Days 21-24 From Montrose to Denver, CO

We're in Denver Colorado now having crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass on Thursday. When we left Montrose, we headed out to Gunnison. Scott, the realtor who hooked us up with the great condos in Telluride rode with us again & continued to serve as a local expert & guide to the terrain.

The thing I forgot to tell you about Montrose.... we stayed at a church that had great space & showers. More importantly though, there was a shopping center within walking distance. I enjoyed a guilt-free Stone Cold Creamery milkshake & went shopping with Branden, Stephen & Darrick to places like Walmart & Sports Authority. Shopping at Walmart. Now, there's a treat! Seriously.

In Gunnison, we stayed at Western State University of Colorado. We enjoyed having actual mattresses in the dorm rooms. We tried & failed to find the "big tacos" they were supposedly making for an Earth Day celebration. Nonetheless, we had a great dinner at a local pub.

Leaving Gunnison, we started the day with a gentle, consistent climb that culminated in a 9 mile launch from 7000 ft to 11,312 feet at Monarch Pass. Here are 2 pictures, 1 with Stephen & me & another of me alone. Hey, it's my blog.

And just as a comparison, here's the photo I used in 1 of my 1st entries that shows the same spot during last year's R4WH.
Hmmm, I wanted to show you the lack of snow compared to our trip, but look closely.... it's a different sign altogether!


To fully disclose, I have an admission that I must reluctantly make.... I did not complete this climb. I made it to within 4-5 miles of the top before racking my bike & getting in the van. I can note several reasons/excuses/pains/injuries for this, but the bottom line remains. I didn't make it to the highest point of our trip & that sorta saddens me. Happily, though, nearly all of our team's riders DID make the painful climb & reached the summit. In typical R4WH team fashion, all my friends here have been fully supportive & helpful regardless of mine or anyone's daily issues. Thanks, guys!

That afternoon, I joined about 1/2 the team as Clare & Farhaad presented a lecture to a Denver Rotary club. R4WH is a life experience like no other. I had breakfast in the cold morning air in Gunnison & lunch at a swanky country club in Denver. The members there were engaged & interested in us, our journey, our mission & our message of world health disparities. They were also very generous, buying t-shirts, bike raffles & simply making donations.

On to Denver itself. We're staying at a senior citizen day care center & loving it. We have showers & laundry. They're feeding us & feeding us well. We are sleeping on cots & have sheets, towels, pillows & blankets instead of hard floors, Thermarest pads & sleeping bags.

Today we had our 1st Solidarity ride in Colorado Springs. It was a 20 mile route that was well attended by 1 rider from the community & several team riders. It was a cold & often rainy ride that I still enjoyed. It gave me the chance to stretch out & test my sore leg. I felt pretty good & was able to put a few miles in & prove that I am recovering well at this point.

Tomorrow is a real "day off" with no planned activities. I hope to sleep in some & just relax in Denver for the day. On Monday, we'll be 1/2 way through the trip as we head to Ordway, CO & then leave Colorado & enter Kansas on Tuesday.