Twin Lakes

This ride was only 54 miles. I had an epiphany as everyone was putting on their leg and arm warmers - we're not in the hottest region of the United States anymore. We survived 105 degree days, several series of 80+ mile long days, dogs chasing us down the street, and the unforgiving wind and terrain of the south (looking at you, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas). Some of our toughest days may be over, and now we have a month left together. The mileage is actually a bit shorter in the second half of the trip, and we're in a more mild climate with breathtaking scenery. What I'm saying is, we're all better cyclists and friends by now, and we can just enjoy the rides.

Ethan had described this ride as stellar, and really easy. Well there were some climbs, but that just meant an incredible mountain descent through a pass. I've gotten much better at easing off of the brakes, and allowing by bike to reach higher speeds. In my experience as an urban cyclist, the bottom of every hill is a turn, intersection, or red light, so I haven't been comfortable with really gaining momentum until this trip.

Most of us stopped in Buena Vista for coffee. This is another town that loves the outdoors. I stopped at a bike shop for more spare tubes, a better pair of cycling gloves, and splurged on a belt that was made from a tire. It's pretty cool going into an all-dude bike shop, and knowing what I'm talking about with cycling stuff, but that's for another post. I was having trouble with my back tire, as there seemed to be a slow leak in the tube. Travis found lots of pebbles in the outside of the tire, and Kevin found bits of staples in the inside of it. This slow leak was costing me money, stressing me out, wasting my time as I kept re-inflating it, and took extra energy to bike on. I got it figured out though, and had no flats or slow leaks the next day!

Our host site was a dance hall in the tiny town of Twin Lakes. We biked through a couple towns whose economy seemed to rely entirely on tourists rafting the upper Arkansas River. The funny thing is that a few weeks ago I rode back and forth crossing over the Arkansas River like seven times while in Arkansas. It was wide and polluted then, and now weeks later I see upstream is a clear bubbling creek. Anyway, Twin Lakes was a tiny town situated at the bottom of Independence Pass.

It seemed like the entire population of Twin Lakes, all 20 people, helped the team out. People shuttled us in their cars to shower in their homes. Emma and I rode in Dixie's car to her beautiful log cabin in the woods. Then there was a potluck and barbecue for us. We had a family meeting outside during sunset, and the whole team felt more bonded afterwards. During the meeting, I had an overwhelming sense of deja vu, like I was supposed to be there. I found the best spot in the very small dance hall to sleep - on top of a table. It was too cold for me to sleep outside, though the stars were still majestic to see.