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I enjoy a little good fortune and discover the route I'm following out of Cotopaxi reopened yesterday. I confirm this news with a truckload of firefighters before heading up the hill. They say the fire was nasty but it's safe now.
It's started raining pretty hard a few hours before I took this photo and I sported the rain gear for the first time on the trip.
There's a fresh dusting of snow in the Rockies from the storm that hit last night.
Right around here I meet Mario from Miami. He's riding east and he's shocked that it has taken me a month to get this far. He's used to a warmer climate and complains that everywhere outside of Florida is "freezing".
The weather today is really whacky and I change in and out of cold weather gear at least four times. Leaving Westcliffe I cruise through wide open plains and a few brutal hills.
After a few big climbs I am treated to a speedy decent through a green river canyon on the way to Wetmore. Past Wetmore the road flattens a bit and I catch a nasty headwind for the remaining 20 miles to Pueblo. I stop often to rest and trip out on the sky and clouds.
The shoulder here is wide and inviting but full of sharp objects. I remember a westbound duo who reported three flats each on their ride leaving Pueblo. I ride in the lane as much as possible to preserve my no-flats streak.
The wind is just killin me and Pueblo seems to be some kind of hidden city. Although I'm only two miles away there is no clue that would suggest a city of 100k + is nearby. I finally reach Pueblo and my route takes me past the zoo and I eventually realize the ACA map is taking me all the freaking way around Pueblo for the sake of following a designated bike lane. I abandon that plan and just take 4th street across the bridge to downtown.
Downtown Pueblo scene has architecture that reminds me of SOMA San Francisco with with the "where-is-everybody?" factor of downtown San Jose. I enjoy dinner at an Irish pub and grab a cheap/gross motel and call it a night.
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