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Day 1: From Telluride to “A Night At The Y”

(Note: photos of the entire trip can be viewed here.)

This morning broke with a crystal-clear blue sky: my prayers for good weather had been finally answered, or so I thought. I dropped off the rental car in Durango and rode to the rendezvous in back of Mountain Bike Specialists on Main Street to meet the Western Spirit truck, the guides, and the other folks with whom I’d be riding the next 5 days. Our guides were Rachel, Scott and Jason; Rachel and Scott were a married couple looking to be in their 40s and were veteran guides for Western Spirit, while Jason was in his 20s and guiding the route for the first time. [Continued…]

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Mesa Verde N.P. and The Best Little Renaissance Faire in Colorado

Last night, it rained all night. I had many fitful dreams in which the forthcoming bike trip was cancelled due to bad weather, and I pleaded with the organizers to move it to some other state.

I awoke to a cold, rainy and nasty morning. There is no question of riding in the rain around here, since the trails turn into a sea of mud, so I headed off to Mesa Verde National Park about 40 miles west of Durango, where the famous Anasazi cliff dwellings are. I was hoping the rain would keep away the crowds despite its being peak season, and indeed it did; although I didn’t have the place to myself, it wasn’t jammed either. [Continued…]

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Colorado Bike Trip: Prelude In Durango

I arrived here in Durango, Colorado last night, to give myself three days to acclimatize to the altitude before the rigor of a 5-day bike trip from nearby Telluride back to Durango, which will involve biking over 100 miles at elevations that reach nearly 12,000 feet.

(Photos of this part of the trip can be viewed here.)

[Continued…]

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