I started off the day by getting a ride from my brother out of the city. We said our goodbyes and I headed south.
I connected to a bike path that would take me maybe 30 miles through the Colorado Springs area. It was a beautiful path, with the mountains to my right and plains to the left. It wound through lightly wooded pine trees and was probably the most scenic bike path of the trip so far. The path went right through the air force academy, where signs warned of no unauthorized entry and of patrols. That was kind of weird, but I made it through with no issues.
Trail eventually died out a ways south of the city and I was dumped onto roads. It was already getting late because I had started so late and took a long lunch, but I pressed on towards Pueblo. After winding around a bit, I finally hit the road that would take me 25 miles south to my destination. It was dirt.
I was counting on being able to speed to Pueblo, but the dirt road was very bumpy and had lots of soft dirt so my speed averaged 8 mph. Darkness fell and I continued down this lonely road, barely being able to see ahead of me. As the full moon rose it was slightly easier to see and I had a distinct shadow from the moonlight.
Eventually the road turned to asphalt and I entered the city and found a motel. Went out to a bar and met a couple teachers at the local college and had a good time before getting back to my room and falling asleep at almost 1 am.
Today’s mileage: 73 miles
Total: 2424 miles
