Mountains! Yay! I must say, after weeks in the Deep South wondering, "what country am I in?" and a few more in the plains wondering the same thing, we've finally reached the wonderful, wild, west. Shortly after leaving Colorado Springs we started really getting into the mountains, both the up and down. For the first day or two the climbs were mostly long and gradual, with descents to match. I've actually come to really love the long, shallow descents. While you don't get going as fast as something steeper, you also don't have to focus as much as you do when you're going 45 miles an hour. You can just cruise along, not pedaling but not breaking, daydreaming, singing (in my case any way), admiring the views, and generally having a splendid time.
The biggest climb for this trip was Independence Pass, at 12,050 feet. People have been talking about this climb since the beginning of the trip with trepidation, and it was a little surreal when it actually arrived. We had camped the night before, and I didn't sleep well at all because it got surprisingly cold, so I was worried about having the energy for the climb. The day's ride was short, only 45 miles, but we knew it was going to take us several hours to reach the top of the pass.
The first 15 miles of the ride were extremely gradual, so much so that it didn't really feel like you were climbing a mountain. I was very cautious about my physical condition, trying to take care of thirst and hunger before they really even appeared. Around the 15th mile, we came upon the mountain proper, complete with necessary switch backs. At this point the adrenaline sort of kicked in--"I'm about to bicycle up a mountain"--and after a granola bar break I was ready to go.
As it turns out, it wasn't that hard. I feel a little sheepish about it, actually. Hiking Pike's Peak was about 300% more difficult, and the best of my half-marathons (IU, 2007) was about 200% more difficult. The thing is this: switchbacks are popular for a reason: they make the road flatter! I mean, it wasn't the EASIEST thing I've ever done (for example, eating a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is easier than bicycling Independence Pass), but a taekwondo black belt test, an operatic performance, or a century of rolling hills is substantially more difficult, for me anyway. I guess what I'm saying is you should definitely go out and bicycle up a mountain as soon as possible.
Especially since at the top you get an awesome view! And then you get to go DOWN! We all sat at the top for awhile, waiting for everyone to arrive. After congratulating ourselves and gawking at the mountains, we had a dance party while blasting music from the van. Our song of choice was, of course, Beyonce's Single Ladies, which for some reason has become our theme song for the summer, though nobody knows why. It was really great to shake it on the top of a mountain in our riding spandex, much to the befuddlement of passersby. And then, of course, we got to go down. The entire rest of the ride, into Aspen, was downhill, and it was a blast.
The first 15 miles or so were the actual mountain, and some of that was actually about as steep as I'd ever want to go. What made the steepness nerve-wracking was the turns, some of which were pretty sharp, and the narrowness of the road. It amazed me how some of other riders went down without seeming to break at all, as they navigated the turns it almost looked like they were skiing the slalom.
The descent was made even sweeter to me because waiting for me in Aspen was one of my IU besties, Stephanie. Hilarious, bodacious, totally boss, and with a mezzo voice that can liquify granite, Steph is tops on my list of People I Am Jazzed to Know. She's studying at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and I'd been jumping out of my skin with excitement about seeing her.
After a great dinner (and dessert!) and plenty of catching up, I went and saw her sing in the chorus of La Boheme. The opera is one of my favorites, and it was fun to see it in a small theater where I felt really connected to the performers. The next day I followed her around to her various classes and rehearsals, and it was so fun to be around music again. This trip has been a learning and growing experience on about a bazillion levels, but one of the most profound has been being isolated from other musicians for the longest stretch of time since childhood. While my musical independence has certainly grown as a result of this, it was so wonderful to be with "my people" again.
After her day was finished, we went to Happy Hour with some BB peeps, then saw Harry Potter. All in all it was one of the best days off ever, and got me extremely stoked to reenter musical life this fall.
After Aspen we had several phenomenal rides, with a wide variety of terrain. Crossing into Utah we had desert, then mountainous desert, and then before we knew it, we were back into green and snow-capped mountains again. It is stunningly beautiful--I only wish I had my skis! (Um, and that it was winter...)
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