Hello, It has been a little over a week since we completed our cross country journey and now that we have had some time to relax and spend some time with our families. It is time to put down my thoughts before I forget them.
First I will start off with the statistics:
3050 miles covered in 33 days (average of 92 miles(150 KM) a day)
81,614 ft (~24, 500 Meters) of climbing
Average Speed 12.8 MPH (20 KMH)
30 days riding + 3 days rest
240 hours pedaling. (8 hours a day)
13 – flat tires (Petr – 2, Robert – 11)
1- tire completely wore through (Robert)
1 – broken chain (Petr)
1- broken Pedal (Petr)
2- bottles of sunscreen
1 – Dog bite
many gallons of warm Gatorade (FYI: Lemon-Lime is the only one palatable when it is warm)
3 stops at bikes shops for general Maintenance (truing wheels, checking brakes , replacing chains, etc.)
Overall the trip went without any problems that could not be quickly solved on the road.
I would like to give special thanks to the following people for all their help along the way: Chronological Order kinda of Petr: I cannot think of a better travel partner we had laughs everyday even through really low points on the trip. Without you this trip would have never had happened and “next time” not so much gear one shirt, one pair of shorts, one pair of socks is more than enough right? So how about Arctic Circle to Gibraltar next summer.
Granny and Paw Paw: Thank you very much for all you help before during and after our journey Fantastic home cooked meals and wonderful Southern Hospitality as always. You made us feel right at home and Petr was able to get a real taste of the South. (Grits, Boiled Peanuts, Kudzu and Sitting on the front porch chatting the evenings away. Let also not forget the heat and humidity.)
Granny: Ice Scarves rule!!!, They saved us more than once along our journey.
My Father and Step-Mother for all their help before during and after the trip. I was able to bring my eldest daughter to the US with me and they took her on a one month adventure traveling twice as far as I traveled on my bicycle. She is still talking about some of the great adventures you had together. She arrived as Daddy’s little girl and left as Daddy’s young lady. Dad thanks for being are SAG support for a couple of days and meeting up with us along the way. Rita thank you very much for all your help and especially when we arrived in Georgia. You took charge and made ours and everyone life so very easy while in your old stomping grounds.
Zach: Thanks for the haircut
Jason and Olga Kuiper: Thanks for letting me crash one night at your place in LA. IT was great to see you and I can not wait to see you back in Czech Republic. Also it was great seeing your lovely twins girls reminded me how fast they grow in just one year.
Chris and Molly Carpenter: Thank you for helping Petr and I start off the trip on the right foot. We were able to spread our bikes and gear out all over you garage and pack, repack and repack til we got it right. Also thank you for the wonderful send off dinner to make sure we were not gonna leave on a empty stomach. Interesting fact that the only time we used our smallest front gear the entire trip was climbing out of your driveway.
Mike and Paul: Thanks for leading us out to Timoteo Canyon so we did not have to think just ride on our first loaded day on the bikes.
Stephen Galea: My Classics buddy. Stephen it was great to see you and I really appreciate you driving out to see us and then taking us out for Lunch. I hope to see you soon. 16 Centuries in a row. Beat that
Mom: Your help was critical to our success helping us get our second wind for the final 1000 miles of the journey. Your enthusiasm was contagious and made the long days seem shorter. We can not thank you enough for all your help taking care of your boys.
Jen, Paula, Karen, Mike and Thom: Thank you for making our rest day in O’Fallon so great. Two BBQs in two nights you can not beat that. It was great to see all of you again and hope we will meet again but on this side of the pond. Thank you again for everything it helped start off the final leg just right.
Tracy Clinic: Thanks for cleaning me up after the dog bite.
Of course I can not thank my wonderful wife for taking care of everything while I was away. I missed you and the girls very much during the trip and knowing that there would be four beautiful girls to come home to help get me through the long hard days we encountered. I am a very lucky man indeed.
We were very lucky to run into friendly and helpful people all long the way too many to thank individually but thanks for the kind word or extra space when you passed us on the road.
