83 miles. Holyoke, CO to New Raymer, CO
Unknowingly woke up at exactly 4:59 today only to hear my watch beep as it does every hour. All i could do was clench in my sleeping bag and pray that it wasn't actually 5am and that I could sleep in for one more hour at least. The cacophony of approximately 25 different cell phone alarms that erupted moments later gave me my answer.
Was interesting to see the sun already so high at 6:30 am due to the time zone switch. What wasn't so interesting was the massive headwinds greeting us in our first 10 miles. Interesting but disturbing was the crazy old dude in a white beard who drove alongside us in a pickup only to yell at us in what seemed like slow motion to "Get off the road Goddamnit" as he then rumbled away at a blistering 30 mph on a highway that was completely deserted for a mile in either direction. These highway drivers lately have been really generous with the way they are passing us but it sucks to have such unfortunate treatment like that from some drivers. This guy today was honestly so ridiculous and absurd we couldn't even contemplate being upset fortunately.
The headwinds eventually died down and we carried along fine. Got to stop at my first Sonic ever. These things are crazy! There was no actual inside sit down restaurant. I never thought that actual drive through restaurants existed. The waitress coming out in roller skates was pretty gimmicky and tacky but a little cool I'll admit. My ignorance to their whole concept was made pretty clear by the way i was staring slackjawed into the kitchen before i realized that the window glare prevented me from seeing all the wierded out employees inside. Anyway, Sonics are a novel experience and you'll probably get a good kick out of trying it for the first time.
Swapped some great stories riding with Colin Hood today. He's such a character and quite possibly the best and most amusing storytellers Ive met in a while. It helps that he has no end to his always well inserted musings and anecdotes of Japanese culture. While I've had more than several "Where in the world am I" moments on this trip(mostly in Illinois) today was by far one of the most notable. The massive wheat fields soon transitioned into the wildest prairies you can imagine. I mean there wasn't even food, it was just gently rolling grassy land, land, and more land going on forever. I'd be lying if i said i didn't feel like a cowboy at some points. Though i think trying to herd cattle with a road bike might not be the easiest thing in the world. Seriously, it was just really something else. Makes you wonder when you are out there and pondering issues like overpopulation and lack of housing.
I've been well aware of my not so balanced relationship to food, but even I didn't think I was capable of such lack-of-food-induced crankiness and misery until dinner tonight. I've definitely gotten much better at realizing this tendency and making sure it doesn't happen but in a situation like this where you have to wait for food and ration it, things can get tough. I think so long as i have yet to eat live animals I'm probably still in a decent place.
On another personal note, I've noticed how totally different I look on this trip from my normal life due to not shaving and not styling my hair. Full Disclosure: Longest time ever without using hair product. Now i know why. In a way i sort of like it because not dealing with appearance as intensely as i normally do lets me get into the whole vibe of living a simpler existence. It also is a testament to how comfortable and genuine i can feel with this great group of people as opposed to how we are normally always putting on a show for others via our meticulous grooming of our outward appearances. All of this being said though, there is something to feeling good about looking good and that mentality is definitely seeking to slowly tempt me to my razor. At the very least I'd def like to find some kind of really cool funky hat along the way, ideally with an outrageous story behind it, to help attend to the hair situation.
No glimpses of the rockies yet, but they're apparently visible from like a mile down the road so thats cool. Oh, and by Rockies i really mean to say the Pixie Hills as suggested by Colin Hood. While I don't think giving them a sissy sounding name will necessarily make the grades less steep, its probably at least worth a shot. Other name ideas you might have are highly encouraged.
Last day of riding tomorrow before the build day is great. Fort Collins is super hip apparently so sounds like we'll obviously fit right in!
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