Days 22-25

Spent two days at John's, relaxing and enjoying his family's company. Went to a few bars in downtown Pueblo. The psychedelic jam band was a failure, only one member showed up... figures! But the night was not a waste- we hung out and had good conversation with some of John's long time buddies at the Downtown Bar.

Left Johns house Saturday morning by 7:30, with goal for the day- make it to Ordway, and stay at Gillian's. John cruised with us for 25 miles and departed with us in Boone. On the 2 lane highway it was hot, water was scarce since most of the small towns had only one facility open if any. Hours later we arrived in Ordway. There was a fountain in the park that other travelers were soaking in. We rolled into the small park and washed off. We met Tom and Allison, from Virginia, who were touring with their motor-home, meeting up with a couple in Pueblo. There were two boys coming from San Francisco going to Virginia, Rocky and Isaiah.

It only took riding down three blocks to find Gillian's home. There were goats and horses on the property, and a few trailers parked in front of the house. Henry, a neighbor, greeted us and brought us into Gillian's house. Gillian took most of the other cyclist out to the lake to teach them how to sail. We were free to make ourselves at home. After we came back from the town's only grocery shop, Gillian and the cyclist arrived home. The charismatic Gillian is very blunt with her guest. She is open to accommodating any cyclist, but she doesn't take anyones b.s. A New Zealand native, she works as a guard for the local prison. It is expected that any cyclist who arrive in Ordway be directed to Gillians home, for it acts the towns impromptu hostel. In 2007, her house along with several acres of the town burned down. Most people lost everything, few recovered. Gillian uses workaway.info to find volunteers to help her rebuild her home. Willing cyclist also help with certain duties. A major wind storm came and held back the previous cyclist to spend another night; making a head count of 16 people. We met cyclist, of various ages, touring both direction of the country.

All of the cyclist got us early to leave. We exchanged contacts and said our goodbyes to newfound friends. This was the notorious long stretch of 60 miles to Eads. There is only one famous outhouse with a log sheet inside it and the town of Haswell that was named during the railroad construction because it has... a well... for water and had the worlds smallest jail. There was a strong headwind but the temperature was moderate. We arrived in Eads late in the afternoon. After showers and a quick snack, we hung out at the bar for an hours or so and gabbed with the locals. On our way back to camp, we were stopped by a group having a late picnic in the park. They had extra food to share, and noticing that we were long distance bikers, asked if they could feed us. Of course, we chowed down with them. They were filmmakers making a series of documentaries about historic sites all over Colorado. There was plenty of leftovers and they gladly gave us the extra homemade baked beans and potato salad. Awesome people we come across. With our bellies full we camped out in the park, watching series of The Maxx on the laptop. Happy end to a long day.