Why? This is a very common question we got from the passing stranger. Well it is the best way to see the world at a relatively slow 12.8 mph you get so much more when you go slow. You see, smell, hear, sometimes taste (bugs) things you would never experience in a car or on a motorcycle. I highly recommend it no better way to get the real feel for the place. Plus I am always up for a good challenge.
Observations along the way:
Never ask anyone who does not ride a bicycle on the route you are taking about how hilly it is, they have no idea.
When the word “The” is used before the word “hill” you know you are in trouble.
Why do people give time as a measure of distance to cyclists? ” Oh it is about an hour from here” That means nothing to a cyclist traveling at 15 mph and things like hills and wind affect us just say it is “60 miles”.
If you have a tailwind you are probably going the wrong way.
Just cause you are going south does not mean it is downhill.
Horses always watch you go by, cows couldn’t care less
The downhills are always a shorter distance than the uphills.
More roadkill = More inconsiderate drivers
People give you more space when you are not wearing a helmet than when you are.
Some bugs taste terrible and some aren’t that bad tasting at all.
Three day old Tortillas, beef jerky and cheddar cheese are nutritious, and tasty anytime of the day.
Do not drink Chocolate milk at noon on a 100F day. Trust me on that one.
It is hot in the Summer.
Riding at night through the desert during a full moon RULES!!!
Kansas has hills and a lot of Colorado is flat.
You always take too much gear and end up lugging over the mountains before you realize you do not need it.
Today we dipped our wheels in the Atlantic to complete our trip from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean. Ironically we had tailwinds most of the day. After our ceremonial dipped we went for a little swim in the warm waters of the Atlantic.
Ráno v pět jedeme do Savannah u moře, abychom se tam sešli s Bobovou dcerou a tátou a ukočili výlet. Savannah je pěkné město, cesta k Atlantiku je horší, každý jede z kostela rovnou na pláž a tak se proplétáme mezi auty. Na poslední zastávce Bob nafukuje kola v Auto Body Shopu a vyplíží se zadním východem a ujede mi. Naštěstí se o míli dál dojíždíme a v poledne šťastně namáčíme kola v Atlantiku, 33 dní po dojezdu z LA. Moře má 89F, tak je z toho dobrá koupačka.
Today is our second to last full day of riding. To beat the heat we left the hotel before the sun rose since the forecast were predicting another scorcher. The day was really pretty flat and we past several fields of peanuts along the way. We made our way through Louisville, Ga which was once the capital of Georgia. Louisville also has the only still standing Slave markets in the state of Georgia. We finished the day in Statesboro only 70 miles from our final goal of Tybee Island and the Atlantic Ocean. Almost there
Včera i dnes jdou teploty přes stovku, vlhkost vzduchu ráno k osmdesáti, odpoledne přes padesát. Užíváme si to. Radši vyrážíme v pět, abychom velký kus z dnešních 110 mil ujeli, dokud je teplota vzduchu pod teplotou lidského těla. Ráno jedeme do Louisville, někdejšího hlavního města Georgie. Mají zde zachovalý Capitol Hill, co slouží jako okresní soud a na náměstí stojí jediný zachovalý trh s otroky. Vypadá jako velký zahradní přístřešek, otroci zde stáli přivázáni k trámům a čekali na kupce. Každý stát má temnou kapitolu ve své minulosti. Odpoledne nám místní policajt poradí cestu vedlejšími silničkami do Statesboro, posledního místa přespání. Dorážíme ve 4 odpoledne, teplota 107F. Docela nás překvapuje, jak si tělo zvykne.
Hello, Today we departed Granny and Paw Paw’s after our rest day for the final three day sprint to Savannah. Hot would describe the day we slowly made our way to Thomson, GA for a relatively short 92 mile day. It was hilly in the morning but flattened out later in the day but the heat was near record highs so we took our time. We passed the Callaway Plantation and stopped for a little visit to walk around the grounds. Along the way we passed a lot of Kudzu the vines that seem to be everywhere along the roads.
