The Road Less Traveled - Good-bye Western Mountains

Stats Wednesday, August 25 – Salida to Pueblo. Day distance 102; ride time 6 h 31 m (8 h 30 m); ave speed 15.8; total climb 7128; max speed 44; total distance 1,603 miles

A good night of sleep does wonders. I felt so much better this morning. It’s a beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the Super 8 breakfast bar supplementing what they motel offered with extra fruit we had picked up earlier.

We had no rush this morning because Roger’s spokes would not arrive until 10:30 at the earliest and maybe not until 1:30. About 10:00 we all found ourselves at Absolute Bikes (the bike shop in Salida).

10:30 came and went. No spokes. At 11:00 Mick, Tim, and I decide to head on to Cotopaxi about 20 miles away. There we will call Roger and see if his spoke has arrived.

The ride from Salida to Cotopaxi is all downhill. But little or no shoulder is available. Grabbing a sandwich at Cotopaxi we call Roger. YES, his spoke arrived and he will be able to roll in about 30 minutes.

There’s a decision for me to make at Cotopaxi. Take Hwy 50 to Canon City and Pueblo (the short route with very little climbing but the prospect of a busy road), or take the less traveled secondary route through Westcliff and Wetmore including a 2000’ climb and 20 extra miles.

Mick and Tim decide to take the longer route. Less traffic. We don’t know what the scenery will be like. But Tim wants the extra miles. I recall Pueblo only from I-25 from previous years. Not the prettiest section of Colorado. Kind of dry and “deserty.” Will this extra 20 miles with extra climbing be a grind just to miss traffic? I decide to stay with Mick and Tim.

The route from Cotopaxi to Pueblo through Westcliff and Wetmore turned out to be one of the most beautiful sections. After the initial climb we ran parallel to a range of mountains for over an hour and then enjoyed a plateau.

Following Westcliff, a 20 mile descent awaited us as our maps indicated we would go from over 9,000’ to under 5,000’ by the time we reached Pueblo. The descent was one of the best we had experienced. As Mick, Tim, and I were in a middle of an “S” turn a couple of big horn sheep bolt up a steep rocky wall.

With this final descent we say good-bye to the western mountains. I can see the plains beyond Pueblo blending in with the eastern Colorado horizon.

As the descent began to flatten out we still had 20 miles to go. And the wind picks up. WIND. We know it’s coming. The wind on the plains.

I hate to say good-bye to the western mountains. I love their beauty. And I’d much rather be on a 10 mile 6% climb than wrestle with a 20 mph wind on the flats. But this ride about seeing the whole country. The plains await us.

I’m so glad I did not opt for the shorter route to Pueblo. The route we took was worth the extra miles. That final descent was worth every pedal stroke up. Most likely we will come back to it tomorrow for Roger to do as he drove the van down. And Tim will want to do it again.

Sometimes the shortest route is not the best. The view and the ride is better on the road less traveled even if it takes longer.