So.... to catch everyone up this is where I've been...
Oklahoma:
Oklahoma... um it was OK, get it? But seriously we had a couple of long rides through here and some good build days. The Oklahoma City Habitat for Humanity is extremely productive. They do nearly 50 houses a year!! Here are a few pics from the build:
Texas:
Texas was by far the hardest part of the trip. 110 degree heat, long boring days, and wicked headwinds. We had some nice hosts, but honestly, I'm in no hurry to go back.
New Mexico:
So apparently my camera has a smudge on the lens for all of New Mexico... bummer. New Mexico was great. It was a pleasant change from Texas. We only stayed one night there but it was great. Cool weather so I slept outside in my hammock and loved it. Beautiful ride.
Colorado:
COLORADO!!!!! This is one state that everyone was looking forward to. I don't even know where to start...
First off we rode into Trinidad, it's a great little town. We stayed in the community center that had a pool and all kinds of nice stuff, but a lot of us spent our time just laid out on the couches watching the TV... it was great. We were still worn out from Texas.
So from Trinidad we rode to Walsenburg. Which isn't that far away... if you take the interstate... However it did have one of the best descents of the trip.
Had to take the long way.... nice descent for the last bit though!
Best lunch spot ever
First of many passes, still one of the most rewarding
Roar
The view from the bottom
And from Walsenburg we rode to Pueblo... again taking the long way. This was our longest ride of the summer for us. 116 miles! It was great. We had some really epic climbs and descents.
Yeah, we pretty much went over that mountain.
Such a cool ride.
So from Pueblo we went into Colorado Springs. The ride was fairly uneventful, just a cool dirt road out of town and some vicious biting flies...
Colorado Springs Rainbow!
We spent a week in Colorado Springs building on a house that we helped sponsor. Super fun time building!!
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Yeah, apparently this is the only notable pic I took this day...
Day 4:
Starting to take shape...
She looks like a pineapple... well kinda
Day 5:
Close call...
Day 6:
We made good progress in 6 days!
Best burger of my life. Bison meat with fried egg, blackberry jam, bacon, and jalapenos.
So finally we hit the road again after a week off the bike. That's an odd sensation. Everyone was surprised at how weird the first few miles felt.
Getting ready to roll out
Quick (well sort of quick) stop at Garden of the Gods
Oh Deer...
Garden of the Gods
Group all riding together for one section of the highway. We had the van escort us through.
Happy Girl...
Home sweet home in Hartsel, Colorado
Yep...
So we rode from Hartsel to Twin Lakes, such a beautiful ride!!
Yeah, we were in South Park, Colorado...
Cheeseburgers make me happy
Rolling into Twin Lakes, amazing views!
So from Twin Lakes we rode over Independence Pass to Aspen. Definitely the most epic ride of the trip, at least so far. So much climbing and I loved every bit of it. The descent into Aspen was incredible. Dropped about 4,000 feet of elevation.
From Aspen we rode into Silt, Colorado where we had a great build day. It was our first multi story build day and our first duplex. It was super fun!
yep.
So Pro
This is the duplex that the group last year worked on. It is the same design as what we worked on.
Rainbow during dinner
This trip has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I really am dreading it coming to an end. So many great friends and so many great places.
I'm tired so I'll have to post about Utah and Idaho later kids. Sorry again for the lack of posts.
