Day 24…Curcanti NRA (Gunnison Area) to Sargents (Monarch Pass base)
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The winds at Blue Mesa Lake died down during the night, so Jerry and I were able to maintain our position next to the restroom (as opposed to blowing through the sage trapped in our tents). We got up early and headed out of Dodge in search of a good breakfast.
It was a flat (Jerry says it was 800 foot climb, but I call it flat) ride to Gunnison, a town of about 5,000 ranchers, students and retirees. It was a good mix, and the friendliest small town I have run into. The population was diverse and appeared to be educated. A nice change from the Utah crowd.
At a gas station I inquired about breakfast (”ya like good bacon? Go to the Quarter Circle Cafe!”) and a barber (”Machete Eddy is right down the road a piece!”). I took their advice and had some of the best deep fried bacon I ever had. I guess beauty is in the mouth of the beholder. Overall, it was a good breakfast and we left happy and full.
Jerry headed out of town and I stopped in to see Eddy the Barber. This was a legacy barber shop, as Eddy’s dad had run it for years before handing off the scissors to junior. It was nice to stop into a place where I was instantly “one of the guys” and had a few laughs with the locals. A good stop, and a haircut to boot.
Next stop, the library to update the blog. They opened at 10, and they had reading camp prior to opening. Lots of kids carrying books out. Reminds me of my years as a youngster at the West Elmira library in Southern NY state.
As I was leaving town, I made a pit stop at the park. When I came out of the restroom, I found a graying fella, in his 50’s, complete with a handlebar mustache and bandana. He told me he had been riding from Stockton, CA for 30 days. I assumed he meant on his Harley; he certainly looked the part. Nope, he was on a GT mountain bike loaded with a 60# duffel bag on the rear rack.
We talked about his trip; he had turned north in Utah, while we went south. He had some hot, dry days and had become dehydrated. He told me that his kidneys were just beginning to work again, and that he had been resting up a few days.
I introduced myself and held out my hand, waiting for a reply. He paused, considered things for a moment and said “I’m Cowboy”.
I’m not sure what “Cowboy was running from, but I hope he stocks up on more water before heading out in the desert.
The ride to Sargemts was fairly uneventful, with rolling hills and ranches with hundreds of acres of green, flowing grasses. When I got to the campground, I found that Jerry had opted for a teepee, complete with propane stove, for the night ($25), rather than camp on crushed rock in our tents ($20). A good choice.
We had a couple meals in the cafe at the campground, ran out of things to read and hit the sack about 8:30.
I rode 50 miles at a 13.5 mph average in 3hr and 39 minutes…my shortest day thus far!
-Rick