were no mountain passes, but it was continuous rolling hills the whole way, meaning I still climbed 4,400 ft over the 8 hour ride - So no walk in the park.
The theme for today's ride was watching some very imposing mountains in the distance get larger and larger. These I'm told, are the actual Rockies!!!
I had been under the impression that this vast mountainous area I had already been riding through were the Rockies. Apparently not!
The areas I have travelled through have indeed been very mountainous and rocky so from this point forward I will refer to them as the Rockies too.
I hit another small landmark today. I'm now onto the 4th out of 4 maps covering the first 1500 miles of the journey. 360 miles until I join another ACA bike route and hit the Great Plains of America. Can't believe I'm saying this but I already think I'm going to miss these climbs. There is always something on the way up, and the way down which requires you to stare at it in awe.
I'm worried the plains will be a bit plain.
I'm noticing a pattern of places that live up to their names in the USA;
Grand Canyon
Short canyon,
Long canyon,
Red canyon,
White canyon,
The plains (so I'm warned)
Blanding,
Color-ado,
Turkey knob (don't ask)
Milford is not on this list.
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