chair and a beer

evidently, i looked like i could use a chair and a beer when i arrived at the upper dome reservoir, because that is exactly what my newest neighbors, john and mary, brought me.

it was a long day, given the climb up and over marshall pass,; one of those monotonous, watch your front tire climbs that seems to take forever, but which only took a couple hours for a rider in “old man mode.”

i ran into scott at the tomichi creek trading post and he had opted to stay there for the evening to regroup. allen and susan laid-over in salida and group independence is on full display.

i stayed at the upper dome reservoir and besides john and mary, met mike and sandy. mike is in his 80’s was born and raised in tomichi creek and still lives there, though he “doesn’t like what’s happening there or the rest of colorado .”

unwilling to tip the bucket of conversation, my curiosity of his took a noted leave of absence at that point.

after leaving upper dome, i climbed up and over carnero pass, yet another pass over 10,000 feet and the prelude for a long descent into la garita and from there, my destination for the evening, del norte.

i arrived at the restaurant/store in la garita about a half-hour after the restaurant closed and 5 minutes before the store closed. still, they made me a huge sandwich and i loaded up on chips and beverages and enjoyed my meal at a table in front of the store.

while there and before entering yet another food coma, i noticed the winds were especially potent and from the south, which was the direction of del norte.

i was tired and really looking for a bail-out option, but del norte was only 18-miles away and the town opened its park on the rio grande river to bikepackers.

lotta dust and people seemed to be in a hurry, but the divide turn-off into “elephant rocks” greeted me with steady 20 mph winds. i paused, looked at my navigation and opted for a more straight line entrance to del norte, along county roads.

good choice.

i arrived at the park with plenty of daylight and found a spot tucked away from debris and detritus of thoughtless human existence and called another place on the gdmbr home for the night.