EasePease life: Jordan bikes to Arizona

As we drove from Montrose to Telluride last night, it was well past 11:00 PM when I finally went to bed. I was determined to complete the blog post before it was too late and catch up on work. Jordan, feeling tired, fell asleep quickly.

I woke up at 5:30 AM and felt refreshed and well-rested. We had stayed at a luxurious hotel, Hotel Telluride, which Jordan had found for an incredibly low price of under $90. In peak season, this hotel can easily cost over $400 per night, while during the off-season, it offers a significant discount of $200. This is the second time Jordan has taken me to a very nice hotel that I couldn’t afford. It’s truly a wonderful gesture!

To ensure Jordan gets the rest he needs, I went to the underground parking garage and unpacked everything to clean and organize for the day. I consolidated items to make the trip easier. I also washed his bike, made minor adjustments, and lubricated all the essential parts.

At 7:00 AM, I went to the lobby and started reviewing the 110 pages of a deposition I needed to review. Jordan woke up at 8:15 AM, and we prepared for the day. We both showered and left the room by 9:30 AM. We had a slight delay when Jordan discovered a guitar in the lobby and started playing for a while. He’s really talented!

Jordan heard about a great breakfast place called “Baked in Telluride.” It sounded like a Colorado pot joint, but it was actually a fancy donut, bagel, and pizza shop. He ordered a breakfast burrito and a donut to go. I opted for a peanut butter sandwich from the food bag in the car.

Leaving Telluride, CO (Cold start!)

At 11:00 AM, he was on the four-mile bike path out of Telluride, followed by a long mountain road climb. Despite significant climbs, heavy headwinds, or both, he was eager for another ascent.

With Cell service, I made a work conference call at 11:00 AM central time, but lost service before it ended. I was in a good location, but after 20 minutes, I needed to find Jordan as it started snowing/sleet. The cold morning worsened as he continued to climb. About 10 miles into the ride, he reached Lizard Head Pass at 10,222 feet. The sleeting made it feel like snow accumulation. It’s a good time to start the descent!

The sleet continued on the descent, making the road slippery. The thunderstorm worsened the situation, turning the painted lines slick and reducing visibility. I urged him to stop, as it was unsafe, and my stress level soared. The lack of cell service meant I stayed close in case of an issue, which irritated him since I couldn’t distract him from the ride.

At 2:00 PM Mountain time, he stopped outside Delores, Colorado, to dry off and take a work conference call. He had covered about 60 miles in less than 4 hours, including the earlier climb, during which he reached speeds of 30 MPH or more on the sleet and thunderstorm descent.

After his postponed conference call, he resumed his bike ride by 3:00 PM. His goal was to reach the Four Corners National Monument before it closed at 6:45 PM, so he aimed to arrive by 6:30 PM (3.5 hours). This meant averaging 16.5 MPH over 58 miles, which should be manageable despite the headwind and unstable weather. The next 60 miles were mostly flat or slight inclines on a narrow road.

Jordan made decent time to Cortez, Colorado, for the next 12 miles. We stopped at a local store for restroom use and beverages needed for the Monument. That took 15 minutes, but we drove him the 4 miles through Cortez, totaling 42 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes due to safety concerns. Despite not eating or drinking properly, he still had a chance.

However, a significant storm hit outside Cortez, Colorado. Thunder, lightning, and winds of 20-30 MPH forced us to find a safe location, delaying him by 30 minutes. He needed to ride the remaining 38 miles in 1 hour and 50 minutes, which was a concern. Once Jordan was back on the road to the sunshine, we still held on to hope for a miracle. After about three miles, he had a flat tire. Fortunately, we had phone service. I arrived, changed the tire quickly, and inspected it. I found a small piece of glass, which I hoped was the culprit.

After losing another 10 minutes for the flat tire, Jordan had 1 hour and 35 minutes to cover 35 miles with a headwind. He needed to average over 20 MPH. He was riding hard, so hard as a father, I was concerned. He had an intense focus!

Then, another unexpected lightning and thunderstorm hit. I suggested he stop and drive to the Four Corners, but he refused and we argued. This escalated the tension between an over-concerned father and a confident young man. It looked possible when the weather gods punished him again. It reminded me of the ending scene of The Truman Show. He was not going to quit! The lightning and thunder were intense, and the winds drove rain at a furious pace.

I was stressed that he wouldn’t stop. After being punished for 10 minutes, the weather cleared. And guess what? He made the monument at 6:35. His average speed over the last 35 miles was near 25 MPH.

Riding through the storm!

Four Corners, arrived tired!

During our visit to the monument, we encountered a mother and daughter from Florida. The daughter, who was employed as a Park Ranger, had been in Florida during the winter and, I believe, Yosemite during the summer. They captured our photograph, and the mother inquired about my Nikon D810 camera. This conversation led to an engaging exchange on various topics before we departed.

While attempting to locate the “Welcome to Utah” sign, I am uncertain of the state we were traversing in the fourth state. We did not conduct further research as we were at the monument to validate our completion of the four corners.

Initially, I anticipated that he would make an overnight stop, but he persistently insisted on continuing his journey. This is a common occurrence: I am prepared early in the morning and must wait, while he prefers to depart late when I am fatigued. Consequently, he commenced riding and continued for an extended period. After exceeding 125 miles for the day, he finally halted.

The stress was mounting, and after a significant disagreement, we decided to alter our plans. Initially, he expressed a desire to return home and send me home as soon as possible. Subsequently, he concluded that Northern Arizona is not an ideal destination for sightseeing, as it lacks towns and is desolate. We desired to enhance the enjoyment of the remaining 200 miles of our journey.

Given that I had yet to explore any state forests in the Southwest United States, we decided to abandon our original destination ride and instead focus on visiting areas worth touring. Consequently, we opted not to conclude our trip at Flagstaff. He required approximately 660 miles to reach Flagstaff, and he had already covered about 430 miles. Therefore, our revised objective is to conclude his vacation with a total of 650 miles or more and return one day early. This translates to an average of over 90 miles per day. Recall the challenging weather conditions he encountered during the first five days of his journey.

Consequently, we drove to Page, Arizona, where, to our surprise, most of the hotels were fully booked. There were some establishments with nightly rates of $160, but I did not perceive the value of paying $160 for seven hours of sleep. Therefore, at 11:00 PM Mountain time, we found ourselves nestled in the corner of the Walmart parking lot, prepared for rest.

Segment 1: 11:00 AM Start (3,160 feet of climb)