Day 3

Friday, 15 Jun 2012
  Limon, CO to Eads, CO
83.7 miles, 6h06m, 13.7 mph
Elapsed Time: 7h05m, Max speed: 27.1mph
Total Climbing: 1320ft, Max elevation: 5427ft
Total mileage: 184.5


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        DeLorme. Topo USA. Data copyright of content owner.



The wind was supposed to come out of the southeast. Since I was heading southeast, I decided to get an early start. Maybe the wind wouldn't kick up until, like 9 or so. As it turned out, the wind didn't kick up until about 11. And I'd covered over 60 miles by then. As you can tell by the profile, today was pretty much all downhill. Except at the end when the wind was in my face.
 

All the pictures pretty much look like this.
Nice road. Great shoulder. Lots of trucks.


Today's moment of high excitement. The first oil well of the trip.


This road went straight for about 30 miles.


I would have totally missed this turn if it wasn't for that sign.

Since the road was nice, I diverted myself by listening to podcasts and music and podcasts. Then music. And more. Much better than yesterday when the same song was in my head all day. Linda drove all day with no music, because there were no radio stations in range.


Linda stapped this action photo of me as I cruised through Wild Horse, which is basically a post office and some ruins.


Not so many hills today.

We stopped for lunch in Kit Carson, at the only restaurant in town (which was good). Then I turned south toward Eads..and directly into the wind. Over the first 60 miles I averaged almost 15mph. The last 20 miles dropped my average to 13.7. It was brutal.

We checked in to the only motel in Eads, and set off to the local national park.


It's the only national park on US soil that memorializes a military atrocity.

The ranger met us at our car and told us the whole story about the cavalry massacre of the Arapaho and Cheyenne in 1864 at this place. Pretty sordid. Even after all these years nobody is really sure why it happened-at least that's what the ranger said.




I was planning to ride to Holly, CO tomorrow, where they have an awesome little motel. But I just found out it is booked. So, I'll be riding to Lamar, and then east toward Holly--or as far as I feel like going. Then Linda will drive me back to a motel in Lamar...and back to Holly or wherever in the morning. That's what I get for waiting to make reservations. Good thing Linda is here or I'd be sleeping in an abandoned farmhouse.


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"Great Plains Tour 2012" Copyright © 2012 By Bob Clemons. All rights reserved.