Wednesday morning. Day three from Los Angeles; I was up before dawn. One of the things I enjoy most about Colorado are the cool crisp nights followed by wonderfully comfortable days. If it’s too hot head to the mountains or find a stream for a refreshing dip.
This also means one can decide to put up with a bit of a chill over the first few hours of riding or layer up and plan on stopping. I decided to take a middle path which worked out well but did result in a bit of a chill for the first hour or so.
This was to be the day when the shutdown and its effect would become very clear. So far I had been on roads that would have been relatively traffic free in the best of times; now I was in Colorado which suffers from a lot of seasonal traffic. My plan for the day was to ride from Dolores to Taos, New Mexico and then east into Oklahoma. My wife and I camped in Angle Fire, New Mexico last summer before the GS Giants rally in Doloes so I knew the ride would be pretty good, plus I would be traversing Pagosa Springs. Pagosa Springs is home to a very nice resort and some hot springs; we stayed a night there last summer.
I left Big John’s and took 184 east to Mancos then 160 into Durango. Normally 160 would be frustrating. It’s a major route and usually has RV’s and sightseers who struggle to maintain the speed limit, especially on the grades.
On this day it was all mine. It felt like someone closed the state just for me; from Mancos to Durango I saw no other traffic. Entering Durango I had to check my speed as there was no natural resistance to make the 25mph zone anything but a speedway. This was to be my experience to Pagosa Springs as well.
I wanted to visit Pagosa Springs because from our previous visit I knew that tourism is the major if not the only economic engine. It’s a beautiful town with the springs front and center with a nice main street with shops, restaurants and real estate offices. It was very close to a ghost town with the only activity being maintenance on the springs which were all closed.
Downtown Pagosa Springs, Colorado Wednesday morning May 1, 2020
Pagosa Hot Springs Wednesday morning May 1, 2020
Pagosa Springs, Colorado Wednesday morning May 1, 2020
Looking west
After Pagosa Springs I continued east to Taos, New Mexico. This is a great ride, very fast and desolate any time of year. It was a beautiful day to be on a bike and I enjoyed myself immensely. I crossed the Rio Grande and noticed the visitors center was closed, the lot was open and there was one vendor selling crap out of a van; usually there are a half dozen or more.
In Taos I stopped at a local burger joint. It was open to come in and order, then one waits outside for food. There were a few outdoor tables which were not closed off. The bathrooms were closed. This became what I considered a “good” stop, I was able to get fresh food and a seat to eat. The lack of bathroom was an inconvenience that would be repeated often.
After lunch I departed Taos and took some of the Enchanted Loop east to Angle Fire. Angle Fire is where we camped last summer. Little did we know that late July in New Mexico is the rainy season but after six days of rain on a seven day visit we do now. May is not the rainy season and it was an absolutely fantastic day.
I continued east and dropped into the great plains to take 412 across Oklahoma. 412 is a fantastic two lane road that offers the opportunity to make great time without a lot of interference. It’s a road I’ve never used as it’s too far south and too hot for use in the summer but it was fantastic for the first week of May. It’s a great place to get lonely.
GPS shows my next turn is a rotary. In 121 miles.
Oklahoma is an energy producing state
I was making fantastic time. I was treating this like a transit; I had enjoyed the twists and turns of Colorado and I was anticipating some twists and turns in the Ozarks. Now it was time to beat feat east and 421 was happy to oblige. I started to think about where I might spend the night and I was delighted to discover there was a Hampton Inn up the road in Woodward, Oklahoma
My GPS agreed that Woodward, Oklahoma would be a perfect destination for my ride across the greatest country on earth.
Woodward is a city in and the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma. It is the largest city in a nine-county area with a population of approximately 12,000. It is home to the Plains, Indians and Pioneers Museum which was closed. I arrived somewhat late and broke into my emergency rations of beef jerky and granola for dinner.
Dolores, Colorado to Woodward, Oklahoma. 645 miles in 11:04
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