Rifle to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Saturday, July 6, 2024
I know, the song goes Route 66, but US 66 is largely gone, just bits of it preserved for historical value. US 6, however, is very much alive, and dear to my heart. It starts at the tip of Cape Cod, in Provincetown, where I spent three years repaying the public health service for putting me through medical school by providing terminal care in the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. One of the longest roads in the country, it ends in Bishop, California. I was excited to follow it today.
But it was only one of four major thoroughfares here. I’ve already talked about the Colorado River, which has carved a steep valley, almost a canyon through the reddish rocks. Much of it was rapids, and I passed many whitewater rafters.
Also here was I-70, running from Baltimore to Utah, we followed much of it on our family trip out west in 1970. Often it was the only road available, and here it is still open to bicyclists.
And finally, there is the railroad, conveying freight trains and the California Zephyr, the train I will be taking home in three weeks. I heard, but did not see it go by today.
What’s that, you say? You’re going home in three weeks? You’re not completing the cross-country ride, not doing any of those highpoints you have left? All you’ve done so far is parking lots. Yes, the extreme weather in the Great Plains and Deep South is already setting records, and a hurricane (Beryl) is coming through earlier than ever seen before. You may recall how hot it was in North Dakota three years ago in July, I almost stopped then. This time I will be much further south, and global warming has gotten that much worse. It just doesn’t seem prudent to continue. Instead, I will aim to traverse three 12,000 foot passes, do the trailhead for Colorado’s highpoint, Mt Elbert, and finish in Denver. That will close the loop of going coast to coast, in three stages, for total of 9,000 miles. In the words of Eliza Hamilton, that would be enough. More about that later.
For now, it was thrilling to see these four major arteries—two highways, a railroad, and a river— all coming together in a colorful valley. An aorta, of sorts. Pretty cool.
I capped the day by being a shameless tourist, visiting Glenwood Hot Springs, supposedly the world’s largest thermal mineral water pool. It was crowded but relaxing, and the “lazy river” was more like tubing through rapids.
Very self indulgent, but wait’ll you see what’s coming.
Distance 32 miles, 2,849 total. Time 6 hours with stops. Elevation gain 1,002 feet
©️ 2024 Scott Luria
The Ends of the Earth 