Day 37: Doyleville to Carnero Pass - 64 miles
We parked on the road and it started raining! I was in no rush so had a snooze for 30 minutes until the storm passed. Great weather forecast. I then reassembled the bike with the company of a very inquisitive sheep dog from the farm on the corner. I do like border collies and Lis has said that one day when I settle down she will get me a dog. Since I most likely will never settle down this is a most unlikely proposition ... but good to dream.
The plan was that I would cycle the 17 miles of unsealed road from Doyleville up to Highway 114 and we would meet at the turnoff. Together we would cycle up to Cochetopa Pass (10,067') on the divide. Lis would then return to the car while I continued on towards the next pass. She would then collect me and we would return to Salida. Good in theory, but more on that later ...
The morning was beautiful with very little wind. The road was an excellent unsealed road with a firm surface so I was able to make good time; having an unladen bike also helped. In fact, I think that I travel about 25% faster uphill without all my gear. Interestingly, on downhills I'm about 10% slower (similar aerodynamic resistance but less acceleration due to gravity with the lower weight). The countryside was farily dry again, and there were many interesting shaped rock outcrops along the way.
I reached 114 and headed east towards where Lis was to be waiting. Imagine my surprise when a silver car driven by Lis passed me with a honk as I huffed my way up a hill. Shortly afterwards I found her parked by the side of the road. It transpired that she had decided to visit the town of Gunnison which was not too far from where we parted. She had wandered around and done some shopping so our timing was perfect for meeting up.
We had lunch in the car and as we got ready to leave the skies looked very threatening. Gone was the clear blue skies and there were black clouds over the mountains. Without further ado we started cycling and after a couple of miles were hit with a very strong headwind. In fact, Lis said it was the strongest wind she had ever encountered. Our speeds dropped to about 6 mph, even though the road was flat, and we 'weaved' our way along the road trying to go as straight as possible. Fortunately, there was no traffic otherwise it would have been very distracting for them to have these mad cyclists going all over the place.
It was hard going but eventually we turned up the valley so the wind became a tailwind which made for pleasant riding. The sun also came out as the storm blew over and so off came all the layers that we had on to keep ourselves warm. The valley was beautiful with a meandering stream running next to the road and ahead of us was the tree lined mountains with clusters of golden aspen trees providing the ultimate contrast to the green pine trees.
It was great to be cycling with Lis and the time went quickly. Like yesterday, although there was an ascent of 1,500'+, it was on an old toll road (built 1865) and the grades were very moderate. Without the wind we were able to maintain an excellent speed with Lis zooming off ahead of me (she doesn't feel the altitude like I do). The terrain gradually changed as we ascended, becoming more sub-alpine and sparse. At one point there was an old mine entrance next to the road which got Lis very excited (she loves exploring old mines) until I told her that there was a cave in just behind the entrance.
The final few miles to the pass were steep but not too difficult. There were many clumps of aspen and at one point they had laid down a golden path on the road. When the wind blew the leaves whisked through the air. The photo below doesn't do the scene justice, but it gives an indication of what we saw.
After 17 miles we reached the top of the pass at 10,067' which was marked by a stone and a brass marker plate. We got the manditory photos below.
After confirming where we would meet (or so I thought) Lis headed back down towards the car while I continued east. She had a terrible headwind the entire way down and it hailed on her. Myself? I had blue skies, no wind and an easy, pleasant cycle through beautiful scenary. Hard to believe that we were only a few miles apart, separated by a mountain ridge. The photo below is an example of what I had while poor Lis battled the elements.
It was 10 miles to the point where I rejoined Highway 114. I was then given a tailwind as I continued east. Since the highway was paved with a wide shoulder, no traffic and a slight downgrade I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and kept my speed above 20 mph for the 8+ miles to where I had my turnoff. The road passed through a fairly narrow valley with amazing rock formations all around. Very scenic.
I turned onto road 41G to head towards Carnero Pass. By reaching the top of this pass it would make the next ride to Del Norte a largely downhill affair. Since Lis had to return her bicycle to the shop by 19:00 I had to make the top of the pass by 16:30 or we would probably be late returning the bicycle.
The road was the complete opposite to Highway 114. It was unsealed with a loose, corrugated surface and it was impossible to find smooth sections to cycle on. This not only meant a lower speed, but with the bicycle bouncing about everywhere it was not exactly comfortable. However, that was offset somewhat by the lovely valley that I was cycling through, with more of the amazing rock formations lining my way. The photo below is an example of what they looked like.
The weather was again changing and even though I was heading upwards over 2,000' at a good pace, I was cold. It is amazing how quickly the weather changes in the mountains; sunny and hot at mile 45; freezing cold at mile 50.
I expected Lis to find me about 16:00 so I kept up the pace as best I could, generally managing about 8-10 mph for much of the ride which wasn't too bad given the road condition and the grade. After 9 miles I was getting tired but with only 2 miles to go I kept going and eventually made it to the top of the pass.
But where was Lis? By now it was 16:40 and she should have been here by now. Being the USA all sorts of thoughts ran through my mind. After gobbling an energy bar I hopped on my bike and headed back at the best pace I could to hopefully meet up with her.
To add to my concern the weather had taken a turn for the worse; the sky was black and there was lots of thunder in the air. I was concerned that a lightening storm was brewing and being on a bike in the wilderness is not where one wants to be under such circumstances.
After a few miles I was relieved to spot a silver car in the distance. Lis had come up the road 6 miles and decided that there was no way I could have got that far so she must have missed me. She returned to the road where we parted ways and discovered that while her side was 17 miles long, mine was only 10 miles so in fact I could very well have made it further up the road. So back she came and we eventually met. I was concerned at her absence; she was concerned that I would be caught in the terrible weather.
As we started to take my bike apart the skies opened and there was thunder and lightening. So much for the forecast of sunny weather! This catalysed us even more and in moments we had the gear in the car and we were heading off down the hill.
The drive back to Salida was through very heavy rain, and we were thankful that we hadn't been caught on our bikes in it. There was even a section where the highway and surrounding lands were white -- a legacy of a heavy hail storm. As the weather lightened up we were given the site of a pair of rainbows which followed us for many miles. Eventually, we got to town and after returning Lis' bicycle and grabbing dinner enjoyed a soak in the motel's spa.
I was very glad not to be camping out this evening as it would have been most unpleasant. I thought of Paul, Rebecca and Pascal and hoped that they were in a safe and comfortable place.