Today's Miles = 56.5
Average Speed = 10.5 mph
Maximum Speed = 23.6 mph
Total Miles = 2372.2

They're out there. Waiting low and dark on the horizon. Ahead of me, in the distance, lay the Rocky Mountains and climbs to over 11,000 feet of altitude.

The terrain has been changing as I traveled closer and closer to Pueblo. The wheat of Kansas is behind me and the scrub grass of the west has taken its place. The absolute flatness of the plains is being increasingly interrupted with creekbeds and hills, and looming mountains now punctuate the straightness of the horizon ahead of me.

Making it to Pueblo is one of the major milestones of this route. Pueblo is the second largest city on the trail, and it is very roughly the halfway point of the entire journey. I decided to treat myself for making it this far, and managed to track down a massage therapist who could take me on short notice.

After having my muscles tended to and eating my first salad in miles, I took the time to reflect on how I felt. The last day off I had taken was on the 6th and I'd ridden a lot of miles since then. My joints and muscles, even with the massage, were constantly aching. My mind was fuzzy and I could hardly remember where I had been today, let alone the day before. Finally, while I've been riding recently across mostly flat land, Pueblo is the gateway to my climb into the mountains.

My justification for some of the long riding days I have been taking was that it would buy me some flexibility in crossing Colorado before making my flight to Reno. I've decided to use some of that flexibility by taking tomorrow off before heading any further. Rested and relaxed, I'll be in the saddle again come Wednesday.