All Over the Map

Day 294
Time: An Hour or So
Avg Speed: Single
Terrain: Dry Plains of Denver

About two months ago we published a blog entitled, “Ready or Not China, Here We Come”. Now after protests, an earthquake, major flooding, and the Olympics, we’ve decided that China is ready and we’re not. We can give you the list of reasons, but it basically boils down to one thing; we just didn’t have a good feeling about it.

So, where does that leave us? Well, it gives us more time in Europe. We have new tickets booked and we leave on August 5th. Where are we going? Well, we decided to have a little fun with you all on that one. In the spirit of the Today Show and their “Where in the World is Matt Lauer” segment, we will be keeping our destination a secret until we arrive. We’ll be sure to drop some hints and clues in upcoming blogs.
Here’s the first clue: we plan to ride from east to west.

Happy Monday,
LK

Ready or Not China, Here We Come…

Day 230
Bluesky Trail to Coyote Ridge
Time: 2:45:00
Distance: +/- 20 miles
Avg Speed: Slow
Terrain: Ancient Sea Beds
Location: Fort Collins

Another day, another singlespeed ride. We had another epic and this time it was accidental. Three plus hours and one flat tire later we arrived back in town. Our route took us south of the cuty and we combined the Blue Sky Trail with Coyote Ridge Natural Area. We underestimated the distance a bit, but it was all training and the extra miles will help us this summer.
Now for the exciting news (drum roll please)…
Our passports have returned and we are now the proud owners of Chinese visas. It was really anticlimactic since we employed a visa service. It was definitely worth the few extra dollars to have the experts work through the process.
We’re scheduled to travel to Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan Province, at the end of July. All of our summer riding should pay off since this part of Southwest China is home to some high elevations and hilly terrain. In addition, we’ll be looking forward to the cultural diversity as the Yunnan is home to over 50% of China’s ethnic minorities. All in all, we are very excited for the next phase of our international adventure.
LK

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