Day Sixteen: pepper town, marcy, beer coach

The crowing of roosters in the yard gently drew me back to consciousness and eased me into the day.

Here's a picture looking out my bedroom window.

From mark on a bike 08

Catherine served us a breakfast of bacon and eggs, homemade bread, and milk, then gave us a PBJ sandwich for the road. Instead of a Bed & Breakfast, let's just call this place a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast, and Lunch.

From mark on a bike 08

By the time we packed, ate a leisurely breakfast, took more pictures, and said our good-byes, we got a late start for having climbed out of bed at 6:45.

The eleven downhill miles to Hillsboro were a gradual, pleasant way to start the day's cycling.

From mark on a bike 08

From mark on a bike 08

Once we reached Hillsboro we had some climbing for a few miles before beginning an almost imperceptible descent toward the Caballo Reservoir.

From mark on a bike 08

The land flattened out and the trees disappeared. Vegetation became more sparse. The land looked almost uninhabitable. And still, there were fences.

From mark on a bike 08

Of course, there were still barbed wire fences along the road.

From mark on a bike 08

We pedaled into a headwind all day, taking turns drafting.

In Caballo we stopped at a small grocery store where Klaus bought some bread and cheese for lunch. I found this sign in the men's restroom.

From mark on a bike 08

We continued on to Arrey, a few miles down the road. I ate in the cafe while Klaus went to the elementary school playground to eat his lunch. I was just glad for a respite from the wind.

This part of the country has pepper farms peppering the countryside. The bright green and bright red colors contrast nicely with each other.

From mark on a bike 08

From mark on a bike 08

I called the campground in Radium Springs to make sure they have showers. Elaine, the manager, said they do, but also warned me that they close and lock the gate to the campground at 7:00. While she was on the phone I asked if there was a cafe nearby and was pleased to hear there's one just down the street. It closes at 7:30.

We rode strongly and steadily after lunch, taking turns drafting, and stopped in Hatch so I could get milk for my cereal and Klaus could buy supper. He also bought an ice cream bar.

Hatch is a pepper town. There were bunches of red peppers peppers hanging from every storefront. Some stores even had them covering the roofs. It gave the town a festive look. We stopped at a grocery store for a break. I drank some Gatorade and Klaus bought an ice cream bar.

From mark on a bike 08

After the rest stop in Hatch, Klaus took off like a bullet out of a Luger. I really struggled to keep up with his ice cream-fueled pace.

At our current pace into the wind, we were going to make it to the campsite by 7:00, but just barely.

We stopped for a 30-second break across the street from a bar and, at that moment, Klaus decided he would like a beer to drink later this evening.

As he was about to go inside he noticed another broken spoke, so he asked if I'd get it. When I came out with a bottle of beer that cost $4.25 he was shocked. NO beer is worth $4.25, not even to a German. He tucked it into one of his bags and we took off again.

Sometimes we forget that signs are made for cars traveling at 55 mph and not for bicycles traveling at 12 mph. When a sign says "Next Left" it doesn't always mean it. A driver sees the sign, and by the time his brain has processed it, it IS the next left.

That's how we ended up making a wrong turn and going through an orchard, then some type of field.

From mark on a bike 08

From mark on a bike 08

We finally got to the campground at 6:30, only to find the office closed. Of course, there's always a way for them to collect fees - we left ours in the provided envelope.

Klaus showered while I headed back to the only cafe around. I got to the Country Cupboard at 6:50 and immediately noticed a sign that says the grill closes at 7:00. I also noticed that there were no other customers, and that the lights in the kitchen area were turned off. For all practical purposes, the cafe looked closed.

I had been riding hard, and I REALLY needed to eat. However, all of a sudden I had this sinking feeling I might not get the meal I wanted.... no, NEEDED, after all.

"Am I too late?" I asked timidly.

There were two women there, an older one and a younger one.

The younger one, in her twenties, looked at the older woman and said, "We already shut everything down."

The older woman, apparently the owner, must've seen the vultures hovering overhead, or perhaps she simply saw my face fall. Or maybe the resigned look of, "Oh well, I guess I'll just have to gnaw my arm off," because she smiled brightly and said, "You just sit down. We'll take care of you." She handed me a menu and said, "Order anything you want." After taking my order, she went back into the kitchen, turned on the lights, and fired up the already-cleaned grill.

It's the seemingly small things like her smile and her comment that continuously restore my faith in humanity.

Her name is Marcy and, although I thanked her profusely and repeatedly, I don't think she'll ever know how much I appreciate that meal.

From mark on a bike 08

By the time I finished my supper and an ice cream bar for dessert there was just a hint of pink on the horizon suggesting where the sun had been. It was getting dark quickly now.

I rode slowly and carefully back to campground, my wheels making a crunching sounds as I pedaled down the gravel road. The light from the half moon helped, but it was almost completely dark by the time I arrived. Getting past the locked gate wasn't too difficult - I just walked my bike around it.

After showering I rode back to campsite and set up my tent by flashlight.

There were a lot of bats flying around and, since they can eat up to two thousand mosquitoes a night, we had no insect problems.

While I was gone Klaus went over to the only other occupied campsite and introduced himself. Shortly thereafter he had three free beers.

While I was setting up my tent Klaus came over. "THIS..." he announced, "...is a training beer." Then he held up the $4.25 beer. "You need to start training to like beer."

We could learn a lot from those Germans.... Training beer. A Personal Beer Coach. Who would've thought of it?

I finished unpacking and was so tired I fell asleep early, forgetting all about the beer and my training.

That's okay. Now that I have a Personal Beer Coach I'm sure my training will stay on track.

79.0 miles
13.0 avg
31.5 max