Western Express Day #3 Maysville, CO to Sapinero, CO
Western Express Day #3
June 3, 2021
Maysville, CO to Sapinero, CO - 79 Miles
Start 7:12AM, Finish 6:02PM
Ride Time: 7:30
Ascent: 3396'
Descent: 4434'
Tour Total Miles: 194
Last night I went to bed early, while it was still light out. It was too cold to take a shower or linger at the picnic table. I slept for a good long time and was cold in my sleeping bag. I pretty much pushjed the bag’s thermal limit. For those keeping track, I was at level two today. It was a slow pack up, and I smeared aloe vera all over my burns. The tent fly was soaked from condensation and I had to travel with it underneath my rear pack. The climb began immediately. I neither ate lunch nor dinner yesterday. As my cycling friends know, I’m a camel. In addition, I had a COVID belly that I needed to slim. Starting a major climb on an empty stomach didn't bother me. I could always pull over to eat granola or cook myself a freeze-dried dinner.
The sun was blazing and I was wearing my cycling shorts, short-sleeve jersey, and sweater. My fingertips were cold. I was using my third from lowest gear as I entered San Isabel National Forest. A few miles up the road I stopped to remove my sweater. I smothered myself with sunscreen and took a few sips of oxygen and water. My right eye was burning from sunscreen so I rode with a closed eye. I could hear the motorists approaching from a quarter mile away. I had an eighteen inch wide shoulder, and my heart pounded as I climbed. Eventually I stopped to wipe my stinging eye with my bandana.
I rode through the town of Garfield, no population listed. Services had been indicated on my map. The shoulder was narrow and I kept slipping down into the sand. The fast moving motor traffic scared me. The pleasant gurgling sounds from a roaring stream came from the other side of the road. A chalet in Garfield was open but empty. There were no people nor food for sale. The snowmobile place was also closed. Outside of town I passed a fancy motorcycle parked on the highway. A well-dressed biker stood 100 feet ahead on the road. We greeted one another and he asked if I was going far. When I told him San Francisco he replied, “Good luck!”. Across the valley and up on a hill, I spotted a mine operation. Ostensibly they were mining lime.
I took a couple squirts of oxygen and gulps of water. I started taking breaks every half mile. It was only my third day on tour and this was a lot of climbing and altitude for a guy straight out of Brooklyn. A mile and a half before the summit a snow plow approached me from the other direction. Seriously? I was still 600 feet short of the 11,312' summit.
At the top of the pass there was a tourist store that sold souvenirs. A woman was cooking fresh roasted nuts, and I asked if there was anything healthy available. She cooked me a rather lousy bacon egg sandwich, which I purchased along with a Starbucks Frappuccino and orange juice. I was identified by another customer as “You’re that crazy biker!”. I met motorists Stephen and Theresa, from Missouri, who were driving to Fallon, Nevada. They told me about hot springs alongside the road near Eureka, NV. They were also following US 50 and said that the temperatures in Nevada were currently in the hundreds.
I was expecting a cold ride down from the pass so I put on my sweater, rain jacket, rain pants, and winter gloves. I flew down the mountain at 35 miles an hour, and it was a fun ride! I entered Gunnison National Forest and Saguache County, and was now riding alongside the Tomichi Creek. I entered the town of Sergeants, no population listed, and pulled over to remove my layers. In front of the gas station I met fellow cyclist Jeff, who was riding the ACA Great Divide Route south to north. Jeff originally hailed from Iowa City, IA and was now living in Denver teaching math at a Community College. He mentioned that he’d been cold at night and was trying to camp at lower elevations. He’s blogging on Crazy Guy at: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1mr&doc_id=23621&v=A5 and can also be followed on Instagram at: @business3000
I crossed over Dawson Creek and construction began on the eastbound lane, where it was being re-paved. It posed no problem for me. I was riding through an enormous valley with cattle grazing and scrub. After a few miles I crossed back in to Gunnison County. US 50 had a wide shoulder with rumble strips near the white line.
The next town was Doylesville, no population listed and no services. This was where are the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route intersected the Western Express Route from the south. I’d be back here next summer. I’ve been enjoying the trippy stereophonic chirps from Redwing blackbirds. I entered the town of Parlin, no population listed. There was a Post office and a commercial building with Bible verses posted out front.
I reached Gunnison, population 5854 and elevation 7,703', a little bit before 2 PM. It was time for some food and a couple pints of beer. I headed straight to High Alpine Brewery where I ordered several Anthracite Amber Ales along with a BBQ Pork Sandwich, a Beet & Goat Salad, Smoked Salmon Dip, and toast. I talked with the server about the construction west of Sapinero. She said that it really wasn’t so bad, which I believed. The stupid construction companies get their panties in a twist, and like to take out their anxieties on cyclists. After pedaling the Carreterra Austral in Chile I could say with confidence that I’ve cycled through the craziest construction sites known to mankind. The US 50 construction zone was only four miles long. If they gave me a hard time tomorrow I was planning to make a run for it. Ugh. This is what I had to deal with first thing tomorrow morning. When I left the brewery the sky was filled with billowy clouds. There were dark clouds to the west and to the south. Large electric road signs announced that US 50 was closed 28 miles ahead. I crossed over the Gunnison River which was relatively narrow at this point.
I pedaled west following the Gunnison River on the north side, and entered the Curecanti National Recreation Area. My original itinerary had called for me to spend the night here, but I wanted to camp as close to the construction site as possible so that I could get through the area during the 6:30-8:30AM open hours tomorrow morning.
I entered a nice little Canyon where fishermen angled the waters below. I was riding through the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway. After the intersection of State Highway 149 the Gunnison River opened up into Blue Mesa Reservoir. The sun was blazing and I probably should’ve put more sunscreen on my legs. The nasty storm system had shifted further to the south and was no longer posing a problem.
At Dylan Pinnacles I crossed the reservoir to the south side of the Gunnison River. The store in Sapinero was closed, which was fine but a couple cold beers would have been nice. I rode into a campground and the campsites were windy, so I continued down a gravel road and stealth camped. I used a bathroom outlet to charge my devices, and I had enough service to upload this report.
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