Day 49: Salida, CO – Gunnison, CO

Today was going to be the big day – I had the longest single climb and highest elevation of my trip ahead of me. So I stayed up late and didn’t get much sleep.

After a big late breakfast I got on the road at 11. The first 10 miles were a gentle uphill. I think. I thought I was going on flat ground but my speed was slower than it should have been and I gained a fair amount of elevation so I must have been going up. I often have this problem, being unable to tell if I am going up or down.

Anyways, the climb started in earnest after a bit and I slowly churned out the miles, going maybe 7.5 mph. I stopped once every few miles for water and to reapply chapstick, but it wasn’t nearly as arduous as my ride two days ago.

As I kept going, my pace slowed down slowly to 5.5 mph by the top, but I did reach the pass at 11312 feet with energy to spare for a final sprint when I could see the summit.

I took some photos, ate some food, and hung out in front of the department of transportation’s webcam to get a shot of myself at the top. Met a couple touring on a motorcycle and talked to them for a bit before heading down.

I was trying to make it to the town of Gunnison and had another 42 miles to go. It was a steep downhill ride for about 10 miles, after which the terrain flattened out. There was still a gentle down slope for much of the way but a stiff headwind kept me from being able to take advantage of it.

I arrived in Gunnison at sunset and found a motel. Went out in search of dinner and met a couple cool people at the local brew pub. Stayed up way too late and so I’ll be taking the day off tomorrow.

Today’s mileage: 64 miles.
Total: 2595 miles.