April 11 - Rest day in Durango, Colorado
We spent a day resting in Durango Colorado in anticipation of climbing over the Rockies . Our bodies needed some care after 7 days of wind and cold. We went in search of a massage. We found Darsi Olson, C.M.T. We share with Darsi the purpose of our journey spreading a message of Peace, Youth and Environment. To our surprise, Daris has been on a similar path spreading a message of maintaining a sustainable environment that will nurture us and our children. Her message was developed over four years of listening to and watching the signs she received from nature. Her message is addressed to To All The People of the World and is entitled In Honor of the Children. See the photograph of her message.
The rest of the day was spent working on the bikes and feeding the body with calories for the coming climb over the Rocky Mountains.
April 12 - Durango to Pagosa Springs, Colorado
We woke to a clear crisp high mountain valley morning. The sun was shining and the weather forecast was for a clear windless day. We were anxious to get back on the bikes for the climb up to Pagosa Springs. Allan Anopol, our producer for the documentary, asked if we could get Darsi Olson to share her message on camera. Marc called Darsi and she graciously agreed. We met down by the river and filmed her singing her message.
The start of the ride out of Durango was a bit scary due to construction on the shoulders of the road. After a few miles, the country opened up and the road turned east towards Pagosa Springs. The terrain was rolling with gentle climbs and some fast down hill sections. The continental divide could be seen from the tops of the hill sections. It looked high and snowy. The miles passed by quickly and we covered the 60 miles to Pagosa Springs in a little over 3.5 hours. Pagosa Springs is known for its hot springs and we had to indulge our tired bodies. Tomorrow we face the climb up and over Wolf Creek Pass.
April 13 - Pagosa Springs to Alamosa
This fine day began by crossing the Continental Divide. It's about a 20 mile climb to the summit. On the way up we were entertained by Canadian geese and wild turkeys. Descending the back side of the divide is fast and smooth. There are many cascading water falls pouring up to two hundred feet from the top of a continuous curtain of pink granite cliffs. We met 25 students in the town of Monte Vista. We tried to explain the importance of message of Peace, Youth and the Environment to them. Their attention span was fairly short, being ages 8 to 12. So, we did what anyone would do to win them over—we broke out the Twix candy bars. We said goodbye and peddled on to Alamosa for the night.
April 14 - Alamosa to Walsenburg (was supposed to be a rest day - they will take a rest day April 18)
Alamosa to Walsenburg is about 70 miles. There is one big climb over La Veta Pass. This pass is a branch off of the Continental Divide. Jeff tricked me yesterday when he urged me up Wolf Creek Pass by assuring me we were reaching the last big hill and it would be all down hill to the Mississippi River. Oh well. The wind was in our backs to day. It was so strong that we peddled at 25 mph while climbing La Veta Pass. We were in Walsenburg two hours sooner than expected. The locals in Walsenburg tell us that the town used to be a hustling coal mining town. The mines have long since closed down, and the town is very quiet now. Marc picked up an ugly rubber toy green scorpion. He's on the bike rack now and is along for the rest of the ride. We will send pictures and hope someone will help us name him—we will watch for emails.
April 15 - Walsenburg to La Junta, Colorado
The day began with a meeting with 4 kids from Walsenburg Middle School. They attend school Monday through Thursday. So, it was a tribute to us that they would take time out of their free day to meet us early in the morning to send us off. After talking with the kids, the Walsenburg Police gave us a police escort out of town, with patrol car lights flashing. They loved the Mayor's mission.
The ride from Walsenburg to La Junta covered about 73 miles. Vast open space is the best way to describe the ride. The road was straight as an arrow a lot of the time. This is a taste of what we can expect in Kansas.
April 16 - La Junta to Lamar, Colorado
Today was a short day, only 56 miles, which followed along the Santa Fe Historic trail. The wind was at our backs and the miles went by quickly. We crossed the Arkansas River early in the morning outside of Las Animas. We stopped in the small town of Hasty for a chat with some local farmers that gather every Saturday morning to shoot the breeze.
We arrived in Lamar just after noon. We are staying in the Cow Palace Inn. Lamar is an old cattle town. Tomorrow we have a long day of over 100 miles with winds and thunderstorms projected for the afternoon. Our destination is Garden City, Kansas .
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