June 6, 2014

6/6/14 Canon City to Salida - 58 miles

Got off to an early start in anticipation of a long ride to Salida and to hopefully avoid possible late afternoon thunderstorms. We had a fabulous stay at the Super 8 in Canon City, in large part to Julie, who cheerfully made us feel right at home and went out of her way to help with planning "rest day" activities and providing a place to store the bikes out of the room. The motel was in a terrific location, the rooms spacious and very clean. 

We swung by Raftmasters to again thank our guide Mark for the wonderful time we had rafting, and to take a few pictures. Both he and Julie had a way of making it seem that they were not working at a job, but doing what they enjoyed. Both had a talent for working with people. 

Our route for the day was Highway 50 (still part of the AC TRANSAMERICA route the first 20 miles ) which ran alongside the Arkansas River the entire way to Salida. The first 10 miles to Royal Gorge were a series of long, slow inclines. Not too steep, but enough to get you warmed up. At one point as I was chugging up an incline, a Raftmasters big orange school bus passed and I saw Mark stick out his head, yell and waive. He had a big smile on his face. 

At last we reached the turn off for Royal Gorge and the road flattened out, followed shortly by an exhilarating downhill coast with a gorgeous view of the valley and mountains stretched out before us. At the bottom of the hill, Hwy 50 begins its parallel course right alongside the Arkansas River. This continues all the way to Salida, and runs through gorges and stunning rock formations. The really good thing is that it is mostly flat or fairly flat with little in the way of climbs. Just easy going and with unbelievable scenery. This has to be one of the most scenic rides I have ever taken. The road was in good shape and for the most part had adequate shoulders. However, the one downside was the amount of traffic and trucks on the road. Fortunately, we had some stretches where there was little or no traffic, but overall there was more traffic than desired. 

The highlight of the day was when we reached a place called Five Points. Mark had pointed this out the day before when we were rafting as a spot where 5 gorges coincided. There are some very challenging rapids at this convergence, and a platform where folks on the shore can watch as rafters navigate through and witness "carnage," which occurs when a raft flips over spilling its occupants into the river. Of course, we had expertly rafted through the day before, but others had not been so lucky. At any rate, just after we had ridden past Five Points, I spied red rafts a ways up coming down the River. Since I had seen Mark in the bus and knew Raftmasters had red rafts, I felt there was a pretty good possibility that one of those might be Mark. so, LaDonna and I turned around and took up post at the platform. Sure enough, it was Mark and his crew. He spotted us and waived - hit the top of his helmet in the "OK" sign with a big grin and shout, and we hit the top of our bike helmets in reply. After his raft shot through the rapids, Mark waved goodbye and made the sign of a big heart with his arms, like many do with their hands. LaDonna said it was a kiss heart moment and it almost made her cry. We agreed that the timing of our arrival at that very spot at that very moment had to be a God thing. There was no way we could have planned it. Reminded me of of just happening to meet up with my friend Diane on a busy Burlington, VT street last fall during the Tour of the Leaves ride. 

We continued meandering along the Arkansas River, stopping for lunch along the way. Peanut butter sandwiches, chips, apples and fig newtons while we watched rafters float by. Delicious.

The weather was perfect. Blue skies and no rain in sight. Approximately 20 miles from Salida I spotted some rather ominous dark clouds forming, but luckily they were to the south and our route was taking a turn northward and away, so I felt we would likely skirt the storm. I was right - seemed another God thing because we had been warned all week of the rain coming. As we approached Salida, more snow-covered mountains appeared. We cruised into Salida at approximately 3:00 pm, having made good time, and found another wonderful Super 8. The owner cheerfully greeted us and upgraded us to a lovely room. They had laundry facilities, so we washed clothes and rested a bit before heading the 1 mile to town for dinner, following the Monarch Bike Trail. We had a fabulous dinner at an Italian restaurant called Ferraros that was recommended by the Super 8 owner. The lasagna was maybe the best I have ever had. LaDonna seemed mesmerized by her eggplant Parmesan. Food is a big deal when biking.

The town of Salida is quaint and filled with lots of beautiful parks. Large lush green grassy areas with huge trees. In one of the parks, there were a group of girls playing basketball - you rarely see girls on outdoor public courts. Made me happy.  The Main Street runs perpendicular to and runs into the River, along which is a lovely River walk with restaurants perched alongside. It was a beautiful evening and everyone moved at a leisurely pace obviously enjoying the moment. 

After dinner, we returned to the motel and to my delight I found that we could access HGTV. I happily watched an episode of "Love It or List It". Last year I discovered HGTV while on my ride and became hooked. However, I do not have cable at home in Austin, so it is a treat whenever I am somewhere that I get to watch "Love It or List It" or "The Property Brothers".

Tomorrow we head through Poncha Pass (elev. 9012 ft) in route towards Alamosa. Depending on how tough the pass is, we will see how far along we get. I think we are supposed to have good weather again.