WoW
What a ride it only took a week wow even with my slow ass and two Passes.
I rested yesterday I didn't do anything but sleep the whole time I was out.
I had cycled seven days straight. And resting on the Continetal Divide seemed fitting. I had to hike a good distance in to find the first flat spot. Which turned into a mini stream. I slept till 1400 hours and then woke up as some drops fell on my face. I slipped the fly on and waited it hailed, rained and lighting.
The sound of the thunder was deafing in the canyon.
I periodically looked out at my small stream make sure it didn't flash on me. Most of my tent avoid the stream just a piece of the corner I made sure the stream could under it. I saw maybe a foot wide. It rained for hours. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I heard was my alarm. I must have been super tired. I even got up late. Waiting for it to warm up a tad bit.
Most passes you climb climb and then at the top you get a picture with a plaque. Not this pass.
Monarch Crest operated since 1954. The pass originally transported goods and helped the mines. Then they rebuilt the pass for autos. Monarch the town survived on skiing. Then they rebuilt the current road to modernize it. The other side had only one lane going up. So I picked the right side for that climb.
Monarch Crest was an oddity at best they even have a gondala ride up to tthe top of a MT.. They had a wildlife section with stuffed animals. I could have bought a gun. Then the gift section. they also had a forest section which told the history. Lastly they had a food place where you could eat. I saw three bicycle tourist come in a pack and I passed one lady on her way up she was just out for a ride. The place burnt down in 1988 they had trouble getting up the pass and then ran out of water and had to go to Modina mines to get water. So the next place was built out of concrete with a green roof. This place was great but will it end up a ghost? We will see.
The ride down I topped 40 miles for the first time. It went pretty fast the whole 13 miles no shoulder. I stopped a few times to chill out ha thaw out!
I am now in Pancho Springs not much here I have another 25 more miles to end my day in a forest.
Kudos to the Pancho springs visitor center for the free wifi if they would only open there doors. They claim they are the crossroads to the rockies.
So I should be back on 285 headed for Denver by the end of the day.
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