Wednesday, June 8,2016, 102.4 miles(164.8 km)
After a quick breakfast of a couple cinnamon rolls at a convenience store in Ordway (only place open that early in the morning) I started my way toward Pueblo, Colorado again on Hwy 96. After a few miles I started seeing railroad cars on the on the otherwise unused tracks which paralled the highway. They were "storing" these cars here and they stretched for several miles with a break only for crossing roads.
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| Railroad Cars |
As I continued on the Rocky Mountains came clearly into view and I knew climbs would be in my future.
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| Rocky Mountains In View |
As I got closer to Pueblo I heard chirping sounds off to the side of the road and I saw I was in the midst of a prairie dog colony
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| Prairie Dogs |
Pueblo is the halfway point on the route I am cycling thus a milestone on my travels.
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| Pueblo - Reaching the Halfway Point |
After I cycled through Pueblo, one of the larger cities on my route, I started my climb to Cañon City, Colorado, my intended stopping point for the day. The terrain was definitely changing from what I had been cycling through and I was finally off Hwy 96.
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| Changing Terrain |
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| Changing Terrain |
As I got closer to Cañon City the skies turned dark and a shower came down but it was brief and with the low humidiy I dried quickly. When I got to Cañon City I discovered the listed campground was closed and the other location listed as allowing camping no longer did allow it. I had a choice of staying in a motel or cycling on about 10 miles to Royal Gorge to camp. I opted to cycle on. I should of looked at the elevation profile as the last 10 miles involved a climb of more than 1,100 feet, a big climb for the end of a already long day. I arrived at the campground just as the sun was setting and I set up my tent in the dark. I had a great night of sleep as the night was quite cool.
Century! Good job!
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