Vydáváme se na poslední část cesty k Atlantickému oceánu, čekají nás tři dny cesty. Jedeme skutečným jihem s domy s verandami a se spoustou domů z doby bavlníkových plantáží. Poblíž města Washington je celý skansen budov, od hlavní rezidence majitelů po hospodářská stavení. Zlatý boom bavlny v Georgii traval do roku 1920. Bavlník kompletně vyčerpal půdu a dnes je velká část Georgie jen červená hlína – obnažený jíl. Většinou jsou na ní lesy pro produkci dřevní hmoty na výrobu papíru. Na zbylé úrodné půdě se pěstují státem dotované buráky – podzemnice olejná. Spíme v Thompsonu.
Z Daltonu jedeme přes Chatworth do sedla po Fort Mountain sousedící s Blue Ridge, významnou částí Appalachian Mountains. Teď v červenci je tu hodně turistů z Atlanty a okolí, cesta je velmi příjemná, kopce výživné. V Ellijay si dáváme oběd v nedávno otevřeně restauraci a majitel nám vypráví o místním obchodě na kola. Jeho vlastník se chystá příští rok jet na kole do New Yorku na světové hry hasičů a policistů. Stavujeme se tam, obchod provozuje manželská dvojice, dostáváme rady na cestu přes další sedlo. Odpoledne si užíváme nečekaných 40 mil bez jediného obchodu či benzínky, zato kostelů mineme několik desítek. 60% vlhost vzduch a 98 stupňů F, bez vody docela nářez. Dnes jedeme k Bobovu dědovi a babičce, čeká nás tam jeho táta a dcera. Všechno je nakonec jinak, v 7 večer přesně na sté míli lámu po dvou tisících šesti stech mílích pravý pedál a slavnostně vyzdobenou bránu dědovi usedlosti místo na kole projíždíme autem…
Hello, today started out with a later start and we started the rolling hills. We were enjoying the Tennessee countryside when I was surprised by 5- 7 dogs barking and chasing me. Before I could get to my water bottle to squirt them away one bit me on the leg. After getting out of their territory I checked my leg and the little rascal bite through the skin. Since none of the dogs had tags and the house looked a bit run down it was best that we report the incident and get to the hospital to get it cleaned up and get a tetanus shot. Since we were in a rural area there was no hospital near by so we figured we would keep moving toward Chattanooga we would come across. Luckily we came around local clinic in Tracy City, Tn. They were very helpful and cleaned me up and sent me on my way. Thank you very much to the Helpful people at the Tracy Clinic. We continued to Chattanooga enjoyed a lunch with my father and daughter then off to the Georgia Border. A few miles from the border we spotted a bike shop so we stopped in to have a few adjustments done on the bikes. Robert at Easy Ridge bicycles in Chattanooga sorted us out and and sent us our our way. Overall a good day with lots of helpful people crossing our paths.
Jedeme z Manchesteru do Chatanoogy přes pěkné kopce. Cestou Boba pokousali psi, tak musíme do nemocnice na očkování. V Tracy City Clinic se smilovali a ušetřili nás lékařských výloh a tak Robert platí pouze za vlastní vakcínu. Díky. Odpoledne v Chatanooze mi pro změnu vypověděly brzdy a Bobovi se zkřivilo zadní kolo. Vtrhneme před zavíračkou do East Ridge Bicycles, a velmi milý mechanik Robert nám tam kola dá do pořádku, k našemu překvapení zdarma – díky dnes podruhé. Celý den je v kopcích v předhůří Appalachian Mountains. Spíme v Daltonu.
Hello, Today we spent the whole day riding through Tennessee after the morning we had rolling hills nothing too steep but with the Temperature climbing to near 100 it makes for another hot day. We past through Nashville we had no problems in the the city since there were bike paths through the city center but once you left the center it was stop and go at all the traffic lights for the next 20 miles. Also today my father and eldest daughter were our SAG for the day it was great to see them and they helped make the riding a little easier. After about 90 miles we started hitting hills that lead to the Appalachian Mountains. Long day but was great to see my father and daughter along the way.
