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Day 9 - Grand Junction CO to Vernal UT

By Mike Ingram

PAC Tour's logo includes the words "Bicycling Expeditions Across America". As my group of 12 wet, shivering cyclists crowded into a PAC Tour van some 55 miles into today's ride, we all felt part of a singular bit of PAC Tour history, for this day was, indeed, an expedition for all concerned. At we sat in the steaming warmth of the van, we were awed at the thick, wet snow coming down and then someone joked about how we had definitely "broken through the barrier into the land of fun". We were sure all the other PAC Tour riders who were either in other vehicles or already at the top of Douglas Pass were thinking similar thoughts.

Some 3 hours earlier, we left Grand Junction in a light rain, courtesy of a cold front that had come into the area overnight. We all packed some rain gear, especially since the forecast called for it to be like this for most of the day. It also called for the snow level to be to 8000 feet and, as noted on the route card, Douglas Pass was 8268 feet (math isn't my strong point but even I was able to draw some conclusions here).

For 25 miles, we wound through Grand Junction and its outskirts, going up and down rolling hills as we continued on our way northwest. After the first rest stop, we turned north for a steady 21-mile climb to Douglas Pass. With each passing mile as we headed toward the summit, the temperature dropped. Soon we noticed bits of snow on our gloves and bikes as we ground up the steepening grade. These bits eventually got thicker and the road became slush-covered in places.

Some 3 miles from the summit, traction became more and more difficult and bike computers started reading 32 degrees air temperature. It was here that the PAC Tour crew stopped most everyone to tell them of their plan to ferry people to the top and over the downhill side a few miles until the road was not snow-covered. The tour's crew, plus a couple of northern-climate residents, displayed their winter driving skills, and all of us got over the summit without any problems. (This wasn't the case for some other non-tour drivers going up the pass. There were no accidents as far as we know, but there were stalled semis, RVs, and other vehicles we had to negotiate our way by.)

A few hardy cycling souls continued the ascent to the top where Susan had set up trailers with hot drinks and a place to get out of the elements. A very few highly experienced riders continued over the pass and down the 36-mile descent to the turn to Rangely CO. But almost all opted for the sag up and over to the other side and a chilly downhill ride to the turn. At Rangely, the rain continued falling and a headwind blustered . This, plus the chill from the descent, encouraged virtually all of us to sag into Vernal UT. The crew loaded bikes and people into vehicles and we got a dry, warm, crowded sag. We got to the hotel and sorted out bikes; most of them got a well-deserved, thorough cleaning. As we worked in the cleaning area, we gave a rousing cheer for the determined few who rode either all the way or all the way except for the sag they got from the top to below the snow line.

Our mood that night was bettered by the weather forecast that said we "shouldn't" have any more such fun for our next day's ride.

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