Cycling Through The West – Towaoc to Durango

Day 15 – Towaoc to Durango

“Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.”
  ~ A Ute Prayer

 

We’re riding at early light on a cool morning. There’s actually a little wisp of fog now and again on the road this morning – something I haven’t seen since I left the Pacific coast. I can feel the moisture in the air as it hydrates the membranes of my lungs and sinuses. I’m surprised at just how good it feels.

Colorado isn’t a place known for moist air. When folks come out to visit us in Colorado, they usually complain about how dry the air is. But this morning, as I begin to climb back into my home state, I’m struck by how much more humid it is than the desert air I’ve been riding through for the last couple weeks.

I didn’t expect to feel a sense of “homecoming” yet, but I’m feeling it this morning. There’s active irrigation along this highway, so the fields are green and lush on both sides of us as we ride. The sprinklers are running, pouring water across the green that surrounds us, sparkling like fountains of gems in the early morning light. In the distance, the peaks of the Rockies are growing closer and closer with each mile. I’m back in my home state, and it feels good.

Our day today is a short one. We want to get to Durango early enough to do laundry, so we started early, though not as early as we might have if we had a long day. When we revised our route, we thought about planning a rest day along southern Colorado somewhere, but decided instead to just plan short days. Yesterday was our last long mileage day at about 108 miles, and today and tomorrow are both only about 60 miles. In our original schedule, today’s miles were the last 60 miles of a 146 mile day. I’m happy we changed, so I could enjoy this stretch of road early in the morning.

A cyclist’s perspective on the wildlife in an area is often a reflection of the dead stuff we see smashed on the road as we roll past it. This morning, the roadkill is reflective of a big change in habitat. I’m seeing possum and raccoon, as well as a snake now and again. The moist environment created by the irrigation supports a whole new community of critters.

We roll into Cortez after only about 12 miles. We’d like to get another 10 or 15 miles in before breakfast, but figure this is our best shot. We pull into a little diner, and strike up a conversation with a guy out front. He tells us that the road over to Durango is mostly downhill, except the uphill parts… A comedian… He acts more serious for a minute, amending his description to “you go up for a while, then it’s all downhill”. I’m still not sure what to think, but realize that I’d been better off not asking him about it, as his comments have now set expectations inside me.

Expectations can be dangerous to me. The expectation becomes “the way things are supposed to be”. No matter how hard I try and keep a better perspective, it’s impossible to avoid a little of this. This morning, as we eat our breakfast at a Cortez diner, I’m building a complete picture in my mind of what the rest of the day is supposed to be.

Predictably, I’m disappointed when reality doesn’t meet my expectation.

I really don’t think this is a particularly tough stretch of road. Sure there’s quite a bit of uphill once you head east out of Cortez, but we are, after all, in the Rocky Mountains. More than anything, I think the problem I’ve created for myself is that I decided before the day ever began that it was going to be an “easy” day since it was only 60 miles or so with about the same amount of climbing that we had yesterday.

Several times during the day, Dave and I comment to each other about how glad we are that these aren’t the last 60 miles of a 150 mile day. The scenery is really nice, and the fact that it’s a short day and we’re taking it easy lets us enjoy the beauty around us.

It’s possible, of course, that we’re both just having a “weak” day. That happens from time to time – you’re body just finds it a lot tougher to put out big amounts of work. It’s certainly possible that we’re both just having one of those days today.

We roll down a wonderful descent into Durango, and arrive at the Courtyard there after about 4.5 hours of riding,, a little over 6 hours of total elapsed time for the day. The hotel manager upgrades us to a suite, so we have a living room and separate bedrooms. Ya’ gotta love that status – one of the few nice things about lots of miles logged traveling for work… It’s just past noon, so we have plenty of time to get our laundry done before heading downtown to enjoy a steak dinner and a couple beers.