Wednesday 10/6
Nice to have a non travel day! This road closure has worked out. Because thr highway is only open certain times, you have a small caravan for a hour or so then one or two cars a hour. Campsite is very nice. The weather has been a little bit of everything but it is blue skies and puffy clouds today.
Time for Blaze to stretch. The main Visitor Center is 4-5 miles up US50. The bike lanes are 6-8′ wide and almost no traffic. Riding a electric bike changes your thought processes from confronting the hills to it becoming a enjoyable trip. I can pretty much keep cadence, no matter which gear. If i’m in gear 3 and the hill gets steeper, i can gear down to 2 or up the assist and maintain the same effort. I’ve been in gear 1 assist 5 for 1/2 mile streches, it will eat up bar of battery in a hurry. That beening said, using Blaze the way i use him, i see my battery going at least 60-80 miles and i’m almost sure over a 100 miles. Now because it is more fun and you are able to cover greater distances in shorter times the miles add up. I cruised to the Visitor’s center, all thru the CG, down to the bottom of the boat ramp and all around the grounds. On the way back there were 3 other access sites that i rode down and explored. About 15 miles. Came back had lunch, and rode the other direction to the bridge at the head of the inlet. A very nice day for a bike ride. Tomorrow head up the west side of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Maybe camp, if not head towards Telluride.
