Day 24: Over the Mountains (Sargents, CO to Pueblo, CO - 128 miles)

After our stay in the teepee, we got an early start to tackle Monarch Pass. The MIT riders were heading north to go to their next teaching destination, so we said our farewells. They're a really great group, and we'll miss hanging out with them after our long days of riding. We set off for the 10 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation gain, aided by a brisk, cool morning. The grade was nice and gradual, and we made it up to the summit fairly quickly.

The convenience store at the top was a real treat for us. There's something about cheap breakfast sandwiches that always seems to make our day. From the top, we had a nice 10 mile descent down the other side. We coasted by town after town, cruising down the decline from Monarch to Pueblo, which is just under 5,000 ft. Once we got to Cañon City, we had about 38 to go- no problem. We expected a gradual descent into Pueblo, hoping to get in early and rest up for tomorrow. Coming out of Cañon, we were met with rolling hills and a nice, gusty sidewind. Route 50 wanted to make sure we didn't fall asleep. We crawled into Pueblo, legs wondering why we were still moving, and headed to Walmart for tomorrow's delicacies. Our Warm Showers host has been wonderful, and we're now relaxing and planning for tomorrow's route. The tentative plan is to make it 112 to Eads for our last night in CO, but we'll see how we're feeling in the morning. Bed time.