July 3 Crossing America

Sheridan Lake, CO – Ordway, CO Distance 91miles, I rode 81
Distance traveled to date 2,216 miles, ridden on my bike 1,834.  Note the mileage shown reflects an adjustment I had to make when I went back and double checked my math.

High Plains of Colorado

Another day of cranking  out big miles to put us within easy reach of Pueblo to be able to
enjoy their big 4^th of July celebration tomorrow night.  Our stay in Pueblo will be two nights and ata motel instead of in a tent.  Yes!  My body needs a proper bed to lie down in and rejuvenate my achy body.

Yesterday afternoon I visited with the Adventure Cycling crew, they were on a rest day in
Leoti, regards to joining them and I have to say it was mighty hard to resist switching.  Their crew consists of only one 21 year old; everyone else in the crew is 50+.  The most miles they have traveled in a day has only been 80 miles and they have a REST day every week.  However, I very much like everyone in our crew.  Plus I did volunteer my van as a SAG vehicle and it wouldn’t be right of me to renege on my offer not to mention it would put them in a bind.  Pepper has been good about allowing me to ride in the van when I feel the need.

The first 11 miles today I flew down the road averaged 17.8 mph.  Then the road turned up hill and my average dropped to 13.8 mph.  First stop for food was Eads where we met up with the crew who rode all the way there last night.  Actually it was the second time eating today as I had oatmeal and orange juice before leaving the church.  They had a rough time fighting the wind and a 160 mile day.  The bonus for them; they got to sleep in today and only have to ride 53 miles today.  I had Western Omelet with hash browns, wheat toast and a real coke a cola, didn’t order to avoid having to go to bathroom mid-ride.  I’m drinking regular coke on this adventure and now like the taste better than Diet Coke, going to be rough switching back once this journey is over.

One of the roughest roads I’ve ever ridden has to be US Hwy. 96 between Eads and Haswell, Colorado a distance of 21 miles of bone shaking, teeth jarring and poop loosening road ever.  Three miles after leaving the café I begin getting the urge to go number 2 but have 18 more miles to Haswell the first community after Eads.  By 10 miles I’m in agony for a bowel movement.  This is a rare development as riding a bike the saddle generally keeps me from having an urgent need that is until today.  At 11 miles Pepper comes along in the big van and I hail him to stop, whereby I tell him of my urgent need.  If I had a brain, I would have jumped in the van and had him stop in Haswell but no instead I ask
how far back Amanda is with my mini-van.  He said she should be right behind him.
I asked him to call her and tell her I needed her urgently which he did.  It took almost another two miles of riding in agony supreme before she arrived to rescue me.  I threw my bike on the rack and jumped into the passenger seat, while Amanda raced off at a speed of 80 mph.  When we entered the community of Haswell, there was not a store.  OH NO, I’m going to explode!  Suddenly on our right we spotted a city park which appeared to have a toilet.   Amanda brought the car to a screeching halt and I made a run for it.  Yikes!  It’s a pit toilet which reeked with a foul odor which would gag maggots and the opening I had to sit on was clogged with spider webs.  Never mind the webs and the foul smell, I’ve got to expel before I explode.  Thus I threw down my spandex and stooped over just in the nick of time.   Ka-plop, Ka-boosh and Ka-bang!  The poor spiders web I’m quite sure was wiped out, a spiders version of an earthquake I’m sure.   After several minutes I’m sure I expelled
everything I had eaten for the past week and into next week, too.  Once again able to walk upright I went back to the mini-van and made ready to challenge this road once again.  I’ve decided to proclaim this section of highway to hence forward be known as” Poop Shaker Highway 101″.

The rest of the day’s ride was fairly easy.  I did notice it was ever so gradually climbing in altitude and last sign I saw we were already over 4,500 feet in elevation.  Part of the highway is under construction, which is why I dedicated only the first 20 miles between Eads and Haswell, and will eventually spare other poor souls the anguish I suffered earlier today.

Sugar City Café, located six miles east of Ordway, in Sugar City, Colorado looked “homey” look to it so I had to stop in for lunch.

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