We take the bikes down to Great Divide bike shop in Pueblo. The staff as always with cross country tourers are extremely accomodating despite been fully booked up with work. Within minutes of handing the bike over I see the mechanic in the workshop get cracking straight away. Me and Joe head to a coffee shop for a relax and wifi session to update blogs. After sitting drinking smoothies and eating wraps for a while we get a call to say our bikes are all fixed up and ready to go. I give Cooper a call to see what he was up too. He is back on the trail after the wedding and was just about to enter Kansas, so probably the 8-9 days behind us he had anticipated being.
Lunch
Great Divide Bike Shop
After returning to the motel with the bikes we all crashed out and had a half hour nap, my muscles didn’t no what was going on. First no bike ride now midday sleeping, it was heaven. Later we returned to the Shamrock Brewing Company again for dinner, I ordered the Buffalo Burger this time expecting a gamey taste but it pretty much tasted like a normal burger. We sipped some more brews an talked about the trip so far, Tomorrow me an Terry will be splitting from Joe has he detours onto the western express trail whilst me and Terry head north on the TransAm. We have known this day was coming for a while but now it was happening and nobody could hide their dissapointment. I had considered the Western Express but decided against it, I’ve already seen that part of the country and I wanted to do the classic and originial Transamerica trail. Joe is pressed for time and really keen to go across Utah and Nevada so the Western Express was ideal as it is around 10 days shorter in riding.
A quick note about comments: I can’t tell you how much it makes my day to find fresh comments awaiting approval (I have to do that to avoid spam) after a long days slog. Especially from those people who I don’t even know, just because I’m cycling across a continent it doesn’t mean anybody should care, so I really appreciate it. Keep them coming and I will try to keep my end of the bargain by updating this thing, it tends to be a few days behind where I actually am.
We wheeled the bikes down to the Great Divide Bike Shop in Pueblo, and the staff greeted us the way bike shops always seem to greet cross-country tourers — fully booked and somehow accommodating anyway. Within minutes the mechanic had ours up on the stand and was already working. Joe and I left them to it and found a coffee shop with wifi, somewhere to sit still and catch the blog up on itself. We worked through smoothies and wraps until the call came that the bikes were fixed and ready. I rang Cooper to see how he was getting on. He was back on the trail after the wedding, just about to cross into Kansas — roughly the eight or nine days behind us he’d predicted.
Lunch.
Great Divide Bike Shop.
Back at the motel with two working bikes, we all fell into a half-hour nap, our muscles apparently confused by the sudden absence of pedaling — first no ride at all, then a midday sleep. Pure heaven. That evening we went back to the Shamrock Brewing Company, and I ordered the buffalo burger this time, half-expecting something gamey and getting, mostly, a very good regular burger. We drank a few more beers and talked through the trip so far, because tomorrow Terry and I would be splitting from Joe as he turned off onto the Western Express while we carried on north along the TransAm. We’d known this day was coming for a while, and now that it had arrived, nobody bothered hiding how much it stung. I’d thought about the Western Express myself and decided against it — I’d already seen that stretch of country, and wanted the classic, original Transamerica route for this ride. Joe, pressed for time and set on crossing Utah and Nevada, had the better reason: the Western Express would save him something like ten days.
A quick word on comments, while I’m here: I can’t tell you how much it lifts a hard day to come back and find fresh ones waiting for approval — I have to vet them myself to keep the spam out, but I read every one. Especially from people I’ve never met, who have no real reason to care that some stranger is cycling across a continent, but seem to anyway. Keep them coming, and I’ll try to keep my end of things by actually posting this stuff, even if it does tend to run a few days behind wherever I actually am.
3 comments from 2010
Ryan - I love this blog. I am still reading it daily. I was so relieved when Cooper was riding with other bikers. I hope he will find some new friends for the Rockies. I personally do not like mountain edges and therefore am very uptight when he is riding in them. Keep up the good ride and I am so proud of Americans and their helpfulness along this trip.
What is that strange fruit on your plate??
Sorry I haven't commented in a while bud, busy do with my fight coming up. Just letting you know i'm still loving the blog and haven't missed a post! Miss you lad! Modest Mouse when you get back :D