TR: Telluride -> Moab:updated w/pics
So, last week of July, me and four good buddies decided to do the Telluride -> Moab bike trip via the San Juan Hut system.
I have to be in Chicago the week before the trip for business and to see family and friends. My buddies are all driving to Telluride that week to spend some time in T-Ride, ride, drink beers, hike and relax. They are hauling my bike and gear out there for me. Me, I am in 8-10 hour meetings every freackin' day. Going to Cubs games and drinking like a fish at night. Eating crap food, getting little sleep, and generally losing all fitness I had accrued up to this point riding in Tahoe and Marin. Thursday night, I outdid myself, by pulling a noon time exit from meetings to attend the Cubs game, where I proceeded to consume alcoholic beverages in every form known to man from first pitch to, oh, about 4am with several HS buddies. I mean, we drank beers at the game, whiskey afterwards, tequila made a guest appearance somewhere around dinner time, and it went downhill from there. I then had to be back at the mother ship for meeting at 9am on Friday. The plan is to fly out of Chicago Fri afternoon to Denver, catch the last flight to T-Ride, and join the boys Friday night for some beers and pre-trip planning and packing and sorting of gear. We are to leave bright and early Sat morning.
Naturally, my flight from Chicago to Denver is delayed because its frickin' hailing in Denver. So I land in Denver @ 11pm Friday night - flight to T-Ride was cancelled anyway. Ok, I will see about an early morning flight. "sorry sir, next available flight is Sat night, possibly Sunday morning if there are no cancellations" Ummm, right, that's not going to work. It's now close to midnight. I am still hung over, tired, pissed and generally not liking the prospect of driving all night to get to T-Ride in time to start pedaling 200+ miles. So I amble up to the Avis counter and say "how much to rent a car one way to T-Ride?" Some negotiating and pleading and flirting later with the 19 yr old Avis girl, and I have a Ford something or other 4WD for $139 vs. the originally quoted $298 for a one way no advance reservation rape-the-idiot-stranded-business traveler rate for the privilege of driving a Ford Taurus. OK, things are looking up.
It's now midnight when I roll out of Denver heading west on 70 with hail and rain coming down and roughly 7 hours of driving time through the mountains in front of me. I have been told that the bus (meaning the riders in my group, my friends) leaves at 9am - no exceptions, as the first days ride to the first hut is a haul. I have the topos and route descriptions with me, and my bike and gear will be left at a friend's house in T-Ride should I not make the 9am departure, and to catch up, yadda yadda......some friends, huh? But I would do the same.
I roll into T-Ride around 8am (with a road side nap under my belt) feeling like a buck fifty. My friends are all properly caffeinated, fed, packed, rested, and ready to roll. "Dude, you look like hell" according to my good, good friend Brad, everyone snickering and cracking jokes about my "training" in Chicago prior to the ride, and how they are gona drop my ass on the first climb, yadda yadda. My friends, tough crowd.
Next up: Day 1:
