Adventures

Day 23: Mythical Ice Cream

Several cars were stuck in the snow on Indiana Pass

Del Norte (6 July 2019) It looked like rain as we headed out from the bike hostel in Del Norte to resume our march to the Mexican border. A cold moist breeze greeted us under a blanket of gray. In stark contrast to the last couple of days, all of the clothes I carried were worn. Justine Heckman was right to be concerned about the hot dry days of riding before us but that morning out of Del Norte, was anything but.

I expected it would take days to fully recover from the dehydration suffered the day before. Even so, this did not weigh heavy on my mind. In fact, I felt great. In retrospect, past challenges never dragged me down during the Tour Divide. I have in the past missed the opportunity presented by the moment by focusing too much attention on the past. Surprisingly, during the Tour Divide, the moment almost always had all of my attention. Neither the threat of rain nor the fragile state of my physiology dampened my enthusiasm for the climb to Indiana Pass.

At 11,910 feet, Indiana Pass is the highest point on the Tour Divide route. Soon after leaving town, the climb began on pavement lined with horse pastures and stands of pine. The grade was mostly gentle but the effort of the climb warmed me quickly. Despite the apparent threat of rain, the outer jacket was removed. Mikki climbed ahead but was overtaken when the pavement ended and jackets were packed.

The view from the top of Indiana Pass. Less snow here than on the slopes of the climb.

The climbs in Colorado have mostly been long and gradual. Indiana Pass was certainly long but it surprised me how steep sections of the climb were. The climb consisted of series of steep upward throws followed by a switchback, a false flat and another steep section. This pattern continued with some regularity. The length of the steep throws varied and a few were quite long. It was a challenge and the further I was into it the climb, the more I wanted to keep going.

There was car parked on the left side of the road ahead and a person standing in the road doing something. Upon approach, it became clear that he was using his phone to record a video. I thought that was awesome and let him know the name of my Facebook page in hopes he would post it there and I could continue the climb unabated. When he offered me a banana, I absolutely had to stop -- to do otherwise would have been rude. It was Shawn Devlin and he was playing trail angel while scouting the route for is own attempt of the Tour Divide planned for 2020. Sadly, the pandemic put an end to those plans. Perhaps he'll attempt the border to border version of the Tour Divide planned for 2021. In any event, it was good to talk to him despite my focus on the climb. Thankfully, he made the stop well worth it and we remain connected on Facebook.

Happy with the climb.

The alpine meadow is one of my favorite environments so I had mixed feelings about the snow. At nearly 12,000 feet in elevation on the 6th of July, there was still snow which made me think most of the flowers were still a week or more away. Fortunately, these delicate looking yet hardly plants greeted me with flowers of yellow and white. The snow was strangely thrilling and created a wonderful scene with spots of white snow on a sea of green grass with a sprinkling of color brought forth by the alpine flowers.

After an initially steep downhill, the road leveled out as it dropped into a creek valley. It was broad and green with grass, brush and tree. The valley was the perfect spot for a nice lunch. With the bike gently placed against a tree, I looked around and walked back along the side of the road. A deer was grazing nearby and seemed curious to my presence. I stood still as it walked toward my direction ears out wide and head held high. When I murmured a gentle greeting, she relaxed and returned to grazing. In response, I walked back to my bike leaving her to graze while I devoured my own lunch.

Lunch in a valley after the top of the pass.

At the top of pass where the sun's energy bathed the earth during the long days of summer there was very little snow. On the way down from the pass there was plenty of snow on the side of the road where the sun's rays were blocked by gullies of rock. As the bike bounded down the mountain, the sun was hidden from view by a thick layer of gray clouds which hung just above the mountain tops and occasionally brought drizzle down upon me. The moist chill demanded all of my clothes again for most of the descent. Despite the cold temperatures and moist air, the altitude did not seem to impact how I felt, except perhaps, to increase the feeling of elation for the moment.

