Sargents to Salida
Strava: 66.1 km, 768m, 3:54, 53 Shifts, 70.2 kph max
It seemed like none of us slept well. The cabin was too warm or something. Anyway, by 7 when the Trading Post opened, we were packed and ready for breakfast. They don’t serve anything, but we had breakfast burritos warmed up and juice. I had a nice video chat with Katie, back home from Guatemala.
Leaving Sargents, we headed up the dirt road towards Marshall Pass, 25 km away. It was a steady climb, beautiful really, cool and fun. We all did it in one push, a bit over two hours. It was great to be back over 3300m. I talked to a cyclist who had started five days after us – he was young and very strong. We relaxed with snacks from the Trading Post before starting the long descent.
The descent was sometimes smooth, sometimes rocky, but scenic and fun. Eventually we hit a paved highway and took it down to Poncha Springs at 60-70 kph. We stopped at a brewery for refreshment, then rode down the hill a few km to Salida. We are staying at our friend Liz’s house (we met her in Pie Town and again in Grants.) We let ourselves in as she directed and unloaded.
Pretty much right away we headed downtown to the Subculture Bike Shop she recommended. It felt so amazing riding without all the baggage! really nice! We took the bike path a couple of km and spent some time at the bike shop. Andrew’s crank was tightened in 30 seconds. Daniel needed brake pads and his belt lubricated. Wytze needed brake pads and a new Garmin mount. I needed a new derailleur hanger and brake pads. We left the bikes and went to explore the town on foot.
Salida is small but really nice. It’s tourist oriented and we were able to buy a few small things we needed. We had a great lunch and later ice cream. We checked out the river then finally went back to the bike shop. Andrew and Daniel were done first and headed back; Wytze and I followed when our bikes were done. The shop is very professional and has everything you need.
After showers and laundry we ubered downtown for dinner at Shavano. There was one big nice table unoccupied by the window and we moved in. We started by ordering all four appetizers, plus wine and beer and cider. Later we ordered almost all the entrees and sides! By this time the waitress was very happy about her underdressed guests. We progressed to desserts and after dinner drinks for all. Wow we have not done anything like this since Italy in 2024! It is immensely fun to go this big at a really high quality restaurant after so many meals of instant mashed potatoes and tuna.
Salida just got Uber three months ago so we had the same friendly driver on the way home. What a fun day, sort of a rest day but we did climb one major pass. Tremendous shout out to Liz!
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