I think I got enough sleep despite the late night activity at the restaurant/bar next door. I packed up and left fairly early as usual. No incentive to stay longer in Hartsel. The route was on the pavement for the first 5 miles, and then turned onto the gravel/dirt road for most of the day, and over Marshall Pass. Again, I was surprised on the number of vehicles on the road this early on this remote stretch. Many were hauling dirt or gravel, and then I would see them again when they turned around empty. There must be some construction activity further on. They very courteous by slowing down when they passed, since they would blow up big clouds of dust. Some of the pickups didn’t slow down which was very annoying. This road also had the worst washboards that I have seen so far. They would stretch all across the road, so no way to avoid them. You just had to endure the jarring and rattling.
Eventually I came to the place where most of these trucks were dumping their loads. It looked like it was going to be something large, but I couldn’t tell what. It was in the middle of nowhere. I was just glad there would be less traffic the rest of the way. The rest of the route was more remote and nothing worth writing about or taking pics. The last 12 miles into Salida was really nice with a non-stop downhill on very smooth gravel road. Glorious to not whale to pedal most of that stretch. Lots of bikers heading up the mountain for a day ride.
View towards Salida
Salida is probably my most favorite town on the route so far. It has a much more outdoorsy character, less pretentious, with plenty of places to eat and bike shops. The Arkansas River runs right next to the downtown area, with many kayaks, rafts, and surfers. I did check availability of motels, but they were ridiculously priced. It was Friday, so maybe weekend pricing but I think it is this way most of the peak season. I found a hostel that a lot of Colorado Trail hikers use. Much more reasonable at $43 a night versus $250 for a Motel 8. I liked the vibe, but the rooms were a bit cramped. I might invest in some ear plugs along with my eye mask.
Arkansas River
Hostel
There were no other GDMBR SOBO riders that I knew who were continuing on. Wes from Tasmania and Steve from Houston would be ending their adventure here in Salida. It started to feel a bit lonelier, even though I usually didn’t bike with anyone during the day. It was nice to camp or eat dinner with them to strategize on the next day ahead. Sean from Seattle and Hamish/Jess from New Zealand were just a day behind me. I decided to go ahead and take a rest day tomorrow since Salida was such a neat town, and I could link up with them heading further south.
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