Lakes to Mountains Tour

Not the Only Biker Dude

Mon May 12: North Platte NE to Julesburg CO: 83 miles; sunny, side- or tail-wind, 73; 8:40 CDT-3:30 MDT.
Early in the day I passed another cyclist heading west on US30. He had no load, just a local out for a day ride. An hour late, a different tale unfolded.
As I rolled along after my second stop, I saw the biker approach from the west. As he neared, I noticed his recumbent bike overloaded with panniers, so I crossed the highway for a chat. Sid had started in southern California weeks ago, and had endured windstorms and hail on his way across Arizona and New Mexico. He had retired from law enforcement (though he did consulting work from libraries along the way), and was enjoying his first bike tour ever. He aimed for Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula before heading south through Michigan.
'Twas a nice day to ride - for the most part, I enjoyed a tailwind. The first half hour after lunch, I averaged 19.5 mph! At one point, the road left the river, climbing for five miles through the sand hills, followed by a 39 mph descent back to the South Platte. With the time change, I gained an extra hour, getting me into Julesburg early enough (3:30) to stop at the school and meet my night's host.
Chris and Marina Draney continued the long line of wonderful folks who put me up (or put up with me?). Chris and I traded stories of adventures, and talked about kayak trips on rivers (he'd built his own 18-foot kayak). The conversations got me dreaming about trying to do a water-based spring tour...

posted by Glen @ 7:15 AM