Biologist on a Bike

Day 34: Pueblo, CO

6/24/18

Stats:
REST DAY – no stats for the day
Total miles ridden so far: 2,122

Story:
Yesterday I’d wondered if I would feel restless today with not moving. No. The answer is no.

I didn’t set an alarm, but woke up a bit before seven. Other than when the wind gusted so hard that it slammed my bedroom door shut and woke me up, I slept amazingly well last night.

Where I woke up, Day 34

When food shopping yesterday, I bought a half-dozen eggs and some just-add-water pancake mix. Two cups of coffee, three eggs and a lot of pancakes later (not as good as homemade by a long shot, but they satisfy the craving) I was full and happy and reading a book on the couch.

I asked for book recommendations yesterday and this morning I went through a few of them before deciding which one to start with. It took me about an hour to get the audible file downloaded and imported properly to iTunes on my windows tablet. Pro-tip, the applications their website tells you to download don’t work nearly as well as the one you download from the Microsoft app store. Once I got that tip, it only took about 5 minutes to set everything up. The book is now loaded onto my iPod and ready.

Sally asked what I wanted to accomplish today. There were limited options because it’s a Sunday. Mailing home my winter gear was out, as was getting the bike professionally tuned up, but I could do some maintenance on my own, and there were a few things I needed to buy. She drove me across town to the Target, where I was able to get a pair of swim trunks (to take advantage of the town pools that allow cyclists to pop in for the day), a new water bottle, because the replacement one I got at Walmart is a pain in the butt to pull out of the bottle cage while moving, and a new powerbank, because I have now destroyed two. Yeesh.

After Target, Sally dropped me off at El Pueblo History Museum before heading home herself. The museum has exhibits about local history and culture, plus I was hoping to buy a few postcards. I must say, I’m having awesome luck with museums on this trip. The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center was having a free day when I went there, and El Pueblo History Museum was having a free day today for San Luis Valley Day. In addition to free admission, they had food and live music.

Live Music

An exhibit on the tent city formed in Ludlow during the coal mine strike of 1913-1914

The victims of the Ludlow Massacre

The interior of a tipi

They had several pages of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, but to preserve the document photographs weren’t allowed

I walked back to her home, getting to see some of the downtown and historic areas of Pueblo. Thankfully it was a cloudy day and not overly hot.

The bike maintenance went well, I think. I don’t have any degreaser on me, but I used a bit of soapy water on the chain and cassette to remove the worst of the gunk buildup (I think my lube is a bit too heavy. I also think I should wipe the chain down more often) and relubricated it. I also cleaned the disc brakes and adjusted the rear derailleur, which was slipping a bit on the second lowest gear.

After that, the rest of the day was spent relaxing, eating good food (yay vegetables and access to a kitchen to cook them), and catching up on the blog.

Tonight I’ll reorganize my gear, pack for a quick departure tomorrow morning, and plan where I want to end up at the close of day. Oh, and have another hot shower while there’s one available.

Roadkill: none, because I wasn’t on the road.

Map: see note for roadkill.

6 thoughts on “Day 34: Pueblo, CO

  1. BILL WX2DX

    Hot weather in the forecast for the Pueblo area. Stay hydrated.

    Tuesday
    Sunny, with a high near 99. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon.

    Tuesday Night
    Mostly clear, with a low around 62. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west northwest after midnight.

    Wednesday
    Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the morning.

    Wednesday Night
    Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the evening.

    Thursday
    Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. West wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon.

  2. Andrew Roth

    Wow just read the Wikipedia entry for the Ludlow Massacre. Part of the Colorado Coal Field War. Just over 100 years ago, the miners were treated very badly. Funny I didn’t learn about this in school…

    1. Spin Doctor Post author

      There’s a lot of history that I didn’t learn about in school. I’d love to find a good history book on the Native American peoples before the European invasion, for example.

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