COLORADO

We're in Telluride, CO. Not by choice. Ryan's red racer broke down as we flew down Lizard Head Pass in SW Colorado so we couldn't make it to cheaper territory. Don't get me wrong, Telluride is adorable in a yippie huppie, Port Townsend meets Whistler meets Portland's pearl district meets 20 somethings with trustfunds sort of way. Everyone on bikes drinking microbeers and walking their dog Blue in the park. I could live here for a few months, it's not a bad vibe but Ryan can't wait to get out of here. Maybe because he footed the ludicrious motel bill. Ouch. $$$

All in all, Colorado is a nice change of pace. More water, more trees, less mini-mart dinners. (When did rural america start eating so poorly?) Utah was truly spectacular, experiencing the parks by bike was eye-opening to say the least. I could finally keep up with Ryan because he stopped so often to take photos of the heart-quickening scenery. Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef were my favorite. We had time to hike in the freezing sunshine through the pinnacling rock which was a trip. 10 steps down the trail and you leave the flocks of noisy tourists behind. Doesn't anyone wonder what's beyond the lookout point? More peace and quiet for us I suppose.

The wind has been a force to reckon with but it changes directions often as do we. As the pres says, it's either with us or against us, more often the latter. We've been pondering the behavioral psychology of people who honk at us. I think now we can tell who's friendly (short honks after they pass us and a wave), who's nervous (one honk before they pass which startles us off the road) and who's a jerk (series of long honks and yelling out window "get a job!") We've become continental breakfast snobs- what? no fruit?- but we're camping more anyways as the weather warms up. I've become quite adept at fuzzy math and mileage manipulation, which will certainly not help my GREs this summer. But it's just too tempting to round up here and round down there and say, Look! only 10 more miles to go! Speaking of miles, we had our hardest day yet, 88 miles through 90 degree desert from Lake Powell to the border of CO. No shade, long sleeves to protect from sunburns, conserving water incase we didn't make it. I'll admit, my mood was not pretty midday. Let's just say I wasn't of my sweetest temperment. But we did it and now we only have a few more days of mountains and then it's free flying flat farmland until our time is up and we hop on a train. Cross your fingers that we'll get to dip our front, well-loved, well-patched tires into the great Mississippi. Then we'll feel like we at least made it somewhere!

Hope all is well with all of you. I am sad that cell reception has been very nonexistent, I've fallen out of touch. Hope to make it up to everyone this summer! Come to PT! I might be guiding kayak tours. What?

Miss you.

Love, Kai

P.S. I have the most hilarious tan lines ever. Good thing I'm not in Maui, they would shun me for sure. But among cyclists, it's a badge of cool. I'm in the club.

Miles today: 68
Miles total: 1,503
Number of flats: 7 (mostly mine)
Broken spokes: 4 (all Ryan's)
Feeling of summiting a 10,000 ft mountain: priceless