Total mileage - 1,533
We headed to the grocery store to pick up some water before we headed out, and noticed that the "Bits and Spurs" cafe was open for breakfast, so we sauntered over to have a quick bite before getting on the road. This place was definitely a small place for locals - we stood out like a sore thumb! There were mostly older cowboys/farmers in this place, the decor was wooden planks with all of the local cattle brands burned into them, the floor hasn't been vacuumed in weeks, and there was a communal fly swatter to kill those pesky biting annoyances right on your table.
Since absolutely nothing in these small towns is done quickly, it took over an hour for our small breakfast to be cooked, eaten, and paid for. We knew we had a fairly flat ride into Pueblo today, but wanted to make sure we arrived before the weird afternoon thunderstorms could possibly arrive.
The terrain really changed dramatically today. There was actual topography to look at! And we finally got our glimpse of the Rockies (can you see their blue outline in the photo above?)! We love these mountains, so it was a big morale boost to finally spot them...even though we were going to have to tackle them by bike in the coming days!
We stopped for "lunch" in Boone at one of those small town grocery stores where someone shops at Walmart in the big city, doubles the prices, and resells it all to the locals. We ate a bunch of junk food since the selection was pretty sparce.
We keep seeing these weird cactus-like plants that appear to be growing watermelons. I'm sure they are not watermelons in the desert, but the look pretty similar!
We got rained on a bit as we got onto highway 50 to head into Pueblo, but nothing major. It was a total shock to us to be back on a major highway with traffic flying by after being in such isolated places for over a week.
After a quick drink stop, we finished the last 5 or 6 miles to our hotel in downtown Pueblo. We experienced our first hills in over a week riding through Pueblo too...just a glimpse of what is to come! It seems like we are always riding towards storm clouds!!
We had been communicating with a supporter who wanted to put us up in a hotel in Pueblo and meet us for dinner when we arrived - thanks Sue! We checked in and showered up, then Sue picked us up for dinner. We had a great time chatting and chowed down on some Olive Garden. The big rain waited until we were driving to dinner, thank goodness! We certainly appreciate Sue's kindness!!
Pueblo marks the halfway point (in miles) for our trip. Obviously, we are way behind in terms of time! We will make it up somehow though. Probably some more "cheating" somewhere...
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