For the first time, we actually pushed on past our planned destination of Monticello, making what was meant to be a 62 mile day an 84 mile day, and having our latest arrival into camp so far at 6:30pm.
Our day started off a little bit later than anticipated due to our motel room stay. Steve had found the MTV channel and had started watching a teen angst series called "Finding Carter". Needless to say, after watching one episode we were hooked and had to stay tuned in for the next episode, delaying our departure until 9:30am.
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| Leaving Dolores |
The ride out of Dolores was quite pretty but there were a lot of trucks on the road due to the nearby mining rigs. We stopped at the Anasazi Heritage Centre to try and learn a little but more about the history of the area and the Anasazi people and cultures. We definitely need more time to explore this area in more detail off our bikes to be able to see all the archeological sites.
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| Escalante Pueblo ruins |
The Heritage Centre housed the Escalante Pueblo ruins at the top of a hill with fantastic 360 degree panoramic views of the surrounding area - mountains, mesas, parks, reservoirs, towns and farmland. From here you could see the entire stretch of the Mesa Verde National Park and the Ute Mountain Tribal Park.
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| McPhee Reservoir |
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| Mesa Verde NP and Ute Mtn Tribal Park |
The remainder of today's ride was through Colorado's colourful farming land - red-brown and golden tilled earth, amongst vibrant green irrigated patches and bean plants (pinto, soy, etc) green turning to yellow as the weather cools down. Small canyons and dry creek beds also cut across the highway.
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| Bean farms |
About half way through the day we crossed the border into Utah. There was a Stateline Bar and Grill with an RV Park beside it on the Colorado side of the border, only open Thursday to Monday to cater for the drinkers in Utah wanting a real beer with higher alcohol content than what is allowed to be sold in Utah.
As we rode further into Utah, the canyons and buttes started to appear in the distance. I guess in a few days we will be riding amongst them.
We had had a predominantly flat but very rolling riding day today. However, once we left Monticello for the extra 22 mile push to Blanding, the road started heading uphill. We hit a couple of longer stretches of 6% gradient which towards the end of the day if we had been in the mountains in Colorado would have been really hard on our lead laden legs. However, today we were pushing up them at the end of the day at least a mile or more per hour faster than we had been in the Rockies. I was thinking how much the higher altitudes must have taken out of us, while Steve was saying it was because we'd been climbing / training at high altitudes that climbing at a lower altitude now seemed so much easier (something about red blood cells and oxygen). Or perhaps our rest days had something to do with it. Whichever, I'm just glad it felt a lot easier!
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| Recapture Dam in Utah |
CRANKING ODYSSEY STATS
Total Odyssey miles: 2,521
Overall Fastest Speed: Steve (46 miles per hour) Mandy (36.3 miles per hour)
Bludge Days: 4
Bonks: nil
Dog chases: 3
Dummy Spits: Steve (6) Day 10 - because it rained; Day 16 - because the rocks in the river were slippery; Day 29 - because it takes me so long to get ready in the morning; Day 36 - because I was blogging and Steve was dieing of starvation; Day 44 - because the clothes dryer didn't dry his clothes; Day 45 - because by the time I got organised he didn't get to eat a crappy dinner until 8pm
Mandy (3.5) 0.5 Day 14 - those freakin' wreckless Idaho drivers!; Day 26 - because my bike computer had a meltdown; Day 28 - because Steve wouldn't help hold my bike up in the wind after watching it nearly fall over 3 times whilst I tried to put my clothes away in the panniers because it looked like rain ahead; Day 44 - because Steve's bushies flew back and hit me in the face (twice)
Flats: Katie (4); Steve (1)
Wrong turns: 8
Beer of the day: N/A
Lesson of the day: Steve's happy touring timeframe is about 5.5 - 6 weeks. After that he turns into Mr Grumpypants....
No. of days with no shower: 15
No. of days in a hotel: 13
Starting weight: Steve (90kg) Mandy (51.5kg)
Day 30 Rawlins weigh in: Steve (183 pds / 83kg). Mandy (110 pds / 50kg)
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