Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #13 Salida , CO to Hartsel, CO

Great Divide (NOBO) - Day #13

June 8, 2022

Salida, CO to Hartsel, CO - 52 Miles

Start 10:28 PM Finish 6:52 PM

Total Duration 8:23

Moving Time 5:51

Stopped Time 2:32

Ascent 4,390 Feet

Descent 2,823 Feet

Tour Total 940 Miles

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/92681165

I slept great last night on the floor at Hayduke’s Hideout in Salida. The birds woke me up early and bright light was streaming in through the window. I managed to roll over and get myself another pleasant dream. I finally got up at 7AM, and my stuff was strewn all over the place. I had been airing out my tent and my laundry was on a line strung across the room. My resupply packages had yet to be opened and all of my thirsty devices had spent the night sucking up juice. Pure Stoke had coffee brewing and it was a slow reorganization and pack-up. The through-hikers got a ride back to the trail as I was shaving. I was back at level one, all of my clothes were clean, and I was resupplied.

I rode over to Sub Culture Cyclery to have my rear wheel looked at. Several spokes were once again loose, and the wheel was out of true. They suspected the cause was the tire casing. While they were working on my bike, I walked over to the post office and mailed home my first two map sections, my extra earbuds, and my towel. I hadn’t used the towel once, as all of the hostels and hotels provided them. I walked over to Bunny and Clydes for breakfast, where I enjoyed a Clyde breakfast burrito along with an orange juice. Salida was a beautiful little town. I had mistakenly bypassed the town center last year on the Western Express when I stayed on the highway.

I picked up my bike and the mechanic mentioned that in addition to the rear wheel, something had been wrong with the derailer. He had lubed the chain and installed a new bottom bottle cage. I headed out of town on Chaffee County Road 175. I was now on map number four which would take me to Rawlins Wyoming. I enjoyed the ride up out of the valley, with an enormous snowcapped range was to the west.

It was a well-deserved late start. The sun was bright and I was wearing my arm covers, and was lathered with sunscreen. Just Right had a theory about sunscreen attracting dirt, but I needed to protect my skin. A long line of motorcycles were coming down the hill as I pedaled up, and most of them cheered me on. After a few miles the pavement ended and I was back on dirt. A day cyclist passed going up the hill.

I met south-bounders Dylan and Sarah from Bozeman Montana, who were doing a big mountain loop that involved part of the divide. They had cycled the Great Divide last summer, and confirmed that there was snow up north. They had to walk through five miles of it north of Steamboat. They had spent last night in Hartsel and said that I could sleep behind the bar. However, they warned me about a raccoon.

I entered San Isabel National Forest. The climb continued amongst dried grass and scrubby bushes. To the west was an incredible snow-capped range. I couldn’t believe the amazing vista as I kept climbing. Eventually I rounded a bend and went around the ridge. I lost my beautiful view and kept climbing. I finally reached the top of the pass and entered Fremont County. I was now on County Road 2.

I had a nice downhill on smooth dirt. I pulled over to let a jeep pass and they asked me if the road led back to civilization. I told them that it would eventually get them to Hartsel. I was riding through a high plain and came to County Road 1B, and then took a left towards Hartsel. I stopped for a water break and realized that my lower water bottle was gone. The new bottle cage had worked for only twenty miles, whereas the old broken one, jury-rigged with plastic rope, had worked for eight hundred miles. I realize the vulnerability of the bottom cage underneath the down tube and the weight and volume of the bottle in regard to the bumps. I was going to need a strap for the replacement bottle.

I came to a beautiful area of bald rounded land. It was mesmerizing to watch the cloud shadows glide over them. This area was called Long Gulch. I passed a Winnebago and a pile of furniture sitting out in the middle of nowhere. It was straight out of Breaking Bad.

I kept pedaling the endless twisty turvy alpine pastures. It was 5:15 PM and almost beer o’clock. I needed the endless to end soon. And then I suffered a long section of washboards. And then I got a headwind with extreme washboards. It was now after 6 PM and the bar in Hartsel would be closing at 8 PM.

Apple engineers please consider cyclists in regard to your iPhone software. The facial recognition unlock should work at an angle. We’ve got to keep our eyes on the road. We should be able to dictate with one swipe - not half a dozen. Why can’t the dictation software learn vocabulary from the user? I dictate the same things day after day, and your interpretations are straight out of pop culture and business school. Finally, we go over a lot of bumps. Is there a way to turn off the shake to undo feature? Come on Tim Cook! It’s maddening. I swear that (fingers crossed it never happens) if I’m ever involved in an accident, it will be because of my handlebar mounted maddening iPhone.

It was 6:27 PM and I finally had a downhill. My toes were cramping, which was extremely painful. I could see State Highway 9 from two miles away. I finally reached it and took a left towards Hartsel. I turned on my rear flashing light and had a twelve inch shoulder. I had been on this section of road when I did the Trans Am in 2018. I saw a sign for Guffey 26 miles to the south. I had fond memories of local Guffy eccentric Bill.

I arrived in Hartsel and headed to Badger Basin for a six pack of beer and a bag of ice. Strangely the beer had to be purchased from a separate building. I then went to the Highline Cafe & Saloon. Out front was a cyclist doing the Trans Am westbound. It was his 39th day on the road. I settled at a table inside next to the busy pool table. All of the beer on tap was from Soulcraft Brewing in Salida. I drank pints of the X Ray IPA, the Cherry Lime Haze, and the Green Chili Ale. To eat I ordered the Gold Medal Buffalo with fries. I attempted to edit this report, but the place got hopping and divide cyclists Joe and Justin showed up. We closed the place down late and then set up camp in the backyard. We stayed up drinking my six pack at a picnic table and recanted our divide stories.