Category: Great Divide Route in Colorado & New Mexico – 2023

I forgot to mention that we met Laura, a fellow rider at Goldies Retreat by the River. She’s a freelance writer on outdoor/nature topics.

We thanked Goldie for her hospitality and rolled on down the road…well not so quick. Stephen … Read the rest

Natasha at the Elkhorn cafe in Chama said we would have to pay for bottled drinking water since the boiling restriction just ended yesterday. We also ate our breakfast on paper plates. My breakfast tacos were still delicious.

We rode … Read the rest

I noticed a woman in the “Higher Grounds Coffee Shop” wearing a ‘Goleta’ sweatshirt. Sure enough Betsy* graduated from Dos Pueblos High School. Another small world story.

We rode through all of town again on our way out of town. … Read the rest

After breakfast at Cafe Colorado, Stephen and I went on his first shopping visit to a Walmart. 500 shoes but none in his style and size. We got several other supplies and lounged around the hotel to rest.

Bob convinced … Read the rest

The sign at the top of Wolf Creek Pass said after it was first built, in the early 1900s it took a Model T about 2 days to get over it. That seems like a LONG time but I’m guessing … Read the rest

Don & Penny* at the table next to us in Boogies restaurant told us about their ride across America 12 years ago from California to Florida. He put in 90 mile days and she SAGged (support and gear) for him. … Read the rest

It seems quite common here to put your towns initial on the hillside. We rode by the “S” on our way out of town. We had a few hours before the wind started.

While stopped at a trailhead/rest stop we … Read the rest

We rode 48 miles from Salida to Seguache.

Heidi and her tiny dog Max were also early risers at the motel. We had our breakfast at the Little Red Hen Bakery. A bagel egg sandwich…mmm.

The wind started early as … Read the rest

We got my prescribed medicine for altitude sickness and nausea and went to breakfast downtown. Riverside Park was a good way to people watch for hours. On one walk back to our motel, we met a local electric meter reader … Read the rest

I try to stay away from hospitals but I got sick somehow. I think the windy day on dirt roads for 51 miles took a toll on me. I had stomach cramps and low energy on Saturday morning but I … Read the rest

We ate breakfast at the saloon in Hartsel. I had a dish called the “Choo Choo” because it was one pancake, one egg, and one strip of bacon. I guess it was two wheel shaped circles on top of a … Read the rest

We rode out of the mountain top and into the prairie-like flat lands. The town of Como looked like a ghost town but the signs and some of the buildings told a story of Italian immigrants that settled here in … Read the rest

Highway 9 was a rude/busy wakening but we did meet fellow cyclist Richard, from Maryland who joined us for a nice breakfast at Sunshine Cafe. Richard is younger and fitter than us but he was impressed with our peleton of … Read the rest

We saw another Tour Divide racer today. I dug deep to keep up with her enough to talk with her. Her name is Hannah and she’s from Austin Texas. I asked her if she knew my friend Dan. She did! … Read the rest

Apparently my racer friend Dan stopped by our campground while we were sleeping and left me a treat in my helmet. A coffee flavored Gu packet. He passed us and is near Del Norte already.

We decided to filter our … Read the rest