Gunnison, CO to Coalpile, CO
Today was the day that Don and I have been preparing for...the climb up Monarch Pass which is just outside of Gunnison Colorado. The pass is only 11,300 ft but we are always nervous having a 10 mile climb to get to that height.
What I thought would be a tough climb was actually not that tough. It is becuase of the 15 previous days of riding in the mountains and high winds that have trained our legs to just keep grinding away on these hills. What Don and I have learned is that we have very different cadence's when climing the mountains. I have a faster pace than Don, so I always end up getting to the top in front of Don. This really doesnt matter because its not a race and I end up getting cold becuase I wait for him at the top (for pictures). What legs I have for the mountains, Don has for the straight aways, and it will be interesting to see how we measure up in Kansas:)
We rode 82 miles today and could have gone longer, but we realized that the only hotels/motels were back in Salida, CO (20 miles back), so it did not make sense to keep going when we were going to have to backtrack for the night. Dinner was different. We ate at Quincy's (a local small place) and all they serve is Prime Rib on the weekend. Your only choice is the amount of P.R. and what you want for dessert. I ordered the 20 ounce P.R thinking there would be a lot of fat and I was wrong. This slab of meat was huge and really good down to teh last bite:) Included was a dinner salad with ranch, baked potatoe, fruit, and drink. All for $16.95--that is not a mistake--it was that cheap. A very good dinner that is making me sleepy.
Tomorrow, we get to Peublo and will make a side visit to the Royal Gorge.
Today was the day that Don and I have been preparing for...the climb up Monarch Pass which is just outside of Gunnison Colorado. The pass is only 11,300 ft but we are always nervous having a 10 mile climb to get to that height.
What I thought would be a tough climb was actually not that tough. It is becuase of the 15 previous days of riding in the mountains and high winds that have trained our legs to just keep grinding away on these hills. What Don and I have learned is that we have very different cadence's when climing the mountains. I have a faster pace than Don, so I always end up getting to the top in front of Don. This really doesnt matter because its not a race and I end up getting cold becuase I wait for him at the top (for pictures). What legs I have for the mountains, Don has for the straight aways, and it will be interesting to see how we measure up in Kansas:)
We rode 82 miles today and could have gone longer, but we realized that the only hotels/motels were back in Salida, CO (20 miles back), so it did not make sense to keep going when we were going to have to backtrack for the night. Dinner was different. We ate at Quincy's (a local small place) and all they serve is Prime Rib on the weekend. Your only choice is the amount of P.R. and what you want for dessert. I ordered the 20 ounce P.R thinking there would be a lot of fat and I was wrong. This slab of meat was huge and really good down to teh last bite:) Included was a dinner salad with ranch, baked potatoe, fruit, and drink. All for $16.95--that is not a mistake--it was that cheap. A very good dinner that is making me sleepy.
Tomorrow, we get to Peublo and will make a side visit to the Royal Gorge.
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