Day 16: Hot Sulphur Springs to Walden, CO

60.7 miles, 3094 ft ascent, 10.6% max grade, 5:45 saddle time, 8099 ft final elevation, max elevation 9683 ft

Today Brian and I got a late start (0915) because the breakfast restaurant did not open until 0800.  We had a charming waitress and the food was good.  We headed east following the river until the route turned north and followed Coyote Creek up into a beautiful valley.
View East from Hot Sulphur Springs

There was an extensive fire in the area we were riding through 4 years ago, so we rode through about 22 miles of burned area as we made our way up to the headwaters of the creek.  It was very encouraging to see how the trees and shrubs were coming back.
Burned trees and new growth


Regeneration of the forest
The grades leading up to Willow Creek Summit were gradual (5 to 7%) with flat areas in between, which made for an enjoyable ride (until the last couple miles where the grade kicked up).  On the way up I came across this interesting rock formation…it almost looks man-made.
The wall


The summit was 29 miles from Hot Sulphur Spring and we gained 1952 ft in elevation.

The Summit!

The way down was nice except there was a headwind that made it necessary to pedal downhill at times.  At the bottom the landscape opened to a wide valley with snow-capped peaks all around.
Looking forward across the valley


Looking back at Will Creek Pass

I had been climbing for about 3 hours, so when I saw the open plain I was excited…until the wind hit me!  The wind really gains speed across open spaces, and this was REALLY open.  I was heading NW with a west wind of 10 - 15 mph with gusts up to about 25 mph. This was worse than Kansas!  To make matters worse, the road had ruts going across the road about every 20 ft.  As I rode along my bike went bump-bump….bump-bump for about 30 miles!  I felt like I was being harken, not stirred.  As it got late in the day there were very few cars, so I took the whole lane looking for the least rutted part. 
The road across the plain to Walden

I was REALLY glad to get to Walden.  Brian had arrived before me and Bill had arrived earlier in the day.  We arranged to meet for dinner and came across another TransAm cyclist, Jacob from the Netherlands, who is eastbound.  We had an enjoyable r sharing TransAm stories.  Brian, Bill and I will head North tomorrow and say goodbye to Jacob.



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