Living it up a mile high

Hey all. Jeff Jenks here. We are currently kicking back in Denver, Colorado after an epic week with some really great rides!

We left Telluride, Colorado on Tuesday. Although it was a bit tough leaving the posh living quarters that we had called home for two days, the ride out of Telluride brightened the mood. We had a really good descent at first, and the rest of the ride was relatively flat and a nice ride.

We made it into Montrose, Colorado relatively early, with enough time to hit up Coldstone for some ice cream before dinner.  After dinner some of us went up to Black Canyon National Park, which had some amazing views of the canyons below. Unfortunately I left my camera back at the school, so have no pictures to show for the trip.

The next morning I was on support. The riders woke up to "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2, and had a breakfast consisting of cold cereal, scrambled eggs, pineapple chunks, and hot oatmeal (Yum!).

The beginning of the ride looked to be a bit tough, with two pretty steep ascents at the very beginning. The rest of the day looked to be relatively downhill, with some nasty crosswinds to contend with at a couple points.

I mailed a postcard along the way in a town with a population of 4. Yes 4 people. I could literally throw a baseball from the "entering" sign to the "leaving" sign of that town.

That evening we stayed in Gunnison, Colorado at Western State College. We pretty-much had the entire top floor of the Student Union to ourselves. Many of us went out to dinner for burgers, and were lulled to sleep by some freestyle rapping at Western College not far from our sleeping quarters.

We woke up early the next morning in an attempt to get an early jump on a 90 mile day. The morning was a bit chilly, but most of us quickly warmed up on our bikes. We rode about 25 miles to the first rest stop, which averaged out to be a slight climb. We rode another 5 miles, than began an 8 or 9 mile ascent to the top of Monarch Pass, which at 11,312 feet is the highest point on our trip. We climbed about 3000 ft over those 9 miles - it was challenging but fun and well worth it at the top.

We were awarded with lunch at the top of the pass, and a quick descent which I took painfully slow. At the bottom it warmed up about 30 degrees, and we shed most of our heavy clothing.

The rest of the day was a beautiful ride through Colorado along a winding river, and we ended up at a high school in Cotopaxi, CO. Dinner was great, with Team D coming through with a terrific pasta meal that managed to fill everyone up.  We were a bit surprised that Ryan did not go back for a third helping, but than he admitted that he had hit up some fast food a couple hours earlier.

Yesterday we woke up early and had a great ride to the first rest stop. There were plenty of wildlife afoot, and the entire first part of the ride was framed by the snow-capped Rockies in the distance. After the first rest stop the group split in half and some of us drove to Denver to attend an educational event at a Rotary Club.

Last night we had Journal Club, where we talked about a Paul Farmer article, which was very exciting for me! The group was also kind enough to buy a chocolate cake for my 30 birthday, which was delicious. Thanks everybody!

This morning was another early wake-up. We drove back down to Colorado Springs for our first Solidarity Ride. It was a bit damp and chilly, but the ride ended up being a great success.

Tomorrow is an off day, and Monday we drive back down to Pueblo and ride to Eads, Colorado.

Unfortunately, there have been some recent challenges to overcome.  Yesterday an anonymous tip led the Recycling Committee to find two Coke cans in the garbage, far from the confines of the recycling bag which they belong. 

The Recycling Commitee quickly convened (Renee- President, Jeff- Vice President, Leah - Enforcer) and quickly issued an edict declaring that all recyclable items must be put in the correct recepticles.  No names will be named, but it appears that two riders may be rebel insurgents and planning to overthrow The Commitee.  There has been some complaints that democracy has been sacrificed during this crisis, but The Commitee feels that this is a time where some liberties must be sacrificed for the common good.  They insurgents will be dealt with harshly.

In all seriousness, we are having a good time and enjoying the rides and company of eachother.  Keep following the blog and take care everyone!