Another state but not without some serious effort >:-0

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Day 19: Monticello, UT to Dolores, CO

Total Miles: 61 (1267.8mi total)


Talk about hard work. We actually managed to get a great place to stay last night near the local cafe and it was a windy night. We got free breakfast at the Comfort Inn because the girl working there was supportive of our ride and let us have it; that was nice of her. Daniel decided to stick around town and get some things done while me and Jess headed off towards Dolores, CO and maybe beyond. Well, beyond never happened. We managed the first 18 miles or so on a sub-par road but nothing all that bad in terms of weather. And then it started to blow and man it blew hard. The remainder of the day had us fighting sustained 20+mph headwinds which made the 61 mile ride to Dolores almost impossible. Along the way we met up with our on-again-off-again traveling companions Randy and Scott. The first time we saw them they were waiting out the wind at the post office and then they were seeking shelter at a random farmhouse along the road. That second time we were dealing with not only the wind but also chip-sealing (that of course is pure tar on a road bed that is then covered with gravel to make it next to useless for riding a bike. After this demoralizing day we were finally inching our way towards Dolores and right then it looked like it was going to pour rain and storm on us. Jess and I decided to really crank hard and get to town before the storm started and we did just that. We had initially wanted to ride further but the wind was not cooperating and so we finally decided to get a hotel room for the second time this trip and it was well worth it. The bed was so comfortable we could have slept forever and it was nice to be out of the weather for the night. Scott and Randy stayed in the room next to ours and we all got to hang out and watch episodes of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air for a while and cook some great dinner. We're really enjoying their company. It was an excellent end to a rather trying and difficult day. Tomorrow we hope for better weather and good winds, but you never know.

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