Day Thirty-four (0 miles): A New Day And New Friends

7:45AM. Early morning rays of sun cascade under the fringes of the curtain. A few extra hours of sleep and I feel so much better. Ella rolls on to her back and stretches out like a furry scarf. She flips over and army crawls onto a pillow at the end of the bed before curling up again. Joel is getting ready for the day, so I get up and head for the bathroom. I forgot how great a morning shower really is. Refreshed and ready for the day, I tuck Ella into my backpack and head out for coffee. The Daily Grind was so good when I yesterday, I decided to go again.

Joel was already there and working on his computer. I order a smoothie and work on downloading some photos taken earlier in the week. It was a beautiful morning when I left, sun sparkling through the morning dew on the trees, a cool breeze floating through the quiet city streets, and smell of fresh coffee drifting out of shops lining either side of the road. By the time I had finished my photos and my smoothie, the sun was beating down on the river and flies were beginning to swarm the late morning humid air. I leave from my chair to avoid being eaten alive and walk Ella down the still quiet streets. A few people pass by; some with their dogs, some on their morning routine, and some skirting the sidewalks on their bikes. Ella is getting tired, so I slip her back into my backpack and head for the hotel. Ella rides with her head peaking out on the way back, watching everthing go by, perfectly content.

When we get back to the room, Joel is on a business call. I make some peanut butter and jelly bagels and chill in the room for awhile. Joel gets off the phone and we talk about work, cycling, traveling and writing for a long time. Later in the afternoon, Bob calls us and wants to know if we want to go hang out. Soon we are on our way to a pub downtown. The sun has hidden itself behind the looming face of storm clouds. It's not quite raining yet, but you can feel it in the air. A few minutes of walking down the empty sidewalks and we arrive at the pub. Bob is already inside with two new friends, Derrick and Stacy.

Derrick and Stacy bought bikes the day before they decided to leave Memphis and have been traveling ever since. Both of them are headed to Portland on a whim to live there. It's a great idea to be honest. A new city, a new start. Not to mention that Portland is just awesome to begin with, I lived in Oregon for 2 1/2 years and loved it. We all eat, share stories, get to know each other, drink and be merry.

After hanging out in the bar for awhile, we head out to walk around downtown. We end up exploring downtown and all the little local shops. Later in the evening, we are all getting pretty hungry and end up back at the same pub again. Ella is asleep in my backpack, her head just peeking out of the zipper. Another round of drinks and baskets of food fill the table. This time, I have the best beer pretzels I have ever had in my entire life. Good food, good times, and good friends. It was great to meet some new people and make new friends. Tomorrow they head off for Colorado Springs and we head for Canon City.

By the time we leave the pub, it is raining and we rush back through the back alleys of Pueblo to our hotel. Thunder cracks through the sky and it begins raining in sheets. Back at the hotel Ella hops out of my backpack in the room and curls up onto her soft fleece blanket. Joel and I plan on getting up by 5:30AM in the morning to ride to Canon City. I have package waiting for me in Canon City so I am excited to get restocked and get my new long sleeve shirt! I have all of my gear to pack up, so I will put down the pen and get to packing. Ella and I hope you are enjoying our adventure and continue to follow us as we leave the plains and head for the hills!