Starting where I left off yesterday at the base of the canyon, today was going to be an uphill climb. We started out at a nice little restaurant called Vern’s. Lisa and I made sure we each knew the road to take. It was going to be pretty simple today because after a couple of quick turns there was only one way in and tomorrow one way out. About a mile up the road I saw something extremely large about the size of a small alligator crossing the road. I paused and tried to focus and figure out what in the world am I looking at. A few seconds later I recognized it was a large peacock with its feathers trailing on the ground creating a look of a large alligator. I quickly tried to grab my camera but the peacock was too fast and moved into someone’s private residential lot. The last time I saw a wild/domesticated peacock was back in 1986 in Yugoslavia which is now Croatia. About 3 mi into the ride I entered the canyon and the climb began. I have been looking forward to this for quite some time. I am so glad to be out of the plains Even though there are hills. The scenery all day was constantly winding and changing. Cell service was non-existent so I listen to the sound of rushing water on the river all day long. The cars traveling the canyon were very conscientious of bikers. Because of the elevation and the climbing there were plenty of pull-off spots for large RVs and slow moving cars to allow others to pass. This allowed Lisa and I to keep playing LeapFrog and staying in close contact. It’s hard to describe how breathtaking the scenery is. Today was just slow and steady and there were no serious climbs. After some of the climbs on the East Coast I had visions of extremely difficult climbs in the Rockies. Of course I’m nowhere near complete so we shall see. There was a constant set of campgrounds just off the road. There were plenty of RVs and white water rafting tour groups heading up the canyon early in the morning. Later I was able to stop and watch some of the whitewater rafters navigate the rocky river. A few hours in I ran across a restaurant / bar / concert venue. While looking for places to possibly stay on Google I saw this place. They typically have music on the weekends and some of the shows are actually paid performers. There is very little parking off this canyon road so during concert time you have to be shuttled to see the artist. I arrived just an opening and the staff was prepping for their day. They said in a few hours it would be busy for the rest of the day given the campers, hikers, or tourist traveling through. The temperatures in the canyon Rose to a steady state of about 92°. It was definitely hotter than what was predicted but I’m sure the altitude had something to deliver that as well. After a shorter day I decided to call it quits where we were staying that evening. We found a great little rustic cabin that was far from rustic. At the small gas station / restaurant we were able to get Wi-Fi for some much needed communication today. The cabin accommodations or fabulous and our back door was the rapids and the sound of running water all night. The sun sets early here in mountain Time. So after getting some much needed food and drink we settled in for the evening and prepare for the journey tomorrow. God is done an amazing thing again with the weather. The forecast is nothing but gorgeous.
Insights from Lisa Marie
Today was the first day that Norm started out on the bike that we were doing some climbing . We went up to 6000 feet to a place called Rustic, Colorado. There we stayed in a very nice cabin with beds and electricity. I was pleasantly surprised! Today we had to learn how to do this supporting and riding together thing because of course he had done this by himself for two months. I stayed close, probably within 5 miles. The gorgeous scenery was easy to watch as I slowly drove pulling off when I needed to let other people pass. The mountains as we were climbing were just gorgeous and the river running along the road on both sides. I loved hearing the sound of the river rapids and kept the windows open the whole time. In the morning, the temperatures were around 69 but as we climbed, we ended up being at about 75°. Norm at one point noticed on his Garmin that it was reading 118 in the sun. I know it was tough for him in the valley until we got higher up. The pictures that we took as we said to each other don’t do justice to just how gorgeous this road was through the canyon. As far as what it’s like to support, I’m glad I’m a book reader. I have read most of my 1st book The Women by Kristen Hannah. My routine was stopping each time about 10 minutes ahead, pulling off and waiting to see him go by. I think the hardest part of this is not having service. I ended up passing him at one point in the afternoon and got all the way to Rustic way before him. I got our cabin, realizing I had missed him so I turned around to go back and find him. Unfortunately at Glen Echo, the resort that we stayed was the only place that had Wi-Fi. I was able to find him by the Apple tag and track back to him probably about 8 miles. When he finally was done with the ride, we enjoyed a very nice lunch at the restaurant there at the resort and rested. Norm actually took a nap as he had been up at 5:30. We had a nice afternoon on the patio by the river, where our cabin was located. I continued reading, of course not a surprise there and Norm just enjoyed sitting and listening to the river. Another wonderful meal at this little restaurant where the food was amazing. We got to know the servers Lea and Tracy sharing experiences with each other. It was nice sitting there for a couple hours as we were able to use the WiFi catching up on emails and plot our next few days. Eventually we went back to the cabin and fell asleep around 10 PM that night ready to rest for the next day.
