48: Cathedral Ranch
I write this while sitting in my tent this morning waiting for the sun. It rained last evening, then the skies cleared and temperatures plummeted. This morning everything is frozen solid. Bike bag zippers. Rotors. Drive train. Tent panels. All frozen solid until the sun comes and melts the ice.
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Once the sun came out things melted quickly and I was on my way over the pass to Cathedral Ranch, a veritable Shangri-La for bikepackers, conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. They have cabins, hot showers, coffee, WiFi, a bikewash station, and a mini store that could rival REI for having everything a bikepacker might need from brake pads to dehydrated beef stroganoff.
I dried my tent, drank coffee, ate ice cream, and downloaded some new audiobooks (having finished Theodore Rex, My Brilliant Friend, and Running with Sherman all in the last two days) before thanking LeAnn and Brad for their gracious hospitality before begrudgingly getting back on the road.
The ~20 mile climb up Spring Creek Pass was gentle but sustained. In a light rain at the top of the pass where the wilderness bypass route T’s back into the CDT, I stopped to contemplate the weather forecast (heavier rain) and my route options. I could travel east on the CDT in be in Creede at the Tommy Knocker brewery by midday tomorrow. Or, I could go west and ride more of the CDT and backtrack to Creede. I chose west, drawn by the allure of the CDT high point some 15 miles to the west.
Another 45 minutes or so and the rain intensified, driving me into my camp and my tent for another early evening (though with a bit of cell service… a rare treat!). I’m annoyed at having barely managed 5 hours of riding today, though given the weather, I guess I made the most of it.