Riding at 7000 Feet, Boating Big Water, Relaxing

The , gasp, altitude is hard on me. I know people who trek out to Colorado and romp their way through the Leadville 100 mountain bike race at altitudes of well over 10,000 feet and who run the Pike's Peak Marathon, topping out at over 14,000 feet, and, while they are typically more athletic than I am, I still don't see how they do it. . Salida is at about 7000 feet above sea level and the altitude just kicks my ass on the bike. My host took me on a little spin yesterday and the pace could only be described as very casual, yet every time the road went slightly uphill, I was reaching for my 27 tooth cog and sounding like an asthmatic breathing through a snorkel.Kent is one of the tough guys, doing events like Leadville and major adventure races, so he was definitely taking it easy on me, and his ease allowing him plenty of capacity to laugh at my struggles. Even in my distress, I was able to appreciate the clear blue skys, comfortable dry climate and spectacuar scenary.

I aspire to ride some of the big passes of the Continental Divide, like Independence or Cottonwood, but it would be a multiday trip in my present condition for me to cover the 20 odd miles up to either of their 12,000 foot crests. Perhaps at some point I'll have more time to spend out here getting accustomed to the altitude , but based on my experience down here in the Arkansas River Valley at 7000-8000 feet, it will take some doing for me to reach those lofty heights.

Our friends live on some acreage outside of town and Kent has built miles of single-track on his property and that of friends owning adjoining tracts. The system is extensive enough for me to get lost, which I did this morning while out knocking around with the dogs. While I was always certain that I could make my way back to the house, I just wasn't sure when that would be.

BOATING

I started coming out here many years ago in pursuit of whitewater and I found it, with the upper Arkansas becoming my favorite stretch of water. Diane and I spent our honeymoon here and I've spent most of my birthdays here since the early '80s. This year has turned out to be a fine year for boating on the Arkansas. I'm not as rabid about chasing water as I was a few years ago, but we've been on the water for three of the last four days and the levels are great, peaking a couple of days ago just on the big side of fun! The great thing about the Arkansas Valley is that you can pick runs from ranging from easy to very pushy just by driving up or down the road a few miles. Perfect for a boating vacation! Variety without much driving.