Ráno jedeme do Nashville, TN, hlavního města country music. Na silnici je to tu poprvé trochu jako v Česku, řidiči hulváti, naštěstí to bylo jen v téhle části TN. Odpoledne si dáváme u silnice meloun od farmáře při silnici. Je to můj první skutečně zralý meloun snad poprvé od roku 89, kdy jsemsi na podobném pochutnal v Gruzii. Cestou křížíme Stezkou slz, kterou byli Cherokee Indiáni vyhnáni z Jihu do Oklahomy. Připojuje se k nám Robertův táta a dcera. Spíme v Manchasteru, TN.
Hello today we were in three states in one day. We started the day taking a ferry across the Ohio River to Enter Kentucky. We enjoyed the rolling hills of Kentucky today and the heat was bearable we had overcast skies all day. Later in the day we entered Tennessee. Today was the first riding day since Colorado that we did not cover 100 miles only 94 miles . Tomorrow off to Nashville and beyond.
Hned ráno jedeme ferry přes řeku Ohio. Velká je asi jako Labe ně kde kolem Drážďan a o pár desítek mil dál teče do Mississippi. Jsme tedy v Kentucky a místní kopcovitá krajina se spoustou stromů připomíná středočeskou krajinu, nahoru dolů, nahoru dolů, jako někam k Sázavě a do Středního povltaví. Spíme kousek od vojenské základny asi 40 mil před Nashville, TN.
Hello, today we made our way to the Kentucky border, it was basically a transition day trying to get as far down the road as possible. I did not realize that there was so much corn grown in Illinois. Probably >95% of the fields we passed were corn it was everywhere and the stalks were in some places well over 7 feet tall. The first 100 miles were pretty uneventful rolling hills and farmland then we hit the Shawnee National Forest and the road went up and dwon for the last 20 miles made for a tough day. Lesson learned today Scenic route = Hilly road Going to cross Kentucky tomorrow hopefully.
Ráno vyrážíme z Okawville na pouť jižní Illinois, abychom definitivně opustili MidWest a dostali se na skutečný jih. Centrem jižní Illinois je Mt. Vernon, město v rocinaté krajině. Kopce přijdou teprve za městečkem Eldorado (pozor ne Eldorado v Kansasu). Jedem kousek podel říčky offroad a je to paráda. Opravdové kopce přicházejí cestou k řece Ohio, kde spíme ve státním kempu.
Back on the road today we said goodbye to Missouri and entered Illinois today 106 miles pretty flat and the weather was not as hot as previous days. We crossed the Mississippi River at Alton, IL and proceeded to the Missouri/Mississippi River confluence point in Wood River , IL they have a tower which you can go up in and see the two largest rivers in the US meet. After a day of rest we made good time and finished feeling tired but strong. Off to Cave in the Rock tomorrow enjoy the pictures.
Ráno jedeme z O´Fallon směrem k Mississipi, přívozy jsou zavřené kvůli vysoké vodě, přejíždíme tedy řeku po silnici 94 a jedeme se podívat na místo zahájení expedice Lewise a Clarka na soutoku Missouri a Mississippi. Také odsud vidíme Bránu Západu (Gateway Arch) v St. Louis. O kousíček výš sem přitéká také Ilinois River. Je to jako byste v Evropě stáli na soutoku Dunaje, Rýna a Labe – stékají se tu největší řeky kontinentu, záplavová oblast je 8 mil široká a samotná řeka má pod soutokem místy až míli šíře. Pro podobné množství vody byste jinam museli až do Amazonie nebo do Afrického Konga. Dále jedeme jižní Ilinois do městčka Okawville, cestou se všechno jmenuje německy, lidé i vesnice.
