Today’s Date: June 23, 2024

Today’s Start Point: Pueblo, Colorado

Today’s End Point: Ordway, Colorado

Today’s Miles: 50.90 Miles

Cumulative Miles: 2,139.68 Miles

I had planned for the route today to be relatively short at 50 miles. There would only be aggregate climbing of 450 feet; we do more than that in a 30 mile ride in Chicago. The route was pretty much due east, in which the first ten miles were on a state divided highway.

When I woke up, I looked at the weather report for the route, and I was happy to see that I would have an eight mph tailwind, which would be switching to a headwind by 1:00 pm. Unfortunately, the area was to have a high temperature of 100 degrees by noon.

With this information, I left at 6 am and wanted to end the ride before noon. It’s been so long that I have ridden on the flat with a tailwind that I was shocked that I got to Ordway by 9:30 am.

I made such good time because of four factors: 1) a good tailwind; 2) no traffic; 3) flat roads; and 4) absolutely nothing to look at or take pictures of. When the multiple prisons that I pass by qualify as “photo worthy,” well, you get the idea.

The highway was easy riding, since Sunday morning is not a high traffic time for the big rigs. Even if there was greater traffic, the shoulder was wide with a rumble strip between me and the motor vehicle traffic.

After the ten mile mark, I turned onto a country road that took me the 40 miles to Ordway. During that time, I think only four or five cars passed by me.

I was flying east, looking down and seeing that my speed was in the vicinity of 20 mph. As I approached Ordway, I started to toy with the idea of continuing on another 60 miles to Eads, Colorado, making it a 110 mile day.

Never say I don’t learn from my mistakes, but I decided to call it a day. The proprietor of the old hotel that I am staying in said that I could not check in until 2:00 pm, but that there were a couple of restaurants that I could while away the time.

What she failed to mention was that everything was closed due to it being Sunday. I asked a man in town if there was anything at all where I could get breakfast/lunch (don’t think for a minute I was going to use the term “brunch”). He directed me to a fry-cook establishment attached to a convenience store/gas station about a quarter-mile down the road. I don’t think the place would pass my Amy’s restaurant cleaning standards, but it got me out of the sun for a while.

Ordway may not have much open on Sunday’s, but the town makes up for it with biting flies, even in the “restaurant.” After I ate, I went to the Edward C. Chavez Veteran’s Park and sat in the shade for a few hours. The flies are relentless (it’s starting to put aggressive dogs in perspective).

As the day went on, by noon it was hot if you were in the sun (low humidity) and the wind had increased and turned into a headwind. It was frustrating to quit so soon in the day, but that might be how I am going to have to do it to get through the heatwave.

Finally, Happy Anniversary to Leslie for 34 years of marriage. Just so you know how mixed up my brain is, I sent her flowers last Friday thinking that was the date. I gave her the best gift imaginable, my absence. Love ya Les.