South Fork To Chama
It was a cold morning in South Fork and we were leaving early. I took yesterday off to rest. I was having "Seat Contact" issues, but they felt completely resolved. With fresh legs, we charged up Wolf Creek Pass from the east. The first rest stop was halfway up the mountain, I rode right by it, I think most people did.
The second rest stop was at the top of Wolf Creek Pass. Kristin Ames turned around there and headed back to the hotel. Her tour was over. The rest of us blasted down the other side of Wolf Creek and on to Pagosa Springs. Just before we got there, we turned south on 84. I was pretty much on my own into the lunch stop. They had made meatballs and pasta for lunch and they bought some good ciabatta bread in town. It was really good and I wanted to chow down, but that has always prove to be a mistake (usually there's a climb or some other hard effort after lunch) so I kept my portions small. I didn't recognize any of the roads going in to Chama, so the 2008 RAAM route must have been on a different route.
As usual, I was near the back of the pack at the last rest stop. I pedaled on in solitude. Then I started seeing construction signs. Then I spotted a group of riders at the front of a long line of cars and a pilot car coming the other way. I sprinted up to them and it was a group of the really fast riders. The flagman made us wait until all the cars had gone through, then told us, "catch up." I sprinted off, but it turned out to be a really long construction zone. Big Mike passed me and I tried to jump on his wheel, but it was like trying to draft a tandem. He flew downhill and motored across the flats. I could almost keep up with him on the uphills, which meant I was off the back in short order.
I felt pretty good when I got into Chama, so I rode downtown, bought some gifts, stamps, and took pictures of the train and station. The hotel didn't have a washer or dryer, so I rushed off to dinner at the High Country Saloon, then rushed back to skype with the kids.
I had to do some laundry, so I put all my dirty clothes in my camelback and rolled out. The laundromat was supposed to be 1.2 miles away, but it was closer to 2 miles away.