Today we are completely off the bikes, no getting up at dawn, no washing our clothes in the shower and hanging them out to dry, and best of all No Gatorade or warm water. Last night my friend Jen arranged a BBQ with some of my old friends from High school. It was great to see everyone Thank you to everyone who came. Today I was able to spend time with my eldest daughter. Relax and rest. In the evening we had another BBQ and visited before we had to get to sleep for the next days riding. We drop more stuff from our bikes of stuff we really did not need. By the end of the trip we will have our equipment fine tuned to a bare minimum. I want to thank Jen Faris, her mother Karen and Mike and Paula Williams for putting us up for two nights and making us feel right at home. Thank you for your wonderful hospitality. You will be repaid anytime you come to Prague.
As I wanted to thank my mother for her wonderful support while being our SAG across Kansas & Missouri, she really helped energize us again and get us back in the grove so to speak. She put up with our moods and kept on giving us her undivided support and optimism. Without her help we would not be as this close to our goal. Thanks Mom (SUPER SAG)
Odpočinek v St. Louis, první den bez kola po třech týdnech. Už vím, jak závodnící pociťují den odpočinku na Tour de France…
Hello, only one way to describe the day hot hot hot. We heard in the morning the heat index would be 110 and they said do not do anything strenuous in this heat. OK So we pounded out 106 miles is what both of us agreed was the hottest day so far. At 6:30 it was already 80 with close to 80% humidity. We met a couple from Kentucky on the trail Bruce and Kelly we had a nice conversation over cold water bananas, a cake which my Mom provide at one of our rest stops. We stayed mainly on the Katy Trail today even in the shade of the trail it was still unbearable. By 14.00 the heat had taken its toll and we could hardly turn the pedals that is when our “Super SAG” came to the rescue with our Ice Scarves. We loaded them up and hit the road the relief was instant it brought our body temperature down and we were able to continue along at at 15 – 18 mph pace. We needed to refill the ice Scarves every hour until we finally got to O’Fallon at 5:30. It saved us from getting into some real trouble on the road. tonight a BBQ and Tomorrow no riding a complete day off the bikes.
Přichází vlna horka, dnes bude 100/100 (teplota v F, vlhkost vzduchu). Štěstí, že jedeme při řece a po stezce se stromy. Přesto je docela nářez a přežíváme 105 mil jenom díky pytlíkům ledu za krkem, které nám ušila Bobova babička. Koupíme pytel ledu, nasypeme do punčochy, dáme kolem krku a jedeme. Funguje to skvěle, ale horka nás čeká ještě dost. Vzpomínáme na noční chlad v poušti a v horách, tady se neochlazuje. Odpoledne přijíždíme do předměstí St. Louis, de Robert chodil do střední školy a večer tu má party.
Hello we finally made it to the Katy Trail. After much needed maintenance on our bikes we hit the trail. It is a beautiful trail taking you through some incredibly beautiful area along the Missouri River. It is as flat as advertised and the trail condition is in great shape. We decided to take the trail the entire way today instead of taking a 30 mile shortcut and it was well worth it. Enjoy the pics.
Začíná Bobův velký píchací den. Proražená duše o ráfek, proražený plášť, píchlá duše kvůli posunuté pásce na ráfku a tak dále. Přesto si cestu po Katy Trail užíváme. Jedeme po stezce po staré železnici podél řeky Missouri, zčásti v záplavové nice řeky, zčásti při skalních převisech v tunelu z korun stromů. Řeka a skály ubírají z místního horka a vlhkosti. Katy Trail je nejdelší Rail to Trail v Americe, měří 260 mil. Spíme v Jefferson City, hlavním městě Missouri.
Hello, We entered Missouri today and got a really good taste of the hills. You are either going up a hill or down a hill in Missouri. The hills are not long but they are non stop you never get a break, it slowly wears you out. And it did only 111 miles today but we are at the trailhead of the Katy Trail so it should be flat all the way to St. Charles. Take care and see you tomorrow.
Hello, we finally had a little luck today wit the wind and were able to cover the first 70 miles very quickly then we hit the hills of eastern Kansas. (If you thought Knasas had no hills then think again.) Today was our biggest milage day so far during the trip with 134 miles. We ended near the Missouri bourder and will be crossing into our sixth state of the trip. We will have alot of hills to climb tomorrow to get to the Katy Trail then it is flat riding all the way to St. Charles. See you tomorrow.
