Clock hits 2:45 PM and there is a slight celebration at the office, for another productive week. Lunch was spent under the sun, I was nearly roasting to death, but all I could think about was that in a matter of hours I would be on the road on two wheels, riding my stresses away.
3:00 pm rolls around and I duck out early, hop in my car, speeding my way home. Everything was going so smooth. All the sudden I am slamming on my brakes as I turn the bend to enter the highway- traffic. I was anxious to leave- I knew I had a little more packing to do, but not much. Adam was planning on leaving from his work at 4 PM on the dot, and we would convene in Idaho Springs at 4:30. Semi- not -focused on the road, I look to my right as dark clouds start rolling into Denver. The rain begins.
Nothing can ruin my excitement for this vacation.
I get home, finally, after a half-hour of sitting in rain soaked traffic. I speed into my room, line the inside of my travel bags with a trash bag, put my clothes inside and tie it off. Head outside to the garage, and do a mental check of everything I needed for this trip…
- Camera.. check
- Jeans … Check
- Gloves…. Check
- Bottles of water… check
- Nice shirts for dinner…. check
- Interview questions… check
- Energy drinks…. check
I am all set to go.
The rain starts to get heavier… I was trying to fit my bag on the back of my bike with a bungee cord, because for as great a bike as Victory’s are the saddle bags are impossible to find at a reasonable price. Sean meanwhile is preparing himself – complaining that he lost something. 4:15 rolls past us and I can sense Adam’s frustration. I am all set, IPOD in hand, helmet resting on my bike mirror, as I press Sean to hurry up. He claims he lost a piece of registration that he absolutely needed; probably a good idea in hindsight.
4:45 hits us hard- My frustration is rising rapidly… Sean exclaims he finds the required piece of paper…. We set out on our bikes as Ryan closes the garage door behind us. We are on the road. FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
I-25 hits us like a brick wall. Traffic isn’t even moving, and I am getting angry. 30 minutes to get 10 miles, then up 6th Avenue to I-70. We are hauling ass, but slow down as the rain continues to pick up. We start getting pounded by rain- literally near impossible to see. Luckily, I bought a pair of the ugliest green rain pants to protect me from the rain. The entire time I feel my cellphone in my pocket buzzing like crazy – I know its Adam, either pissed as all hell or worried or both. 15 miles outside of our rendezvous spot we start seeing light snow. Gradually increasing density is making it scary to learn around the curvaceous turns that I-70 has to offer. Its become even less visible. True to 4-spoke form- this is what I should have expected. Finally we made it. Rolling into the gas station, Adams face looks relieved yet frustrated – understandably.
The weather center reports increased snow fall throughout I-70. A friend of mine, Margot Ritz sends me a warning text of the whiteout at Vail pass. Its decision time. I vote to stay in Blackhawk, CO so we don’t lose the 40 miles we just traveled. I threw in the added incentive of free booze. Sean and Adam agree- you can sense the frustration because our plans were being canceled. We wanted to hit Steamboat that night- see friends, eat good food, and be closer to our destination for tomorrow.
However, in agreement we roll over into Central City, CO (roughly 14 miles over a mountain pass). The snow starts accumulating real fast, and my fingers are literally frozen. My gloves were already wet from the rain, and the higher altitude, colder temps and hard falling snow makes my hands numb. I took off my glove thinking it would be warmer? No such luck. This was getting dangerous… heavy snow fall plus frost bite. 2 miles away from our hotel, our tires start fish tailing. The chances of us laying the bikes down is increasing ten fold every inch we ride. Finally, rolling into the Isle hotel, we get a room, hit the nastiest buffet I have ever experienced and start the gambling…