June 7, 2014

6/7/14 Salida to Alamosa - 80 miles

Left the motel at approximately 9:00 am and began the 10 mile climb to Poncha Pass, elevation 9012 ft. 

It took a good 2 hours to reach the top, where the view drastically changed to a vast vista of grasslands that ended at the base of the mountains. 

We coasted down for several miles before the road leveled out into a long straight stretch. For lunch, we stopped at a quaint little roadside cafe in Villa Grove and had some of the best sweet potato fries ever. They came out piping hot. 

As we prepared for the next stretch of ride, the clouds gathered ominously in the distance and I began fearing that we would get hit by the rain. On we plodded. At the 40 mile mark, we stopped at another little roadside cafe in Moffett, and I had a cup of coffee to give me a kick for the next stretch. By now it was 3:00 pm and I realized that, at best, we were looking at another 3 hours or so for the remaining 40 miles to Alamosa. Unfortunately, there were No options for stopping before Alamosa. Even more unfortunately, we began facing harsh cross winds that slowed our progress to 6-7 mph at best. It also took its toll physically as we were getting tired. What I have learned in these situations is to just keep pedaling and stop frequently. LaDonna, to her credit, kept steadily pedaling along and remained as upbeat as possible in the circumstance, though  know it had to be hard. She had walked uphill for several long stretches of the initial climb to Poncha Pass. 

One interesting sight in the distance to the east was the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Seemed a little strange to see those dunes at the base of the mountains. 

After what seemed forever, we finally reached Alamosa at approximately 7:00 pm, and checked into a really nice Comfort Inn. Ordered dinner in, took long hot showers, and settled in for (yeah!) an episode of "Property Brothers" before turning in. 

After two hard days of riding, and especially after the Salida - Alamosa adventure, we decided to  take a rest day on Sunday at the nice Comfort Inn. There is also a possible forecast of thunderstorms, so we won't have to worry about that. Monday's forecast is for clear weather. The next leg of the ride is over towards Cuchara or Walsenburg, depending on how things go.