SEPTEMBER 12, DAY 11

VERNAL, UT to RANGLEY, CO : 55 miles 

Yesterday's 150 mile ride was challeningly epic while  today's ride was gloriously enjoyable. We left Utah and entered Colorado our 5th state. Weather was  perfect; sun in our face, bright blue and not a  cloud  in the sky. The pace was fast 19mph and only 1,800 feet of climbing. We were all smiles…

Seeing America on a bike is truly a special experience, traveling at a slow speed over country roads as opposed to 75 mph in a car on freeways. The wind in your face not unlike sailing on the water, sometimes hours and hours of no noise  than the wind.

Green River near Vernal, UT.  Not that green, but  the  river on which John Wesley Powell launched his  1869 expedition into Grand Canyon from Green River Wyoming.

Rangely, CO -about a half-a-horse town.  Here only because in 1931 Chevron tapped into the massive Rangely oil field.  Also extensive coal and natural gas reservoirs.

People our tour have encountered  along the way seem to be very interested in what we are doing;  but most of them learning we are from the faced paced city life  would not trade places. Small town America is the greatness of this country; farmers, manufacturing, production.  Early this morning at 5:30 am I was having coffee in a local diner and a curious couple , clearly knowing I was an outsider  asked what I was doing. I explained I was  biking from the Canadian border to Albuquerque, NM.  They asked if I was riding a Harley I said "no I'm riding a Cinelli"  they said they never heard of it.  I told them it is an  Italian brand bicycle  they asked if it was fast and I told them as fast as I can pedal… it was pretty funny but you may have had to have been there. 

MY BABY 

We ended the day with an ice cream social. Here are some of the "cast" of this show; I am among very athletic, determined, vastly inspiring people! 

LON HALDERMAN (MIDDLE); OWNER OF PAC TOURS AND 2 TIME WINNER OF THE RAAM- RACE ACROSS AMERICA. FRONT RIGHT Mike and Joan Deltchmam. She has completed the race across America twice and he has done double ironman  in Canada. 
 

On left Steve Marshall  who did the PAC tour ride across  America in the elite tour 17 days (165 miles day) and man on right Bill Phillippi whose  son designs American Girl Dolls. 

Tomorrow 120 miles 8,000 feet climbing, landing in Grand Junction Colorado .

BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED!!

Today's miles 55
Total miles 1205
Today's climb 2000
Total climb   45500
 Avg speed today 19mph