Continental Divide

June 29 - rode 183 mi (total to date 1274 mi) in the last three days on a road that was a 19th century highway. I’ve ridden from the treeless expanse of Wyoming to the lush North Park area of Colorado fed by the Platte River to the headwaters of the Colorado itself. What I've done in the past 10 days has been to crisscross the Continental Divide getting a close up view of the watersheds of the Missouri, Snake, and Colorado Rivers. I've seen wildlife surprised by the silence of the bicycle. I have met about 15 young people making the Virginia-Oregon trip and fewer retired people. The young, products of each coast, seem surprised and shocked by the style of American life they saw traveling slowly through Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. One aspect of this experience I didn’t anticipate has been probably a quarter of the riders I meet are not Americans… my favorites so far are Fred and Barbara Seymour, both 77, Aussies, on a Commotion Tandem having “the time of their lives” riding from Yorktown to Astoria, joking about how jealous their children are…The "intelligence sharing" by riders going opposite directions huddled on the highway shoulder: "avoid this town", "this campground is great", "don't miss this hotspring”…we are like 21st century hobos (with some money) riding the backroads of the country. I have been riding the main river valleys of the mountain states, slowly ascending the spine of the Rockies until, in two days, I expect to crest Hoosier Pass (11,500 ft) and descend into the plains. I’m feeling good…I usually am tired at the end of a riding day…I’m getting stronger but my hallmarks are heart and endurance