Eldorado

Gaily bedight,
A gallant knight,
In sunshine and in shadow,
Had journeyed long,
Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

But he grew old—
This knight so bold—
And o’er his heart a shadow
Fell as he found
No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow—
“Shadow,” said he,
“Where can it be—
This land of Eldorado?”

“Over the mountains
Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,”
The shade replied—
“If you seek for Eldorado!” – Edgar Allen Poe

When I got up Sunday morning, I was bereft of energy and aching. It was to be the hardest day of the week. Yesterday’s 65 miles was hard with a 10-mile glide into town. So basically, it took me 8 hours to ride 55. Today was 20 miles further and harder. At breakfast, Rob presented several options on a route that took away some of the technical difficulty. I opted for an easier, albeit longer route of 80 miles, just because I was certain that 75 miles of technical climbs / descents wouldn’t allow me to complete the ride.

So, I entered option a for route in my Garmin. We all started out together and stayed together on a steep by non-technical climb. I kept stopping to double check my Garmin, thinking that I had incorrectly entered the difficult option. I was feeling good as we started and could catch and pass many riders but by stopping and checking, they inevitably passed me again. At a certain point, the road diverged and I went right, all the other tracks went left. I was on my own. While this option was technically easier, it was still rough. Lots of very deep potholes from the boulder River some several feet deep and 4 to 5 feet across. While they may be big, it was a combination of shade, sun and lack of focus that caused me to hit a few of them. No crashes but some good. It would have been fun had I known they were there.

I was making good time even though I stopped a few times for bearings especially if I was at a crossroads. The road bordered the Boulder River and it was very scenic. I was on a tough climb that lasted well over a mile when the Garmin shouted, “off Course”. Unfortunately, there was no where to go. The road that I was on dead-ended and there was a driveway and then 50 yards away Interstate 15. I retraced my steps and then came back and looked at the barb-wire fence and retraced my steps again. I decided to jump the fence, or climb over like an old fart and take my chances on the Interstate. Garmin says, “Off Course!”.

Eventually I come to the exit at Boulder and know that the route came through here so I exited the highway. Garmin says back on course – Eureka! I am thinking this maty be lunch but after going up and down town many times, I cannot spot our van or other riders, so I continue course set by Garmin. I stop at service station to refill my Camelback – in retrospect a very wise decision. It was getting hot and I had already consumed 100 liters of water.

Down the road a bit, I come to the town of Basin and I know this is where lunch will be. I am close to 50 miles. I find no lunch van but do find Wallace wandering around town and he and I set off to find lunch. A couple of miles outside of Basin, Wallace is almost out of water and we stop to eat a bit. In less than a mile we do find Jim with lunch and we eat and fill our bottles. I set out alone as Wallace likes to dawdle and then ride fast. He also tends to go off on side routes and get lost. Remember, this is a guy who hunted whale and polar bear and often camped out in the Arctic Winter for a month at a time.

From that point on, it is extremely hot and seems to be all uphill. Even when it looks like a downhill, it is really a climb. That is cruel. Again, the road seemingly ends and I opt for the highway which I know runs into Butte. Even though I am on tarmac, it was kind of brutal in the sun and I wind up stopping a few times, just to give my butt, feet and hands a rest. I make sure to drink a little at least once a mile. I am watching the mile markers and rejoice at each new milestone.

Cities and towns are often built near a water source so that typically means a low altitude relative to its surroundings. I have a nice descent into Butte and luckily find myself back on route. I stopped to double-check the map and get my bearings. My Garmin had given me the “Low Battery” warning 15 miles outside Butte, so I turned it off. I turned it back on as I entered Butte.

I found our campsite at KOA and was told that I was only the third rider into camp. Most of the others had opted for the more difficult route and some would come into camp over 3 hours after me. I offered to help with the crew that night since I was in so early. I knew that a few of the riders would be very hard pressed to shower, set up camp and be part of the serving and clean-up crew so I offered to help.

I should mention that there are riders we encounter daily who are riding the divide solo and self-supported. The crew will often invite these riders to have dinner with us and tonight was no exception. One evening we entertained a 74-year-old who was riding self-supported and was ineligible to sign up with our group due to age limitations. I am at the cutoff age. He looked really fit to me!

Thanks for reading!

Tailwinds

Chuck – riding for The Backstoppers org.