Day 19 Thursday June 25 Gunnison CO to Salida CO 66 miles

Today was a a real challenge as we climbed up 9 miles to Monarch Pass where the continental divide can be seen. The elevation was just over 11,000 feet. The first 30 miles was a relaxing steady incline with some great scenery, the Rocky Mountains all around us. I looked forward to the climb since it is considered to be one of the 3 toughest climbs on the trip and we had already been on the other two. I am glad it is behind me. Most of us took the gondola ride to the very peak. The view was spectacular. I put my music on from my shuffle and sat there for 15 minutes just enjoying God's creation. The ride down was fast and the road was in good shape so I got a little more aggressive hitting speeds of up to 36mph. Someone hit 50, but that's not for me. It was a 15 mile decent that flew by.

PS: The picture of the miniture golf course on the mountain is for my son Tim. Since he was a kid he wanted to open up a business like this. This place looks like it has been closed for over 10 years, so Tim, my advice is to drop your dream.