Friendly Strangers (Days 24-27)

~1600 miles in (50 to 100 miles are off-route). About to leave Colorado mountains and enter Kansas! My next map does not even have an elevation profile, yay.

Day 24:
Gradual climb over Lizard Head Pass, 10,222 feet. Got some heavy rain in the afternoon, which got pretty cold at the high elevation. There was a cafe in Rico that I stopped in that was totally awesome though. The lady was so nice, got some hot tea, food, and she let me use her computer. Camped on the side of the road in a bush after 75 miles.
Day 25:
Had my first tube blowout becuase I overinflated it. I stopped to adjust my seat and it just exploded. Luckily I wasn't doing 40mph down a hill. Got it fixed pretty fast and set off for Montrose, CO. I stayed with Scott and Jenny Shine (and their beautiful little daughter Lilly, and dog Samson) for the night. These kind strangers provide housing for cyclists on tour, and were kind enough to let me use their shower, laundry, and let me set up my tent in their yard. Thanks for breakfast Scott, you were both so very nice to me in the short time we had to visit. It's such a nice relief to have a safe place to stay and clean up. (60 miles)
Day 26:
Met up with Alice and Ben Pace at a small resturaunt in Cimarron, CO. This couple was travelling cross-country on a tandem bike. Cool! They put me on their website here. Hopefully you made it up those steep grades Alice and Ben. Had lunch at a marina later that afternoon, and camped in some bushes in the middle of town in Gunnison, CO. A coyote or stray dog or something came right up to my tent in the middle of the night and scared me pretty good though (I could see it right there in the dark). I grabbed for my glasses, light, and mace, and it ran off. Frightening nonetheless. (76.4 miles)
Day 27:
Up and over Monarch Pass, 11,312 feet, the highest point on my tour. The grade was steep, but only took a few hours to climb. Near the top I was passed by Cynthia, a cross-country cyclist travelling with her husband, Jeff. At the top we all took the gondola up above 12,000 feet together, and shared some fudge and traded stories (thanks for the fudge!). After flying down the mountain, and grabbing lunch, I met up with them again later in Howard, CO, and decided to set up camp. (80.4 miles)