Day 42

Salida, CO to Gunnison, CO, about 64 miles.  Started the morning by climbing Monarch Pass.  Monarch Pass is where Highway 50 crosses the Continental Divide.  The Continental Divide is where water collecting on either side will flow in the opposite direction.  This is the highest elevation that I will climb to in the entire trip, at 11,312 feet.  The climb itself was long, with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain from Salida, but not too steep.  At the top, I met another cyclist doing an alternating supported tour of some national parks (she rides one day while her husband drives, and then her husband rides the next day while she drives). 

On the way down, I was met with some very strong winds which made the descent tricky, since I had to adjust my balance at every turn in the road, so I couldn't go too fast.  I did meet a group of three going up the other side, one couple from the UK going from San Francisco to New York, and a guy going solo from San Francisco to Pueblo.  At the bottom, I met two more cyclists, one doing his own week-long loop from Salida, and one doing a mountain bike race down the Continental Divide.  The rest of the day after the mountain was mostly flat, but a strong headwind made it long and slow.  Ended the night at the Wanderlust Hostel in Gunnison.