State Number 4 - Colorado

March 18th-March 21st

I made it to my next state later on that morning.  This road was very remote.  Not many cars and the shoulder a decent size.  Most of the time, I hugged the line and vehicles went around me.
It was a lonely ride to the border.  I did stop a mile before the border to charge my phone.  I was out of service, but I wanted it charged for pictures and just in case I was in the zone again.
I rode for many miles with wilderness and mountains in the background.  There were not many towns that I rode through that day.
Around lunch time I arrived in the oldest town of Colorado;  San Luis.  I tried to go to the library, but it was closed on Friday.  I rode around and then ate at a small sandwich place.
I then rode on to Fort Garland.  The winds had picked up and they were really blowing.  It was getting cloudy and colder.  I decided to hang out in Fort Garland for a couple of hours to write.  I knew that a big pass was coming up, but I wanted to camp on the western side of it.  I was still thinking of bears and not being able to hang my food.
I started riding again at 4:00, knowing that I had a few hours because of the time change.  At close to 6:00, I started to seriously look for a place.  I was now out of the sage brush and into the forest with snow on the ground.
I finally found a place not far from the road, but up off of it.
The ground was muddy and wet.  Snow was within feet of were I set up camp.  I knew that I was taking a chance with the bears; although there was a lot of traffic on the road.
Later on that night, the winds really started to whip around.  I had to go out to secure my tent.  The moon was not visible all of the time, because of the clouds.
It was getting cold and colder, because of the heavy winds.  I was not sheltered at all.
I made it through the night and immediately had a climb of 5 miles ahead of me to get to the top of the pass, which was about 9.600 feet.  I did it and felt very good after I did.   Fresh legs at the beginning of the day definitely helped.
It was downhill for awhile and then I was in the Plains.
I road into Walsenburg and the winds were really picking up.  I again went to the library to try to catch up on my blog, but it was closed.
I stopped at a grocery store to get some drinks and charge my phone.  Even though I had just gone many miles, I still wanted to do at least 20 more for the day.
When I got the Interstate 25 the winds almost blew me over.  I decided to wait a couple of hours and try again.  I checked the forecast and I checked to see if I could go on any secondary roads.
After waiting, I gave it another go.  There were a few frontage roads to ride on and the winds had subdued a little.  I did ride another 20 miles to Colorado City.
I camped at the KOA, behind a cabin.  Lucky for me, as the winds reached 60 miles per hour that night.  Even though I was sheltered for the most part, the winds still rocked my tent for a few hours.
The next day I rode to Pueblo.  Some miles on the interstate and some on a frontage road.  I did see one prairie dog town, which was really cool!
I met my new friends Joan and Bob, who are friends of Rike, Leo, Mary Ann and Bruce from Albuquerque.  I would be staying with them for a few nights.