Anne noticed Lou’s Tour of Colorado cycling jersey one day. She liked the jersey and, aside from the fact that Lou, now a regular club rider and a good friend, was new to us, struck up the first of many conversations about that jersey and the tour. Six months later, Anne and I left for Colorado, arriving around noon Denver time, on the 19th of July. We thought quite a bit about our arrival date, thinking to “acclimate,” a term used to describe the body’s adjustment to elevations beyond the 1800 feet we know in New Jersey, quickly flying in Thursday night, renting a car, and driving immediately to Gunnison, our starting point. Of course planning is half the fun of any trip, this trip presenting a myriad of decisions all affecting the quality of our experience. Fear not, every alternative in the context of the Bicycle tour of Colorado is a good one. Go! We climbed aboard the tour bus at the airport around 3:00PM and came to know the landscape during the four hour drive to Gunnison. We shipped our bikes from a local bike shop in New Jersey to another at our destination. Many carried their bikes along on the bus; one couple had two in a big blue canvas bag, still paying the airline $80.00 per bike to get it this far. I am content with our decision to ship the bikes, dropping them off at the shop on our return to have them boxed and shipped home.

I doubt a few hours more in Gunnison would have prepared me for the climb up Slumgullian Pass, elevation 11,300 feet. I had to walk for about a mile. Anne struggled, but stayed on her bike. To my surprise, she was in great shape that day and I had my hands full keeping up with her. Still, what they say about “acclimating” must be credible because after day one, and with several return trips to this elevation, the long climbs of modest grade became rudimentary. The secret is not the climb, but the descent. We liked to descend at a modest pace because the views on the way down are breathtaking. Nothing can prepare you for the ride down Red Mountain into Ouray, Co., our destination on day 5. This is fabulous! Linda K., another regular on our “B” rides spent her childhood summers in Ouray, and talked a little about the town as our departure approached. I heard her excitement without understanding. We were on our way up Red Mountain when the rain, hail, and mudslides began. Jim M. has ridden this ride several times over the last few years and gave me sufficient warning about this. We were ready for winter, many were not. No question about it, you must carry your winter gear.

Rest areas or "aid stations" are found every twenty miles, offering fruit, sport drinks, bagels and peanut butter. The aid stations were really terrific. If possible, forgo the breakfast meal ticket and cycle to the first "aid station" for breakfast in the morning. You will find the bananas, melon, cherries, oranges, bagels and strawberry jam a welcome alternative to the breakfast burrito’s served. Of course I would never miss the breakfast served in Creede on day two. Can’t say enough about the good people of Creede, and I would never miss that breakfast. Still, if you see a breakfast burrito in the dining hall when you wake up, start pedaling for the first "aid station." You won’t regret the wait.

We took a hotel in Durango on day four, our day off. Durango is a sophisticated town housing a very inviting, to teachers, students, and parents alike, undergraduate college, Fort Lewis College. We spent three hours shopping in the morning, dreaming of another six hours, and a fatter wallet. A good dent made in the Christmas shopping list, we rented a car and started for Mesa Verde National park, 35 minutes out of Durango. In Gunnison we spent a few hours of leisure time at the Cattleman’s Rodeo, in Montrose we visited the Ute museum. Add in this quick study of 1700 years of Native American history at Mesa Verde, the history of the towns we visited, learned in the buses, stores, and dining halls, the shopping, and the riding, we are keenly aware of the depth and diversity of American culture in Southwest Colorado, and of our personal experience in the area. We found far more than exercise, friends, landscape, and campsites.

Back now one week, I think it takes a few days to recover from a week long ride like this. I wasn't particularly strong in spinning class on Thursday. And yesterday, although the hills were so steep I stood straight up on my pedals to conquer the grade and turns, they were short, less than half a mile, and I was exhausted. Recovery period or not, I have at least 8 months to decide whether or not to take on Colorado again next year. A predictive statement: I do follow my own advice.