Z městečka Newton vyjíždíme za rozbřesku směrem na severozápad. Sila jsou menší než na západě, ale stále družstevní. Celý Kansas je zemědělsky organizován v družstvech. Je to jediná možnost, jak konkurovat korporacím a nepřijít přitom o půdu. Musím se smát, když vidím tyhle konzervativní venkovany a vzpomenu si na řeči doma, že družstevnictví je cosi jako pozůstatek komunismu. Pro zemědělce, kteří se nechtějí vzdát vlastnictví půdy a stát se nájemní silou, je družstvo jednou z mála životaschopných forem farmaření na malé a střední rozloze. Mohou přitom sebevědomě vyjednávat jak při nákupu osiva, tak při prodeji produkce a rozumně prosperovat. Zašli jsme dnes na závody trucků, na poli soutěží, kdo dotáhne dál záváží, taková venkovská soutěž, asi jako hasičské závody doma. V městečku Waverly jsme se také přichomítli k oslavám výročí založení města a viděli v car parade pár zajímavých aut z poslední stovky let. Dnes je horko, ale po strašně dlouhé době máme vítr v zádech a tak jedeme přes 130 mil bez většího úsilí. Krajina je směrem ke Kansas City již kopcovitá, takové nahoru a dolů jako z Prahy někam na Kutnou Horu nebo do Posázaví. Sto mil se vezeme ve větru a klábosíme, posledních 35 musíme trochu přidat do větru, ale jsme na to už zvyklí, přespáváme v městečku Ottawa u Kansas City.
Hello, today we started off early morning and after a hour or so on the road we were looking for a place to have breakfast. My mother when ahead in the car and found a small town named Macksville that had a place to eat and was open. What we did not know was sthat it was a breakfast sponsored by the local Lions Club and the breakfast happens only once a month. Lucky us, We were treated like royalty by the members and enjoyed a delicious home cooked breakfast and wonderful conversation we would have stayed all day if we did not have such a tight schedule to keep but the food was much appreciated and they wished us well on our journey. This is the small town hospitality that really puts a smile on your face. Thank you again to the Macksville Lions Club for making us feel at home. Today we manage not to have any headwinds yippee but we did have cross winds. Longest day so far 122 miles it is getting hot. Our wonderful support (Mom) washed our clothes for us the first time during the trip and as you can imagine the clothes were very “ripe”
Přejíždíme ze západního do východního Kansasu. Krajina se mění, ze suché prérie s krátkou travou se dostáváme do dlouhotravé prérie. Je zde vlhčeji a spousta stromů, začíná to tu vypadat spíš jako na Jihu či Východě, definitivně opouštíme “Západ”. Jsme za půlkou a chystáme se do St. Louis.
Today we made our way to the historic Dodge City famous for the Sante Fe Trail and Sheriff Wyatt Earp. Also we met up with my mother who will provide some support across Kansas. As is the case the last few days we have had headwinds all day long and it made to a long hot day. The temperature has remained cool for this time of the year which we are thankful since if it was the normal heat we would be cooked. 112 miles for the day we are really moving across Kansas.
Ráno jedeme přes Garden City do Dodge City, centra amerického trhu s dobytkem. Kdysi se tudy hnal dobytek z pastvin západu na severovýchod do obydlených území, kde byla po mase poptávka. Vjíždíme do zemědělské části Kansasu, vidíme spoustu feedlots, obrovských ohrad, ve kterých vykrmují krávy kdečím. Prý to nejsou ty největší a nejhorší, ale po jejich shlédnutí člověka určitě přejde chuť na stake.
Today we entered Kansas and the endless flatland that Kansas is famous for field after field of farmland. The interesting thing about riding across Kansas is that you know where the next town is because you can see the grain silos for 10 – 15 miles so you never really feel you are in the middle of no where. another hard day on the bike 106 miles with headwinds still slowing our pace but tomorrow is a new day and we will have some support from my mother coming to give us a much needed boost.
