Day 43: Canon City, CO Rest Day

Day 43

June 28, 2015

Miles: 0

Rest day in Cañon City, CO

This post is coming to you from the guest blogger for the day, Jen.

For those of you who don't know me, I am Steve's daughter. My boyfriend, Ben, and I have been having an amazing time visiting my dad and Di for the past few days! On the first day we met up, they asked me if I would want to do a blog post at some point, and I think they were looking forward to a night off from the blog, so here I am! Let's see how this goes...

Since almost all of the hotels in town were booked last night, we found ourselves at a less than ideal motel. Before we went to bed, we all decided that even though we were taking the day off today, we would check into a different hotel. Our plan was to meet at 10:30 and head to breakfast, then we would find a better hotel for tonight.

I woke up around 8:00 and went off in search of coffee. First, I walked to the cafe around the corner, but they were closed on Sunday. Disappointed, but determined, I went back to the room to get my bike and I rode around until I found a Starbucks. I brought back an iced coffee for Ben and I, and we waited for the riders to arise. I looked up the breakfast options in town, and found the one with the best reviews. We ended up on the back patio at the Good Thyme Cafe. Ben and I walked there, since Ben's tire blew up last night, while my dad and Di rode their bikes. It was only a short 5 minute walk from the motel.

Ben ordered an egg sandwich, and the rest of us had omelets with toast and potatoes, and plenty of coffee of course.

After breakfast, we found ourselves at the bike shop. This bike shop was also a cafe, which I think is an ingenious combination. There was another such combo shop in Gunnison, and I loved the concept there too! The bike portion of the shop was actually closed on Sunday, but when we got there we found three other bikers riding the TransAmerica bike route, headed west. This is the same route that Ben and I took four years ago! One of the bikers had an issue with his bike about 6 miles outside of town, and was unable to pedal anymore. He had to hitch into Canon City while the other two rode in. These bikers were able to call the bike mechanic to come into the shop especially for them, which worked out perfectly for us, because Ben needed a new tire. 

We ordered lemonades and chatted with the other bikers while Ben picked out his tire. Then Ben and I put the new tire on his wheel, with help and supervision from my dad. Diane chose a new hotel for us, and after a little relaxation, we left the cafe/bike shop for the new and improved hotel.

Hanging in Red Canon Cycles

Cool artwork

Ben, showing off his new tire and beautiful scenery 

Ben chose to wear the same outfit as me today.  I was flattered.

We stopped at Walgreens to pick up a few supplies, and then headed to the hotel. This hotel is a half mile further outside of town than last night's motel. After we rode here, my dad declared that he did not want to get on his bike any more today. We checked in, and rested in our rooms for a while. Ben and I took a trip to Starbucks, then back to the room to work on the crossword puzzle and read. Around 5:30, my dad and Di took their trip to Starbucks. 

This sign seemed perfectly fitting for a coffee lovers on a cross-country bike tour

Ben took one of Diane's (many) unwanted seats to put on his bike. He is riding his old touring bike, which is not the bike he usually rides at home, and it is therefore not in the best condition. His seat was stolen in Philly a few years ago, and he replaced it with a $9 saddle. Both my dad and Di have done a lot of researching and trying out new seats lately, so they were sympathetic to Ben's pain. I think Di is happy that one of her old (new) saddles has a new home now. 

When we were ready for dinner, we tried to find a place that was within very close walking distance, since biking was out of the question on this rest day. We walked around a bit, but everything was either closed on Sunday or had terrible reviews on Yelp. Food is very important on this trip. It is both nourishment and a source of happiness. A solid meal is necessary to ensure a good riding day, so we opted for the pizza place on Main Street. The restaurant was 2 miles from our hotel, and since we couldn't get on the bikes, and walking 4 miles round trip simply cannot be done on a rest day, we called up the local cab driver. Yes, there is one cab driver in town. And he was only two minutes away from us!

We drove down to Pizza Madness, and ordered salad, wings and a pizza. Our pizza order got lost and took over an hour to arrive at our table. We were compensated with cheesy bread and apologies from the chef. This place was pretty cool, and had that Colorado feel that we love, so we were all happy to hang out there and wait for our pizza. 

After dinner, we called up the cab driver to bring us back to the hotel. Even though I thought it was a little crazy to take a cab for such a short distance, my dad thought this was money extremely well spent! He didn't want any extra miles on that bike!

We are headed into Pueblo tomorrow, about 40 miles away. It will be the last day of biking for Ben and I, and we will have to say goodbye to my dad and Di. We've had an incredible time, and it was so much fun to join them on the road. We love reading the blog and talking on the phone, but to see them in person has made us feel like a part of their trip. I know that a trip like theirs has many ups and downs, but I have to admit that I've been worried about them. This trip requires physical strength of course, but it also requires such mental determination to will your body to continue biking through pain, fatigue, wind, mountains, rain, and whatever else comes up! I am so happy that we were able to come out here and see for ourselves that they are truly happy, healthy, and loving every minute of this grueling journey! I have no doubt that they will make it to the Atlantic Ocean as a great team!