Out and about in Colorado today.

This morning I started out with a ride.  I didn't know where I wanted to go but in the end chose to try and rode to Monarch Pass.  I could tell that rain was moving in when I started the ride.  The goal was the top but would turn around when the weather became iffy.  The ride up was steady grade.  I was moving along until I reached around 9500 ft and the weather became a little iffy.  I pushed till 10000 ft and then turned around.  The descent was fast and smooth. 

The second part of the day I decided to drive to Gunnison through the Black Canyon and unto Glenwood Springs.  There were some great views in the canyon. 

Rafting the Arkansas

What a great day rafting the Arkansas River.  I went with Independent Whitewater out of Salida.  I was hoping to raft the Royal Gorge but because of high water flow the Gorge was shut down.  Instead we did the classic Arkansas River raft from north of Buena Vista to close to Salida.  It was a full day of 24 miles.  Most of the Rapids we went through were 3's.  We ran through some good waves and even had some good drops.  The water was chilly 45 degrees and the weather was a mix of sun and a little rain.  I'll hopefully get the chance to post some video later.   I forgot one key attachment for my go pro so I improvised with some zip ties.

On the training front, I got a short 3 mile run in the morning.  It was a tough run.  My HR was high for a 9 min pace run. 

Day 2 Colorado

Great day exploring in and around Salida.  Today I did a 28 mile ride to get a feel for the altitude.   The two things I noticed were a higher heart rate and a little tougher breathing.  The ride was around Salida and then a few miles up Ponca Pass.  I reached an altitude of 8200 ft. 

The other part of the day I walked around town and set up a white water trip for tomorrow down the Royal Gorge. 

I finished the day out with a trip to Elevation Beer which had some great beer on tap. 

Journey to Colorado

Pictures from the trip to Salida.  Day one in Colorado.