The Real Day 28 62 miles 3618 feet of climbing 11.5 ave

Durango, CO to McElmo Canyon, CO

Durango is one of those towns you would want to come back to some day. A bicycle friendly place that is also one of the USA's Great Mountain Bike hot spots. Many other sporting events originate here also.

As we were leaving the city Tim spotted what looked like a cycling trail along a River that had some serious rapids working. It was headed in the right direction so we jumped on it. As we rode the bike path we came across a kayak race course. The corse is marked by gates a kayaker would have to navigate his boat through while battling the rapids.

Then up river we spotted two kayakers preparing to do battle with the roaring current. We watched as they used every trick in the book to get through the boiling water and complete the turns through the gates. These guys are nuts! No way…no how was that for us we all agreed. Give me a spot on the Niantic River and a 4 foot striper any day.

We had a big hill to climb out of Durango and just at the crest we came upon two other cyclist carrying panniers (saddlebags) going in the opposite direction. We all stopped and asked where each was going. We immediately detected a French accent. The man and women I would guess their late 30’s were from France. They landed in Las Vegas a few weeks ago to cycle America. Their plan was to cycle to Chicago. We talked for a while exchanged information and went our separate ways.

Soon after that we experienced a mechanical problem. Joe had felt his hamstring tightening and decided his seat may be a tad low so he stopped to raise it. When he did the bolt snapped and was stuck in the seat post clamp. Now the seat would no longer stay up, down or straight. A roadside fix that included some hose clamps and vice grips worked fine. Over the years we have found mini hose clamps and vise grips able to fix most ills.

We proceeded to Cortez where we found a well-equipped bike shop. They had a new clamp and the fix was made.

Our day ended in McElmo Canyon just outside of Cortez. Here we are staying at a bed and breakfast Inn that has come nice cabins also. It is in the middle of an archaeological preserve. They have on display some of the pottery and other artifacts that have been found on the grounds. It was amazing to see what we were able to make so long ago.

The sun was bright all day and the temperature was in the low 70’s. Real good for riding. Our day had to end here due to the lack of sleep spots. The next one for us is about 115 miles away. That will be our goal for tomorrow.