Notes From The Common Man: June 26 update

After leaving Silverthorne, Pat and I had a good 60 mile ride to Brandby, Co. Where we split a Motel room for the night. The motel was old but clean. We had a little trouble reserving the room because the owner was fishing when he took out call. On the way, we passed through a canyon that is on one of the Amtrak routes. After going through Hot Sulfur Springs we followed the headwaters of the Colorado river up to Branby.

The next morning we rode up a beautiful valley with lush pastures that have way to wooded mountain sides along Willow Creek. We had a 22 mile climb up to the pass over to the Eastern side of the continental device where the landscape changed dramatically. The eastern side is much drier and much more open. The total mileage for the day was 58 and there was not a single open store or a place to get water.

We rolled into Walden, Co around 1:00 in the afternoon. It was a big weekend in Walden, they were having a rodeo and a street festival, so all of the motels were booked. We camped in the city park where we ran into Charlie, a fellow traveler we met in Breckenridge two days before. We also met three German motorcyclists who were camping in the park. The six of us drank a few beers and then walked up town to have dinner together. We really had a great time talking to them about there impressions of America, and our cultural differences.

The next morning Pat, Charlie and I headed out for Riverside, Wyoming, only about a fifty mile ride. Riverside only has a population of about 50, but it had a very nice campground, two bars and a store. We got there fairly early, and we all got a good rest, dinner, and a belly full of beer.

Here's a little background about Charlie, now a part of our team. Like Pat, he is 64 years old, married with children, and recently retired. He has toured some, but this is his first tour of this magnitude. Charlie is fairly small, at least compared to Pat and me, but he is a strong rider. I am probably the weakest link in the chain, but I can hold my own on all but the toughest climbs.

Today the three of us headed out for Rawlins, Wyoming, about a 60 mile ride. We pacelined all the way to Rawlins, so I only took one picture. If you state at it for 4 hours, you will get to enjoy the entire ride. We had calm winds and not many bad uphills, so we averaged 16.5 miles per hour, which for loaded touring is very fast. This will probably be the fastest time of our entire trip.

Pat stayed in a Motel tonight, and Charlie and I are sharing a KOA cabin. Charlie and I walked down to the local saloon to have a beer and dinner. The dinner menu only listed four items, so we both opted for the 16 oz ribeye. There are a lot of cows in Wyoming so you get a lot of beef for your buck!

Tomorrow we are facing a 68 mile day into bad headwinds, we may have to cut the ride short of it gets too bad. The Weather Channel has predicted 20 mph with gusts to 30. We will see how it goes.