Yes Suze, you're right - I had another non-rest day today. I only rode my bike to the grocery store, but I was busy from 9 to 3. Hmm... I may take another day off very soon to really rest, but I am planning to move on tomorrow. As Terry (from the bike shop) pointed out, there are some small mountain villages coming up that are nicer places to just hang a little further up the road.
So what did I do today? I took the purple Air Glide to the Great Divide bike shop for a tuneup, found a post office and shipped my cooking gear to my parents, got my hair cut, wandered through the historic district of Pueblo, stopped for lunch, picked up the bike, rode to the grocery store to pick up some supplies, and came back to the hotel to have a snack and to rearrange and repack everything. (How's that for a run-on sentence?) That may not sound like much, but it took me all day!
The bike rides like a dream now, with much smoother shifting than before. It was definitely time for a tuneup, and a new chain, new derailleur cables and housings, and new tires help too. The guys at the Great Divide were great. They did a great job on the bike, and they gave me an alternate route out of Pueblo that sounds better than the Adventure Cycling route. Terry recommended riding to Canon City on US 50 instead of route 96. He said he rides both of them and finds US 50 both more direct and more pleasant. I'm definitely going to follow his recommendation.
I kept my tent and sleeping bag, but I decided I'd carried the cooking gear far enough given the number of times I've used it (or should I say I haven't used it?). That went home, and I looked at everything else I'm carrying and decided that everything else had to stay. I haven't used my warm clothing layers, but I'm not about to head into the mountains without them!
Hair cut... I couldn't stand my hair any more. It had been 7 weeks since my last hair cut, and I usually get it cut every 4 weeks during the summer. Sorry Alan, I had to do it! It's not an Alan-quality haircut, but it's short and that makes me happy. I feel like a new woman.
I wandered into an art gallery in the historic district that had some absolutely beautiful paintings, all by local artists. The artist who impressed me the most worked in watercolors. His paintings were fabulous and contained wonderful bright colors. It would have been pretty easy for me to buy one of his paintings, but now is not the right time. Let's see, do you think carrying a framed watercolor in my trailer is a good idea?
I found Pueblo to be interesting. I suspect that the contrast between the other riders I met who liked the town vs. those who didn't like it had to do with whether they found the historic district or not. The Riverwalk and the historic district were both interesting, and I liked the sculptures scattered through downtown. I'm glad I stayed in town instead of heading to the "motel strip" on the outskirts of town.
Time to go soak in the whirlpool for a bit before I head out to find some dinner. I know ice is better for my knees, but the whirlpool feels so good. I'll ice my knees later...
