Greetings from Dinosaur, Colorado

Lisa sent this a couple of days ago, since then they have entered the Rockies and the scenery is gorgeous. They are looking forward to a shorter day. Kari and I are doing well, Kari is back to work in the kitchen this morning.

Greetings from Dinosaur, Colorado!

I’ll cover three days (Sunday – Tuesday) July 20 – July 22.
On Sunday (our day off in Park City, Utah) we spent the morning sleeping in and cleaning up our bikes and doing a little routine maintenance. We then caught the shuttle from our camp ground into Park City to do laundry (a lovely chore at a Laundromat filled with about 30 middle school aged kids on some adventure outing).
We made a contact with some friends of Jane’s parents who moved to Park City about 7 years ago. They were kind enough to pick us up from the Laundromat and take us out to lunch. It was great to have a relaxing lunch at a restaurant and not be rushed to get back on the bikes. They also stocked us up with baked goods that were gone by noon on Tuesday (food does not last very long with this group).
Monday was a 95 mile day (which registered as over 100 miles on out bike odometers. The scenery was fantastic. There was a large and steep climb between the 25 and 35 mile point. We were on “sweep duty” which means we have to stay in back of the group to make sure no one gets lost or is out on the road needing help. Because of the difficulty of the day, there were several riders who struggled and we ended up pulling into camp around 7:00 PM. It was a long day but still enjoyable because of the great scenery.
Tuesday was another 90 mile day. We were basically back in the desert after having some mountain scenery on Monday with actual trees. The day was pretty easy except the last 20 miles which was a long gradual uphill into the wind and the temperature was well into the 90s. There was NOTHING in this 20 mile stretch. It was both physically and mentally tough. We crossed into Colorado about 3 miles before the end of the ride.
We are not big fans of rumble strips that are built into roads to keep drivers alert if they wander off the road. These rumble strips are built exactly where bicyclists like to ride. Our choices are farther into the lane or farther to the right which has more gravel and other junk. This usually leads to more flat tires. Both of us have 4 flat tires to date and have each ruined a tire on the road.
We have 2 more days this week which will be at or near 90 miles. It will be a difficult stretch of cycling with the amount of miles. I am told by one of the riders who is from Denver that we will have one more day of desert terrain and then it will begin to change. We are excited for the change.
Other than the dishwasher, the comfort of home I miss second is the ice maker in the refrigerator. As much as I am trying, I have NOT come to enjoy the warm water in the water bottle on the bike. I drink it because I need to. Also, when this trip is done, it will be a LONG time before I have oatmeal, a granola bar, or a peanut butter sandwich.
I am not sure when we will be able to post this update. The Internet is not currently functioning.
Thanks for your continued prayers and support. We have opportunities to discuss the purpose of our tour daily. Just today, I talked to 4 different people (groups).