Ráno pokračujeme prérií východního Colorada velmi zemědělskou oblastí. Městečka vypadají spíše jakoby v úpadku, farmy ale zřejmě prosperují. Volné pasení dobytka a koní, na které jsme si zvykli před rozvodím v Californii, Arizoně i Coloradu pomalu nahrazuje intenzivní zemědělství se silážními věžemi výše mnohapatrového domu a ustájený dobytek. Zemědělství zde nabývá průmyslového charakteru se všemi negativy. Protivítr máme zase celý den, naštěstí nedosahuje včerejší intenzity vichru a tak po poledni přejíždíme z Colorada do Kansasu a večer šťastně dorážíme do sto mil vzdáleného městečka Lakin, kde jsme vjeli do třetího časového pásma – centrálního.
Hello, Today we rode from Walsenburg, Co to Hasty, CO 114 miles the landscape was pretty desolate we rode for 62 miles with nothing between the towns except an abandoned town of Cedar Creek, CO. Along this stretch of land we saw many sign stated land not for sale to the Army. Apparently there is a large Army Military training ground nearby and they are looking to expand it but the ranchers are obviously not interested. What would have been a easy day turned in to a very difficult day due to very strong headwinds reducing our speed on the bike to 10 MPH. Hopfully better weather ahead for us.
Z Walsenburgu vyjíždíme brzy ráno a jsme zvědavi, kudy vlastně pojedeme. Jak na mapě, tak na googlu je území přes 60 mil bez jakékoli infrastruktury. Hned první farmy na kraji Walsenburgu hlásající NOT 4 SALE TO ARMY vyjasňují, že se jedná o území, které armáda vykupuje pro rozšíření vojenského újezdu. Proces je asi dlouhý, protože bývalá benzínka uprostřed újezda má roztočeno 39 galonů za 7 dolarů, to odhadujeme na začátek sedmdesátých let ještě před první ropnou krizí. Přestože klesáme 2 000 stop prudký protivítr nás nutí jet celý den zalehnuté v obloucích řídítek a točit horské převody. Sjezd z hor jsme si tak určitě nepředstavovali, ale je to realita a tak šlapeme přes sto mil do prudkého větru. Večer spíme pod přehradou na Arkansas River ve státním kempu, v noci nás skropí první déšť našeho výletu. Přes husté kapky spíme dobře.
Hello, Today we woke up early to avoid the wind and try to get some miles under our belt before it started to get hot. Today we climb our last pass and say goodbye to the Rocky mountains. We departed Monte Vista at 6:00am and made good time til we stopped for breakfast before Fort Garland, CO. After breakfast we approached our last big climb in the Rocky Mountains the La Veta Pass at 9412′. This climb was not nearly as steep or long as the Wolf Creek Pass the previous day and we were treated to a tail wind for part of the journey which allowed us to climb at 10 mph comfortably. At the top we ate and prepare for another thrilling 15 mile decent. We stopped at the bottom of the decent to say goodbye to the Rockies and begin the long slow decent across eastern Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. Overall it was a good day covering just over 90 miles and we are looking forward to entering Kansas in the next day or two.
Vstáváme raději brzy ráno, abychom se vyhnuli protivětru, strategie částečně funguje, vítr je ráno mnohem mírnější, než když vzduch ohřeje sluníčko. K polednímu stoupáme na druhé nejvyšší sedlo naší cesty a horký vzduch stoupá údolím a lehce nás postrkuje. Plošina mezi sedly byla ještě sušší než poušť v Californii nebo Arizoně a více než 2 000 metrů nad mořem jedeme kolem písečných dun. V údolí cestou na sedlo začíná vegetace, borovice, smrky, topoly s bílou kůrou. Hned za sedlem začíná úplně jiný svět, poušť, která nás provázela celou cestu z LA od Pacifiku končí a nahrazuje ji prérie – vpod statě travnatá savana. Hory jsou na téhle straně zelenější a je vidět, že tu častěji prší, o čemž nás koneckonců přesvědčí bouřková mračna. Den končíme ve Walsenburgu, městečku uprostřed prérie.
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