We have had great weather on this tour. Clear skies in the morning, and partly cloudy in the afternoon EVERY day, save for rain in the afternoon of our one off day. We have been very lucky to that extent.
Last night we stayed at the Delaware Hotel in Leadville. Karen and I had a room on the third floor, meaning we had to walk up two flights of stairs to our room, since there were no elevators. I have never been out of breath after walking two flights of stairs. Until now. You can really feel the difference in the oxygen level at 10,000 feet. And when sleeping, several times I woke up feeling the need to take a deep breath of air. Many in our group did not get a good night's sleep last night.
Today we cycled 69 miles to Snowmass. The first 15 miles were downhill with Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive to our right.
Then, we made a right hand turn and it was 23 miles uphill to Independence Pass. The climb was gradual at first and then steepened as we got closer to the summit. The road switchbacked several times and one could see where they had cycled an hour ago.
The summit was well above timberline and still had a significant amount of snow. Afterward, I rode the rest of the way with Margo and Tom, stopping for lunch in Aspen. The last several miles to the hotel involved an unexpected climb of over 1300 feet.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Colorado ride. We cycle from Snowmass to Glenwood Springs. Most everyone will stay at a hotel in Glenwood Springs and take a train back to Denver the following day. We will depart for Yellowstone National Park after the ride ends tomorrow. The time here has really flown by and it is sad to think only one day remains and soon it will be time to say good by to many ABB friends.
Today's ride: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/97543608
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