Day 53: Eads to Ordway

This morning, I didn’t eat breakfast because there were no convenience stores nearby. The cafe in town was closed. So I only ate a granola bar. Joe and I started riding after we got ready.

My body needed the fuel, which I only got from a granola bar and some trail mix

During today’s ride I met seven cyclists all coming from the west. The first two were Kurt and Helga. They rode on the Western Express trail and now will go to the east coast. Helga warned me about water shortage west of Pueblo and Kurt told me the scenery is so great that it’s like riding a bike on the moon. I gave Kurt my dog repellent because they will definitely need it when they go through Missouri and Kentucky. 

Kurt and Helga

The third cyclist was Ward. We only talked briefly and I forgot where he was riding from and to. Two British cyclists on a tandem bike passed by us while we were talking. They seemed to be in a hurry so we only greeted each other.

Ward

The sixth cyclist was Rob. He was doing a loop from Ohio to California. He’s on his way back to Ohio.

Rob

In the Sugar City Cafe in the town of Sugar City, I had two plates of BBQ ribs and some ice cream for dessert. Joe had a BLT sandwich. He went ahead this time while I was relaxing in the cafe. When I was just about to mount on my bike to ride five more miles to Ordway, the seventh cyclist showed up. He invited me for a soda at the cafe, so I stayed and chatted with him since there was also a storm coming.

This, times two, plus ice cream

His name is Chris and he’s 29 years old, from Australia. He’s riding the TransAmerica Trail from Astoria, Oregon, to Yorktown, Virginia. We had a great time talking and drinking sodas. I felt I could have chatted more with him but we each had to leave. Chris is trying to ride 55 more miles to Eads in the afternoon.

Chris

I rode about 5 miles to Ordway with a strong headwind. I could only ride about 8 mph. I met up with Joe, who was at a convenience store. I told him there’s a Warmshower host named Gillian and we should find her house. In her profile, she indicated to ask the locals in town for directions to her house. Luckily, Helga and the owner of Sugar City Cafe told me the directions to Gillian’s. Joe had missed her place. We rode to Gillian’s place together and found the trailer for cyclists.

After parking our bikes, we went to Gillian’s house and met Gillian. She is a very nice lady from New Zealand. We talked for awhile then I took a shower. She wants some help with her website, alternativecolorado.com, so I’ll be helping her after writing this post. I plan on making a bag of ramen for dinner then get a good rest for tomorrow’s ride to Pueblo.

Gillian