Day 27: On the Road Again...

Day 27 - 6/11/08
Start - Del Norte, COEnd - Ludder Creek
Mileage - 62 miles
As Willie Nelson would say it- we're "on the road again". It feels great to be out here and kicking it in the mountains. I was afraid I was going to have to wait around for my damn panniers, but during dinner a little elf from FedEx made a special delivery from Santa Claus. As I ripped into the box like a 6 year old expecting a Red Ryder BB gun, my heart skipped a beat when the torn wrapping exposed the word pannier! An amazing moment in my meager life. So with the gear in order, we were ready to roll out this morning. We made it out of Del Norte around 9:30am after having a nice breakfast with Gary and Patti and saying our goodbyes for their amazing hospitality and kindness. They are a very special part of the trail community and we were very lucky to get to know them a little. We might even get to see them again in Salida this weekend. Who knows? Once leaving Del Norte, we were granted with an awesome tailwind heading northeast and ripped out the first 25 miles in no time. Of course we then turned west our blessing turned into Beezlebub reincarnate. I've never had to pedal on a downhill to just maintain 6 miles per hour. Hellacious winds. The winds persisted a bit longer until we got into the coverage of the mountains a little. We were then looking at a 1700 foot climb to reach Cochetopa pass at 10,066 feet. Out of water and feeling the 5 days of gorging and laziness, we pedaled on. Eventually we stopped at Ludder Creek Campground at 10,074 feet with perfect spring nearby, probably the best water source of the trip. As you can imagine, sleeping over 10,000 feet tends to be rather chilly and I am wearing just about all the clothes I have. In exchange, the air is fresh, water clean, and the view amazing. Wouldn't ask for anything else. We've got two more days to reach Salida and they shouldn't be that bad. Marshall Pass at 10,800 feet will be the kicker, especially if it is still socked in with snow. We will see. Time to get in the bag and warm up a little bit. Until tomorrow. ~Stewie