Scott Junker Rides the Great Divide
Journal #9
Evergreen, Colorado
Hello- As I left Rawlins the road led up a series of buttes and I climbed back up to some serious elevation, after a lunch stop in the shade of a backhoe I set out to ascend the last section of hill, and as I was cresting the divide itself I saw what I thought was a large dog over the top of the hill.
As I continued to ride towards it I realized that the 'dog' was standing on it's hind legs and was not in fact a dog at all but a black bear. Before I could do anything it began to run down the road, directly towards me. In the beleif that I was being charged by a hungry bear after my peanut-butter-sandwich-breath I began to fumble for the bear spray that I had originally been so reluctant to carry. As the thing galloped directly towards me I finally heard the sound of a truck coming up the other side of the hill and realized that the beast was not charging me but running away from the pickup. He continued to run straight at me until he came within 15 yards (which was far too close for my comfort) he hung a hard left and ran up the hill beside the trail.
The pickup truck chasing him stopped next to me as I was still trying to regain my breath. The passenger greeted me with a "you carryin' right?" I replied negatively but mentioned that I had the pepper spray she shot right back with "You bes' turn youself right round and get back to town as you ain't go no biness out here without something that shoots bullets" although I was unnerved enough at my Mutual of Omaha moment I felt no need to comply as she had fewer teeth than a jockey pulley and gave the distinct impression that she never went anywhere without some type of firearm. Keep in mind that I was in Wyoming where even convicted felons are allowed to carry guns.
Although I didn't heed her advise, I did ride with the pepper spray fire extinguisher in my pocket and never touched either the little chainring or the ground until I hit paved highway 25 miles later. ,
Because of the late start from Rawlins I had a beautiful 15 mile rolling descent at dusk among aspen to the town of Slater, where I wandered into what appeared to be an abandoned mobile home park. I set up camp and ate dinner and while I was preparing for bed an old man appeared behind me and just wanted to make sure that I knew where to find the water, bathrooms etc. He was the camp host and hadn't intended to surprise me but didn't know where his flashlight was.
I slept well and in the morning I took a long hot shower and washed off most of what I had thought was a tan. I rode on from there all the way into Steamboat Springs and the route took me through some beautiful high valleys eventually dropping me onto Elk River Road which leads into town.
After a big ice cream cone and a quick spin through the town I settled on the surf and turf special at Johnny's Diner (Fish sticks and a rib-eye with potato salad) as I was eating, Mike, the owner, went off on a rant about "anybody who rides a bike on Elk River Road from June through September is asking to die" I mentioned that I had just come down that road with a bob trailer and indeed had a few close calls with motorists.
He bought me a beer and toasted my outstanding fortune. I camped in Lincoln Park by the river and slept peacefully. In the morning I had a big breakfast at Winona's and me a couple of born and bred locals. I ended up eating with Chula and her mother Gigi who were fascinated by the trip and had designs of their own on a long distance cycle tour.
From Steamboat I rode up Rabbit Ears Pass which is a 7 mile 2,500 climb, popular among some of the more masochistic locals, many of whom rocketed past me as I was slogging up the hill at a whopping 5 mph. Which, by the way is not fast enough to outpace the flies that are un-affected by mosquito repellent and bite, hard.
It was a long day in the saddle to get all of the way to Silverthorne where I had a roast beef sandwich a couple pints of Guinness and fell asleep in the city park. This morning I woke up and while was still packing, I got a call from Wendy and Al Jewsbury, long time family friends who live near Denver, they offered to pick me up and drive me back to their home for a day of rest. I of course agreed and I am now sitting in their living room writing to you fine people.
I will be deposited tomorrow back where I left off this morning to regain the trail and continue on my way southward, but until then I will enjoy the luxury of a home for the evening.
-Scott
Overview of Scott Junker's Adventure
Scott Junker's Ride Photo Album
Other Events from Sundance Cycles
Serotta Demo Bikes Visited Sundance
The two Serotta Demo rides this past weekend were excellent. Many pictures from these rides will be displayed soon. Read the great review and see more images from the Serotta Demo day and Sundance Cycles, LLC Saturday Ride.
The 2006 Serotta demo fleet represented a wide cross-section of Serotta's product offerings. From the new, all-carbon MeiVici to the updated and refreshed Fierte line. Serotta
Shimano 06 Dura Ace 7801-SL Wheel Set - Shimano recently invited a select few “vip” retailers to Solvang for a three-day focus group to test their new 2006 Dura Ace SL wheels. More about Aj's adventure
AMGEN Tour of California Photos
Classic Climbs of the Giro - Article by Steve Dozier appeared in Roadie International
Trek Travel Party
Sorry you missed it. Check out the photos and information about Trek Travel.
