Gunnison, CO to Pueblo,CO

The end is near.....the end of the mountains that is. I've been thinking about climbing Monarch Pass ever since I decided to do this trip. I was familiar with the pass from inside a car or atop a motorcycle so I really had concerns about being able to pedal myself up. All along my route I had challenging climbs that I thought would make me stronger but it didn't happen and now here I am with the grand-daddy of them all.

I departed Gunnison on the last major climb. For the occasion I donned my Hill Slug jersey. For those not familiar with team Hill Slug, when I started riding I had a terrible time with hills as most overweight senior citizens do. As a joke my wife bought me a jersey with a slug riding a bicycle. I've worn this jersey on every major climb on this trip and this will be the last and highest.

Gunnison to Sargents was the easy part with 35 miles and only about 900 ft of elevation change. At Sargents the real climb began. In 10 miles the elevation rose from 8400 to a leg and lung searing 11,312 ft.

My low gear at a cadence of about 75 is 6 mph. With several stops to try get my heart rate down and my legs back it took over two hours. I was certainly ready for a break in the sag trailer at the summit.

And now for the descent.I have learned to dread the descents more than the climbs. I dug out my winter jacket as the temp was 40 degrees. I had to ride in the center of the lane or risk being blown of the road with the wind gusting to 35 to 40 mph. Most of the road had no guard rail so if you leave the asphalt you will become a glider. Some motorists were annoyed by this maneuver and would give me the you're number 1 signal. One even suggested that I ride my bike elsewhere.

In spite of all this I made it off the mountain and coasted into Salida. The sag lady found a great campground on the Arkansas river. We spent the afternoon icing my sore ankle in the river and watching people in rafts shoot the rapids. As we sat there a mallard duck came floating down the river and bobbed through the rapids. In a few minutes he flew back by. He may have been icing his sore ankle too. We hated to leave such a great spot but is was time to move on to Pueblo and WalMart.

After a rest day it will be time to tackle the great nothingness of Kansas.

Have you zoomed to see Colby on the mountain yet?