Goodbye Desert, Hello Colorado!

Since leaving Blanding, Utah we have had Gerry Tracy, aka Jeremiah's Dad, aka The Buddha, cruising along with us in his sporty Pontiac Vibe (rental). Without the bags the weight of our bikes has dropped from over 80 pounds to about 35. Needless to say, we have been flying! In addition to the decreased weight, the Buddha also brings lots of food and meets us along the way, which enables us to ride faster (and generally makes us happier).

On Tuesday we left Blanding and averaged about 16mph to Dolores, CO. Goodbye Utah, Hello Colorado! I can't explain how happy we have been to get out of the desert. In Colorado the towns are only 20 miles apart (as opposed to 70 in Nevada and Utah). Plus, there is plenty of water meaning trees to provide shade. You folks back on the East Coast may take your trees for granted, but trust me, they make biking MUCH more pleasant.

Below, Ben and I celebrate our passage into the exciting new land of Colorado




After a great stay in Dolores, CO at the Lebanon School House B&B (Thanks, Dad!) we took off for Telluride, Colorado. This involved a 3,500ft climb in elevation to Lizard Head Pass.

Below, we stop for some food and navigation at the only establishment in Rico, CO (pop. 203)




Fortunately road builders in Colorado are much nicer than those in Utah. The cimb really seemed like nothing because it was so gradual: nowhere near as steep as what we saw in the Sierras or in Utah. Even though it was an easy ascent, Lizard Head Pass (10,220 ft) offered some pretty great views:



Below, Ben catches both Tracy's: Jeremiah on Cannondale T800 touring bike, Gerry in sporty Pontic Vibe. Nice.



Here both Tracy's enjoy the calm before the storm.



You can see some grey cloads in the above picture. After snapping it, the thunder struck and it was time to move on. Luckily, Telluride was a quick 12 miles downhill. We got into town just as some showers started. Now we have rest day #3, marking week #3 of the journey complete. On the agenda for tomorrow, some bike maintenance and a lot of eating.

Wishing you all the best!

-Ben and Jeremiah