Saturday June 13 Day 7 Chama, NM to South Park, CO 91 miles (600 mi for the week)
My thrilling descent came just after this photo. I had climbed a long (8 miles) and pretty steep road (an elevation gain of 3000 feet) to reach Wolf Creek Pass. I called Paul to let him know I'd made it (he and the others had elected to drive over the pass due to threat of rain and lightning), and he offered to drive back with some warm clothes for me. I said No Thank You because I was feeling nice and warm at that point. But then I started the long and steep descent, and it was FREEZING.
There was snow everywhere, for one thing. And riding at 35 mph provides an enormous wind chill. Most of me was not TOO cold due to my wind breaker, but my fingers and face went numb quickly. Luckily, zero vehicles came from behind during most of the descent, and with my mirror, I could see this and used the entire highway to ride as safely as possible. No pedaling was needed, as it was steep enough to coast faster than I would have preferred, but I didn't want to use the brakes because to tell the truth, it was pretty exciting.
Eventually I made it to our motel in South Fork, and when I pulled in, Paul and Corey were in the hot tub. Oooo that looked inviting. I was still cold, but glad to have successfully made it up and down that mountain.
Our breakfast in Chama was apparently at the county gathering spot, because it was packed with cowboys. Most had spurs on their boots. So much local flavor at Fina's Diner, and scattered with Coca Cola paraphernalia.
I got a late start due to talking with Janet and also needing to charge my camera battery. The battery went completely dead at the breakfast diner. It charges slowly, so I wanted to give it extra time at the motel. While it charged, I rode farther into downtown Chama to see their historical steam train station, which was VERY old-time cool looking.
When I got going 40 minutes late, I rode hard to try to catch up, but still got a few photos of the incredible scenery, as in the photo above. We were getting awfully close to Colorado. No cars to speak of, and smooth pavement, so it was fun to chase and ride fast.
There at the border was Paul! He had waited for me so he could take my picture. Thank you, Paul. This was my first time riding in Colorado, and what a first day it turned out to be! Then we turned around to get this shot:
Sure, we were leaving NM, but it was interesting to me to see the contrast when we took pictures at the Welcome to NM sign way back a week earlier near El Paso. You might recall how dry and poor it was there, but this time, it really was a Land of Enchantment.
I continued on another four miles to the first rest stop, and the others were just leaving. It turned out that in those four miles, I missed our first Continental Divide crossing. Here is a picture of the sign I got from Jack:
No one except those in the van saw this sign, so it must have been pretty hidden.
Here's just one of many scenic views as we rode northward toward the higher mountains. That's Corey speeding by me.
Pretty valley and more of the Rockies to the distant north.
I like "The Road Ahead" photos. We had ups and downs all morning, climbs and descents, with perfect weather. Actually, it was finally cold enough when we departed for me to wear more than the minimum jersey and shorts I'd worn so far. This time, I wore an undershirt and arm warmers. By the 24-mi rest stop, I shed both since the weather and my body had warmed up.
Getting near the lunch stop, I went over the San Juan River. This was special to me since the Mercurio family used to boat at Lake Powell in Utah in the early 90s, and we cruised up the San Juan Arm of the lake. That's all I had really known about the San Juan River, but here I was near its source, high in the Rockies.
It's another picture of the San Juan River, but it also shows what pretty scenery we had today.
Then came lunch, and as you can see in the background, the inclement weather was coming (our route took us up Wolf Creek mountain which is on the left back there). We all figured it would rain hard, so I retrieved my yellow wind breaker and a hat for under my helmet. But first:
LUNCH! Rod and Jack cooked up a real delicacy, chicken fried rice with veggies. It reminded me of paella, and was excellent! But then the rain started and we also heard thunder. Everyone agonized a long time over how to proceed, but in the end, I took my chances and proceeded to ride the remaining 29 miles.
Because we expected significant rain, Paul suggested I not carry my camera. It turned out not to rain, so I could have taken numerous photos of views, waterfalls, and the rushing river. But I did get this shot using my cell phone, looking back to the valley where we had just eaten our lunch. At this point, I had gone about two of the eight miles up the grade, and it was my only stop until the top.
The photo at the front of this posting was also taken using my cell phone. As soon as I took it, the battery died, before I could text Janet that I was all right. Normally, I keep her posted when we reach our rest stops, but today there was no reception until Wolf Creek Pass. When I finally got to the motel room, I plugged in the charger and let her know I was done. She explained later that she was truly worried not hearing anything all day since the early morning. She was just about to call the motel when I sent my text.
After thawing out with a long hot shower, I cleaned my bike and chain, napped, and then our dinner was excellent. I had not eaten anything since the end of the ride, so I was pretty hungry, and ordered a brownie/ice cream/whipped cream dessert after my full dinner. It turned out to be such a huge portion, others just assumed I'd pass it around, but no, I scarfed the entire thing myself! It was nice that Paul started the evening there congratulating me on completing the Wolf Creek Pass.
By the way, this town of South Fork gets its name because the South Fork of the Rio Grande River flows through it. I think it's pretty cool that for this entire first week of riding, we have been with the Rio Grande. And, it will continue tomorrow as we ride next to/over it for our first 40 miles, almost to its headwaters.
Bob says that tomorrow's ride to Lake City is even more beautiful than today. We climb gradually all day, reaching 11,486 feet (higher than today!) and then there's another big descent into Lake City. 73 miles, with about 5000 feet of climbing. Now I need some sleep!
Here is the map link for tomorrow: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7807019
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