Day 51: Cañon City, CO to Currant Creek (Schechter) Hostel, CO (37 miles, 2383 total)

Hello elevation! Today we traveled 37 miles from around 5300 feet to 8750 feet and we sure felt it. Even at 5300 feet, the altitude had an affect on us. The burning muscle feeling comes much earlier and our breath feels short and shallow. Along with that, the climate has become very dry.

We left Cañon City by about 7 and biked the rest of the way through town. Cañon City is very proud of their prison and welcomes tourists to visit their prison museum across the street from the real deal. We also learned that prison guards are not fond of waving. Not fond at all.

About ten miles out of town we came across a roadside campground and cafe and decided to swing by to fill up our water bottles. The dry climate had already taxed our supply considerably, even after only 10 miles.

After filling up, we learned from the owner that Paul and Annemieke (the young dutch couple from before our week off) had stayed there and just left this morning. He also said that Valentine and Jos had been there too. We stepped outside and walked over to investigate some horses. That's when I caught a glimpse of Sid's yellow shirt out of the corner of my eye. We hadn't seen Sid since Pittsburg, and it was fun to see him again. It turns out he had stayed there too.

While catching up with Sid, we spotted Dale passing by. It took some shouting, but we got him to see us. Minutes after that, Valentine and Jos popped out of their cabin. It was like a big bicyclist reunion!

After a lot of gabbing, AK and I decided we best get going to avoid the heat and the wind and thunderstorms that so commonly arrive here in summer afternoons.

Up and up we went, with Sid not too far behind us. The climbing was not terribly steep but it was very constant. Regardless of the fact that the climbing was not very steep, it was still tough due to the ever increasing elevation. Although, so far it is better than the Appalachians because at least every steep climb is not followed by a steep descent and another steep climb.

We passed a field with llamas and bison wandering together and we stopped to watch. Each had a few young ones wandering around with them and the llamas responded to whistling with the utmost curiosity.

The climbing continued and the dryness demanded more and more water of us. We stopped to chat with some eastbounders and learned we did not have far to go to our destination for the night.

Just after mile marker 24 on route 9, we were told to look for the hostel. At that point, I was busy looking up and was greeted by Paul and Annemieke waving from the hillside. We hadn't seen them since Pittsburg as well and we were excited to catch up.

Just as soon as I made it up the hill and greeted Paul and Annemieke, Warren, the owner, stepped out to welcome us. It turns out that he has owned this beautiful piece of land complete with majestic views since the early 70's. He built all of the buildings himself and has been offering a place for cyclists since day one of the TransAm Trail. He offers camping for 5 bucks and cozy bunkhouses for 10. He has raised kids here and now keeps five dogs and a few cats. One of the cats is named Katmandu and she likes to roll in the dirt. Never in the mood to pack the tent, we opted for the bunkhouse.

A short time later, Sid arrived and the old crew was almost complete; we just were waiting on Dale. It is fun having cycling buddies!

Since arriving the wind has increased and the temperature has dropped considerably. For the first time in weeks we have busted out our long sleeves and long pants.

It is about dinner time so we need to get to cooking. We are still waiting on Dale. It turns out that he decided to stop by the Royal Gorge to check it out, and plans to arrive later. We opted to skip it since we will have time to see it once we move to Colorado.

We are glad to have decided to take it easy for the weekend of the Fourth. It is important to take time to adjust to the elevation. Warren was telling us that many cyclists arrive here hurting with altitude sickness. None for us please.

Anyway, it has been really interesting to not only see the transformation of landscapes across the country, but the people and cultures as well. I think seeing these transformations by bicycle only amplifies the changes too. We just get exposed to so many more people and forms of nature than those riding in a horseless carriage.

I hope this journal has been inspiring a few readers to consider making this trip someday too. It has been really fantastic, and I know we are going to miss it as soon as we stop. I know other readers just think we're nuts.

Jeff

From AK - we lost cell phone coverage just outside of Cañon City and, as a result, we never got the chance to meet up with Matt and Alecia. I was really disappointed and kept watching the road for Matt's big truck in case they passed by. That is one of the hard parts of not knowing exactly where you're going in a day. I hope they didn't look around for us too long!