Day 34 – Bittersweet

By Mark Heggestad
Today was a long hard day.  We started just north of Breckenridge, CO and finished just north of Canon City, CO.  Our total distance was 93.5 miles, and we spent almost eight hours on our bikes.

The day began biking through Breckenridge, CO, a fun resort town that energized me as we biked through it just as it energizes me each time I go there to ski.  Immediately following Breckenridge we began our ascent of Hoosier Pass.  Hoosier Pass is 11,539 feet high and is the highest point we will bike this entire journey.  So I guess I could say we biked the pinnacle today.  Hoosier Pass is also at the Continental Divide, which makes it the twelfth, and final time we will cross The Divide.

Once we left Hoosier Pass we began a long descent out of the Rockies.  I found myself looking backward often today catching final glimpses of the snow-capped mountains that will soon be a memory.  We have been biking in the mountains since the first week of our trip and I am going to miss them.
  • I will miss the majestic beauty of the mountains.
  • I will miss the ever-changing landscape that comes with the mountains.
  • I will miss the varied (and unpredictable) weather that comes with the mountains.
  • I will miss the constant challenges the mountains provided, each summit representing a new challenge, and a new accomplishment.
  • I will miss the descents, especially the descents.

These past five weeks in the mountains of the western United States have stirred many feelings and emotions (all wonderful), and created many memories.  When I bike through these mountains I feel alive and connected.   Although I am looking forward to continued progress on my journey and I know each day going forward will continue to treat me to new beauty, challenges, surprises, accomplishments, and memories; I can’t help but feel a little sentimental as I descend down the mountains of the western U.S. on my bike one last time.

Hoosier Pass.  11,539 feet.  Continental Divide.
The "pinnacle" of our journey.

Looking back at the snow-capped mountains

Mid-day views as we descend the mountains

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