Day 289: Buena Vista to Fairplay

Time: 3:54:45
Distance: 37.05 miles
Avg Speed: 9.4 mph
Terrain: hillier than expected

We got up early in Buena Vista this morning. Our goal was to get rolling early so we could load up on calories at the local café on the way out of town. Bongo Billy’s café didn’t disappoint with a good breakfast burrito, great scone and strong coffee. We slowly got out of town and decided to stop right by the prison for a photo op of Mt. Princeton. We then got on the road for the 14 mile climb up Trout Creek Pass. The climb went by quite smoothly and it was only disrupted by some conversion van that decided to buzz us. If I had written the plate numbers down they would be getting a visit from the Highway Patrol (yes it was that bad). I don’t think that people realize what would happen if they actually made contact with a cyclist (picture bug on a windshield). Leslie and I both have a deal with each other that if either one of us get hit, the other is to sue, sue, sue.
On a happier note, we finished up our Colorado tour today and Leslie’s dad was kind enough to meet us in Fairplay for a celebratory Subway sandwich before hauling our sore butts back down to Denver. It was nice to not have to run the gauntlet on Hwy. 285 any further. Leslie and I were both a little melancholy as we rolled the last mile to the meeting place. We were both excited to have done a tour like we did, but were sad that we had to move on to other things. We all piled in the truck after mowing down a couple of $5 foot longs. The ride to Denver went quickly since there wasn’t any traffic to speak of. We even made a pit stop at Coney Island for an ice cream on our way through Bailey. If you haven’t seen Coney Island, it is the giant hot dog shaped stand on the side of the road. It had resided in Aspen Park for 40 years before being loaded on a truck and hauled to its existing resting place further up the road. It was a nice way to cap off the trip with a little bit of old school Colorado.
We can now unwind our bodies and dry and unpack our camping gear before wrapping our minds around the next step.
Did I mention that Colorado is the best place out there? It is.
CK