And when you're only halfway up...

Days: 40
Distance: 3588 km / 2229 mi
Location: Boulder, CO
Elevation: 1646 m / 5400 ft

We're done with the plains, and now we're sitting in the shadow of some pretty impressive mountains. I can't wait for the new terrain and the scenic views of Rocky Mountian National Park. Crossing the Fall River pass at 12,183 ft will be the absolute highlight of this trip for me, and the continental divide will also be an exciting landmark.

But for now we're not even halfway up! Boulder is at 5400 ft. We've been ascending about 10 feet per mile for the last 400 miles or so across Nebraska and eastern Colorado. It feels like to whole thing was totally flat, but its actually a very gentle ramp. So you get up to 5400 feet without ever even realizing you were going up. That's about to change when we ascend another 6,000 feet in 40 miles.

Cycling at night

















I have some pretty awesome flashing lights too, but they don't show up in the photo. This nightime schedule has been great. There are almost no cars on the roads as we pedal away under the stars.

Oceans of grass


















Yeah. Pretty much. This is Nebraska.

Trains

















There are a ton of trains out here. Most are carrying either coal or gravel, or large freight containers. The railroad we were following in Nebraska is the original First Transcontinental Railroad built across the US in 1869.

Somebody more hardcore than us

















This is Eric and his donkey, Moses. Eric is walking barefoot with his donkey from Ohio to Seattle to meet Bill Gates and talk to him about education. Eric told us about his philosophy on life and recited poetry to us, while Moses quietly openned my rear panier and tried to eat some of our bread. The large thing on Moses' back is a solar panel used to power video cameras which record every step of their journey. They have been on the road for over a year. Eric told us he is not in any rush.


Lake McConaughy


















This is a large lake in Nebraska just north of Ogalalla. We camped in a nearby state park and took a day off at the lake to go swimming and relax!























Fishing is also a popular sport at the lake. Above: A woman shows off filets from her fresh catch.

Colorado

















Another day, another state.

Tornado Warning

On Friday afternoon we rolled into the tiny town of Wiggins, CO and got permission from the police to pitch our tent in the city park. We could see a large storm coming, so rather than set up camp right away we decided to hang out under a covered picnic area and wait for it to pass. We were sitting and chatting with Tammy, a local resident, when she got a cell phone call from her husband telling her to get out of the park. A tornado warning had been issued for the area!

Tammy took us back to her house and let us hide out there while the storm passed. Soon the wind was roaring and rain beat against the windows so hard you could barely see out. Fortunately, the storm passed without dropping any funnels, and the sun came out again. Aside from massive mud puddles on the dirt roads, not a sign remained of the storm, and we returned to the park to camp for the night.

The Mountians Approach

The next morning we got up and the horizon was for once entirely clear of storm clouds. We could just make out a line of mountains on the horizon! The following is a series of photos starting at approximately 70 miles out and ending at the foot of the mountains just outside Boulder. It was so immensely satisfying to watch the mountains approach all day long.

(click photos to enlarge)



































































Next update will be in a week or so after we cross those beautiful snowy peaks!