Good restful night ... Slept well and got on the road for 06:00 ... Oh! It's nice and cool and a joy to be here ... this is big sky country ... the road is flat but there are rolling grasslands around me and I can't see much beyond a few miles ... but the sky is everywhere from horizon to horizon ... side to side and fore and aft. I stop on a flyover bridge across the railway track and think I can see a dull outline of the Rockies in the far distance ... they are about 100 miles away and will be my big challenge ... really looking forward to getting in and among them ... but that is for another day. Had a shave ... the mirror on the bike is great and stops me cutting myself. Have noticed that my T-shirt is becoming a bit grubby so may need to visit another laundrette.
Am in a McD's outside Brush and this woman, a customer, came up to me ... "Is that your bike in the porch?" ... "yes, ma'm ... Just like to keep my eye on it" says I. "Well it should be outside on the bike rack ... personally I thought it made the entrance a bit tacky ... it's just my opinion"..... "OK, I'll move it" ... and I did; I'm a visitor and there is no point in upsetting the locals?!! It hasn't dented my feeling for America one bit.
Down in Fort Morgan (just love these names) having completed this mornings quota of 33 miles. Temperature outside at 95F and it's only 12:30. It's an interesting town but think I'll stay here in the library AC before looking around.
I'm at an altitude of 4200' and Denver is up at 5200' so there is a bit of climbing to do but the road gradient is so shallow that it's barely perceptible ... I hope!
The library has a local history section and it's marvellous. The aviation history section downstairs is just up my street. Jack Swigert of "Houstan we had a problem" fame on Apollo 13 was reared in Denver, CO.
Think I'll nip outside and have a siesta now!
Isn't this a mice spot for a dose?
Main St. Fort Morgan, Colorado
Yep! ... Fort Morgan is a great little town and very, very neat. Maurita sent info to say they had a good bike shop "The Bike Livery" ... I don't really need anything but I popped along just to pass the time, met the jovial proprietor, Mike
and purchased a cheap cycling jersey for 10 dollars ... that was Maurita's fault! Noticed quite a large Muslim community in this area ... that surprised me?
It's cooled down a good bit now and took the busy interstate 76 for a while ... transferred over to a smaller frontage road and getting ever closer to Denver. Will try and get to Keenesburg park before nightfall.
Didn't quite make it ... as I came over a slight rise near Roggen, I saw the magnificent sight of the snow covered Rockies with the glistening lights of the Denver conurbation at it's base ... It was beautiful and I spent so long admiring and studying it that darkness started to creep up on me. Watched a pearly string of aircraft float across the sky all the way down to Denver airport. I'll have to pitch camp just off road. 62 miles completed ... tired. Good Night.
Location:Brush, Colorado
3 comments:
Has that woman any idea how far that bike has got you. Imagine the cheek of her! I am sure you are quite attached to that bike by now. The thought of you going back into a laundrette and pulling a mini Nick Kamen is not a vision I expected from you. Enjoy the trip and stay safe !
Testing ,testing !
Joseph! Reggie has been keeping up with your blog pretty regularly and calling out points of interest to me. I finally sat down this evening to read it from the start and am fascinated, impressed, and blown away. What an experience and an accomplishment (thus far!). Some amazing stories and great details, even the mundane ones. So glad you're meeting such wonderful people out there. I've driven across the country a few times and always loved getting a real sense of the size and variety that the USA comprises. Keep up the good (hard) work and enjoy every minute!
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