Leaving La Veta

Today started early at 8am, with the there of us headed for Salida. We had 200 ground miles to cover, and the terrain was bound to become more difficult as we climbed to higher elevations.

Our first major mountain pass brought us rapidly up to 10,800 feet in elevation. Still short of the tree line, but I was finally starting to feel the effects of high elevation, as was the bike.

We stopped in Gardner for coffee and spent some time talking with the locals about ranching and water rights. Back on the bikes and we found ourselves surrounded on all sides by the peaks of the Rockies. Lunch was had at a local diner in Westcliffe.

In the afternoon the roads steadily became worse, developing ruts and rain grooves. The grades became steeper, and the occasional patch of pea gravel made the bikes slide out in the turns.

After we arrived in Salida, we unloaded the bikes and took them by the local self service car wash to knock off the now thick layers of dust. Doran cleaned a load of laundry using the hotel bathtub.

Tomorrow we make tracks for Lake City, looking forward to some of the best riding Colorado has to offer.