monarch pass

can't get over how beautiful colorado has been so far, and how much God has provided for us here. even the roads we've taken seem hand-picked by Him. 

after a later start from the gunnison KoA (to beat the early morning frost/chill) we had an easy (and beautiful) climb up to sargeants, out last stop before monarch pass. over some coffee & lunch in the town's cafe, we met two tandem cyclists (Elodie & Timone) headed west and a single cyclist (Mathias) headed east. turns out Mathias had been just a few days ahead of us on our route, and joined us as we went up and over monarch. 

what a pass. consistent climb, gorgeous views, crisp mountain air, great company - and a descent we'll never forget. some of the smoothest, fastest riding that I can remember, and surprisingly not too chilly (although bundling up at the summit certainly helped in that regard). 

where monarch's descent topped many of our other downhills was the fact that brakes were unnecessary. the road was steep, but never turned so sharply that we were unable to see our "landing". 

couple that with good pavement conditions and you've got a recipe for 8 miles of blissful gliding down into salida. oh, the sunsets here aren't all that bad either.  

treated to an outstanding dinner by Mr. Paul Janzen, a seasoned firefighter full of some incredible on-the-job stories. we'll be staying with him during our time in salida, and looking forward to getting to know him, James, Sheri & George (our contacts with the church) a lot better over the next two nights. 

thanks for your prayers. today was smooth, and certainly wouldn't have been without a mighty and powerful God guiding out way and watching over us. 

until next time,

may the sun shine warm upon your face

josh & mark

the lifecycle team