It was wet. There was a little drizzle in the air as the bike headed down the wet gravel road. Dodging puddles in pot holes, the bike glided gently downward at first. The road rose and fell a couple of times until it came to a big sweeping bend littered with people and cars. There were two or three cars stuck in the snow and at least as many trucks with ropes and chains attempting to free them. It was a chaotic scene. Several people were just standing around taking it all in. One kind person took a few pictures of me as I crossed the snow with substantially more grace than an automobile.

There seemed to be no shortage of fast switchbacks on the way down the mountain which occasionally tested the grip of the tires. It was thrilling at times but required all systems to be on high alert for holes and other dangers. The mental demand was exhausting. Occasionally, the road would rise again as it crossed from one creek valley to another.

More snow on the way down.

Finally, a broad valley emerged with horse pastures, summer homes and retreats. The Platora General Store and Gold Nugget Cafe soon appeared and Jim's bike was spotted resting against the building. Jim was at a table and had almost finished his meal when I joined him. His spirits were high. He was feeling the Tour Divide calling him back to the route but decided to have some more coffee while I waited for lunch to arrive. He pointed out the board, signed by the racers ahead of us on Tour Divide. It was good to see the board was crowded with names. That board was a testament to the toughness and determination of everyone who signed and it was an honor to be among them.

Mikki arrived about the time Jim departed, missing him by seconds it seemed. He was feeling good as well and after eating and shopping for supplies, we were ready to hit the road together. Upon seeing the bike, I paused. I told Mikki I was going to wash my bike and started to retreat into the store to ask when I noticed a young man preparing a couple of ATVs for use. When asked, he turned on the hose and quick work was made of the mud and sand that had already hardened on the bike during lunch.

An easy walk over the snow with the bike on the back

A collared coyote meandered across the snow despite all of the human activity

Mikki and I biked along together on the gentle gravel road toward highway 17 and the Elk Creek Campground in Horca. When Mikki and I rolled past the Horca Gallery and Gifts store, it appeared to be closed. He wanted to stop anyway because he thought it was one of those places that catered to Tour Divide racers but I talked him out of it. In any case, when we arrived at the campground Jim appeared to be negotiating with the camp host. Apparently, the camp host was hesitant to let Jim camp at a spot he picked out in the overflow section of the campground. It was probably reserved by a party that had not yet arrived and given the hour, was unlikely to. Oblivious to what was happening, it seemed to me the camp host was messing with us, perhaps in an attempt to determine if we were worthy. Without hesitation, I barged in and told him, in my best fake demanding voice, we were expecting ice cream. "We were told you had ice cream for us," I blurted out. That seemed to do the trick as his attitude instantly changed. We all shared a fictional story about the person that runs the store Mikki and I never visited. He went on and on about what a joker that guy is and seemed to really enjoy the moment as he directed the three of us to the awesome campsite Jim picked out. Later Jim told me he stopped at the gift store. It was apparently closed when he went by but the owner was out front and flagged him down. Jim enjoyed a burrito and lots of conversation with the nonfictional proprietor. For all I knew, ice cream could have been mentioned.

This was an epic and wonderful day. The climb from Del Norte to the top of Indiana Pass was really hard which made it incredibly satisfying. I might just do that again sometime. It ranked as my one of my favorite climbs of the Tour Divide, bested only by Fleecer Ridge. It was really fun meeting and talking with Shawn on the climb. I'm looking forward to following his dot on TrackLeaders during some future Tour Divide. It was all great -- crossing snow, getting muddy and talking with new friends. The thought of our interaction with the camp host still makes me smile.

The next day was a challenge for me on the Divide. I didn't know it at the time but the main problem started that evening in Horca. I just didn't feel like eating and didn't take in nearly enough calories after camp was setup with Jim and Mikki. At the time, I felt great and was completely unaware of this potential problem. The consequences were unfortunately revealed the following day.

Elevation Profile for Day 23

On to Day 24