Monarch pass goes uphill for 9 miles, gains 5,000 feet of elevation and tops out at 11,312 feet above sea level. Today, we rode up and over the summit of the Monarch Pass on our bicycles. The summit also marks the Continental Divide, which separates the Pacific from the Atlantic side of the continent.
The best part of the day was coming down the hill after the climb. I averaged over 40 miles per hour for 9 miles straight, which is most definitely a record for me. It is an unbelievable feeling riding down a mountain on a bicycle. Not only is the speed an adrenaline rush, the sense of accomplishment that comes with having ridden over a mountain, a huge freaking mountain, is indescribable.
My fingers are killing me because I am typing this on my cell phone because we do not have internet in this motel. It's like we are staying in 1985. Despite the lack of technology here, the resataurant adjacent to our internet void makes an incomprable banana merengue pie. Between the pie and the rice krispy treats that I couldnlt stop gnawing on I think I gained back all of the calories I burned pedaling up the mountain. Tomorrow should be fun seeing as we get to go to Royal Gorge which boasts the highest suspension bridge in the world (pictures to follow tomorrow).
Ok, I really can't take any more tapping on this cell phone. These things were not made for this and I think I'm losing feeling in my thumbs so I'm going to stop before it is permanent. By the way, the funky picture of the store with all the antlers was of a store that buys antlers and sells them. The entrepreneureal spirit is alive and strong in Gunnison, Colorado.
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