Hey everyone,
Currently I am in Dillon, CO
in the midst of a 4-day break. Chaz had to fly back to Louisville to participate in one of our friend’s weddings. Congrats to Eric and Jessica on their special day today! 
We’re staying with Bill Hebb, owner of Hebb E-Bikes and sponsor of Fijis Across America. He has been an amazing host to us….making incredible smoothies, mouth-watering brats, “beer-up-the-butt” chicken (haha), and some amazing sweet corn that rivals anything I’ve had in Kentucky!
I’ll recap the past couple days for everyone:
Tuesday- FIRST SITE OF SWEET TEA= Alamosa, CO. Shoutout to Alamosa’s Wendy’s for winning the contest. We have literally asked every place we stop if they have sweet tea, and this was the first!
Wednesday we completed a 110 mile day from Fort Garland to La Junta. We finally got out of the mountains after making our final mountain pass (around 9400 ft)
and started encountering the kind of terrain we expect to see throughout Kansas and Missouri: rolling hills.
The last 35 miles of the day a storm ran parallel to us, but we only had a few drops hit us. Everyone was tired by the end of the day and after a 2 hour drive to Colorado Springs we all crashed soon after arriving at our hotel.
Thursday morning we set a goal of sleeping in until 9:30. However, after waking up around 5:30AM for 3 weeks straight I think our bodies won’t allow that anymore! Mitch, Jordan, and I went on a venture about 8:30 to find an AT&T store so Mitch could buy a new battery. I kid you not- we went to 3 different locations, all of which were non-existent. This was the first instance my iPhone had failed with directions…..but we enjoyed the trip nonetheless. After returning to the hotel we gathered everyone’s stuff up and checked out. Chaz and Jordan had flights out of CO Springs mid-afternoon, so we decided to do some site seeing beforehand at Garden of the Gods. It was a beautiful place, right at the base of Pike’s Peak.
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Rock-climbers and artists occupied the park as we toured around and enjoyed God’s creation. After touring for an hour we went to Wines of the Colorado (recommended by Chaz….glad we listened!) and enjoyed a tasty buffalo burger while dining next to a nice little creek.
After lunch we dropped off Chaz and Jordan, hit up the bike shop to get some maintenance done, stopped by REI (where I finally bought my BUFF (been dying to have one for months!), and drove up to Dillon. On the way up here we drove through the Rockies and it was incredible! Just check out this sunset:
After meeting Bill we were all tired and wanted to hit the hay. We knew the next day would be one to look forward to!
Friday morning we woke up to go whitewater rafting on Clear Creek River. I had only been once before, but this was soo much better. Our guide told us that the water we were rafting on (38 degrees Fahrenheit!!!) was snow 6 hours ago, we were rafting on it then, and tomorrow it would be Coors beer! Haha. It was a great trip, but after the ride was over we were all freezing and extremely hungry. For lunch we went to a pizza joint in Idaho Springs. My feet were so cold that when I went to the bathroom I threw hot water on the floor until I had a nice puddle to stand in and warm up! The pizza and fellowship was great, but by the time we got back to Bill’s house, as Cameron said, “We had followed the exact recipe for a nap.” Friday evening all of us (except Wade….since he promised his girlfriend he would wait to watch the movie with her!) watched Invictus- a movie I would highly recommend if you have not seen it.
Saturday (today) has been pretty lazy. We’ve all kinda just lounged around, took care of laundry, read a book, updated pics/videos/blogs, etc. It has been an ideal rest day for sure! For lunch Bill took us to Ullr’s sports bar in Breckenridge, CO (one of the best ski resorts in the country!) where my parents met us (great to see them!) to watch the England vs. USA world cup game. There were several Brits in the bar, so it was entertaining to have fans from both sides!
Tomorrow we head to Denver to pick up my parents as they will be driving support for us this next week until we reach Wichita, KS and Jordan returns. He is enjoying a week with his family on vacation in Destin, FL. We’ll all miss his company, but look forward to a safe return and strong finish to the trip. Chaz will meet us in Colorado Springs tomorrow evening and we’ll head on down to La Junta’s KOA Campground so we can be ready to hit the road Monday morning. My knee seems to be better, but please pray for good health and nice weather . It’s been a great break, but I know we’re all itching to get on the bikes and knock out our next stretch and keep talking to people about our cause. Once we pick up from La Junta we will be riding on the TransAmerica trail- the most popular cross-country cycling route. Hopefully we will begin encountering many other cyclists along the way who have connections and are interested in our cause! Swapping stories will definitely be something to look forward to as well!
Without your support we wouldn’t be here!
Riding On,
Tyler
Bill sounds super tight! Your puddle making idea was brilliant, I have to hand it to ya. Tell Mama and Papa J that Betty & Pat say hello! Miss youuu
Great reports Tyler- Keep them coming so we can stay updated on your ride! Good luck and keep cycling safe.