Bob entered Pueblo, Colorado on Saturday, August 9th!

July 3, 2003

As I said earlier, we took a rest on the 2nd. We started at about 7:30 in the morning for our McKenzie Pass climb. We started at about 1600 feet and had to climb to 5325 feet over 22 miles. The first couple miles were pleasant enough, but then it got steeper and steeper. Finally we hit the switchbacks about 2/3 of the way up. They were a little less hard. You can see this switchback was only maybe 50-60 feet in a few hundred yards. You can see a little bit of the switchback below the main one through the trees. About 2/3 of the way up, we hit some Lava Beds. Not sure that the picture brings out the sense of devastation. Several times the road cut through the lava and you could tell that it was at least 8 to 10 feet thick at that point. I'm pretty sure I don't want to get in the way of a live one. At last! We hit 5000 ft of elevation. Unfortunately, about a 1/2 mile further and the road heads down for awhile. ARGGGGGGHHHH!!!! All that effort lost! One final push and we're at the We hit top!!!!!!!!!! I think it's about 4:30 in the afternoon now. It was pretty cool and breezy up there. In fact my bike blew over. There was lookout area (that I don't seem to have a picture of) that you climbed up to. It pointed out the various mountains. I'm not sure at this point but I think that this is of two out of the three sisters, but it could be this one. I forget the downhill, but think it was about 15 miles. Almost no pedaling, but we did have to stop to let the rims cool. When we got to Sisters we checked in to the Sisters Motor Lodge, bought groceries, and went to a bar for supper. The captain got mad at the poor service there. But it really was a management fault. Only a single person to tend bar and wait on tables in a pretty crowded place.

Switchbacks Lava Beds Almost There? At the Top! Sisters? or Sisters?

He's hit Colorado!

Here's the text of Bob's email, sent today:

Well, I’ve finally made it to Colorado. Crossed over from Wyoming this
morning and am camped in the City Park of Walden. Things have been
somewhat lonely since my brother left and the other day I dropped and
ran over my CD/radio player so I guess I’ll have to get another.
Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons were very pretty and interesting, but
the remainder of Wyoming seems to consist of long stretches of range
with the occasional mountain thrown in for good measure. Head winds
also make for an interesting time. The thing I’ve missed is trees,
although now that I’m back up in altitude, the heat hasn’t been that
bad.

I’ve met some interesting people along the way (both bicyclists and
non-bicyclists). This morning I met a pair of Brits that were heading west
(boy were they in for a head wind) and had been on the road for 3
months. Today in Walden, I ran into a couple of local cyclists and we
had lunch together. For those of you I haven’t told, in Eastern Oregon
my brother and I ran into two guys that were running across the
country. They had all of their camping stuff packed into one of those
runner’s child strollers and took turns pushing it. They had left NJ
in February and should probably be done by now.

My odometer passed 2000 miles today, and while I sometimes get
discouraged, I’m still planning to do the whole thing. I think that by
the end of this week, I’ll be at the ½ waypoint with plenty of flat
ridding coming up in Kansas.

Well, that’s it for now; they’re getting ready to kick me off this
terminal. More as I find libraries.

Captain Bob

July 1, 2003

We made it to Belknap Hot Springs at the base of McKenzie Pass. As this was to be a climb to be feared we would take a rest day here before tackling the mountain. The place was pretty nice, except for the tent area. This was pretty typical. It appears that people actually seem to think that tenters like to pitch their tent in the mud, on rocks, etc. You can see here that our view is that of the resort's backhoe. On the other hand, maybe they have prior experience with the antics of bicyclists. The hot springs were a little weird. You actually got into a swimming pool that was fed from the springs. Getting in was a little like getting in the pool at your swim club. You might do it slowly and try to become acclimated to the cold water, or you might take the plunge. Same thing here only it was hot water. Skippy found where it was feeding into the pool. I think you could get scalded there.

Belknap Hot Springs Belknap Camp Site Why Bicyclists get crappy sites

I brought back a couple of CDs of pictures and thought I would go back to where they start. Although I'm home now, you might enjoy the show. My plan is to do two or three a week. Sit back and enjoy.