Day 43

78 miles.  Blanding to Hite.   Amazing ride through the canyons of Utah.  I don't know how many pictures I took but it was a lot.   I did not see a car for the first hour.  The terrain looks more like the moon than earth.  I stopped and took a one mile hike to see some Indian ruins in the cliffs.  In the middle of the desert I ran into my first cyclist since Pueblo.  He was so excited to see another rider he was pumping his fists  in the air 100 yards away.  He was a rider from Poland going from L.A. to Denver.  I swam in Lake Powell for an hour after I got to Hite.  The generator for the store went out a couple.of hours after I arrived.  Dinner was energy bars and gatorade, same as breakfast and lunch.  

Day 42

81 miles.  Dolores, Colorado to  Blanding, Utah.  Spent last night with a warm showers host in Dolores.  Mollie even cooked dinner for me.  She is another kind soul who has been taking in cyclists for years. 
The ride through western Colorado flattened out dramatically from yesterday.  I got to Utah about noon.  The terrain changed to deep canyons.   The ride from Monticello to Blanding was about as good as it gets.  The views were amazing and it was down hill and down wind.  I actually coasted uphill the wind was so good. 
Tomorrow I will be heading out to a 74 mile section with no services or water.  This will be one of the more remote areas with no cell.service, WiFi or anything else. 

Day 41

65 miles.  Telluride to Dolores.  Nice cool camping last night.  The first night of the trip that I needed my quilt.  Telluride is one of my favorite little towns.  Great scenery, a fantastic library, nice camping and a terrific bakery. 
A long 15 mile climb up Lizard Head pass to start the day.  It rained for the first hour.  Some of the best scenery yet.  Jagged mountains and steep canyons were everywhere.  I stopped for an early lunch in Rico.  The town had only 200 people but had a better restraunt than anything on Fleming Island.  The food was wonderful.  I dropped 3000 feet over the next 40+ miles into Dolores.  This is another town with a very nice modern library.  I'm staying with a warmshowers host tonight.       

Day 40

68 Miles.  Montrose to Telluride.  Said goodbye to Debbie and my folks today and of course it had to be  raining as well.  The rain eventually stopped but Debbie was still gone.  There was plenty of great scenery.  One big climb up Dallas Divide that gained 4000 feet and was 11 miles long.  On the way down the rain started again.  I had a deer almost run into me.  I missed it by maybe 10 feet.  I got into Telluride about 4:00.  A big herd of elk was next to the road about a mile out of town.  The first elk that I have seen other than on a menu.  I'm camping in the city park tonight.  It is like a regular national forrest campground with primative sites and a nice stream.  Telluride is a really neat little town but it is super expensive.  More climbing tomorrow on Lizard Head pass, 10,000+ feet.         

Day 39

65 miles.  Gunnison to Montrose.  It was tougher to leave the friendship and hospitality of my great friends Jack and Elaine and my sister Nancy and her family than it was to climb Monarch pass last week.  I had a great visit in Steamboat with  Nancy and her crew over the weekend.  The rodeo was a blast. 

I got going early and the temperature was in the 50's.  It sure beat the Kansas heat.   The scenery was great the whole way.  Blue Mesa reservoir is spectacular.  I had a couple of long climbs but they were not steep.  I finished before noon and had a nice lunch with Debbie and my folks.  I say goodbye in the morning and head out on my own again. 

Thursday

The blog will be on vacation until Monday when I start riding again.  Please use any time you would have wasted reading this to go outside and take a walk or ride your bike. 

Wednesday

0 miles.  Slept late and took a fantastic three mile hike with Jack and his collies.  My parents got here at lunch time and we spent the day together.  Much eating and laughing.  Debbie arrives tomorrow.