Day 314
Byers Canyon
Well, we woke to a very cold morning but bright sunshine instead of rain, we were just congratulating ourselves that we had avoided an unwanted shower when it started to snow! That made our minds up, we would do a short 28-miler to Granby, the only place with shelter for the next 100 miles. The wind was fierce but the Gods were with us, and it blew us along. The route was predominantly flat or downhill, and as we headed towards what appeared to be a dead-end with no way through the surrounding mountains, we didn’t realise just what a treat we had coming. The road turned left and into Byers Canyon. With high cliffs on either side, the railway running besides us, and the start of the Colorado River, man and nature had combined to create one of the best few miles riding of the trip. We needed the mental lift and it certainly worked its magic on us.
The wind stayed strong and predominantly behind us, except for the aptly named Windy Gap. The gust was so strong that I was blown to the edge of a bridge, fortunately the crash barriers stopped me toppling over! Despite the stunning views we were ready to stop. Granby loomed ahead. We popped into ‘Two Pines’ the local ski, hiking and cycling shop. It was a treasure trove of outdoor kit. We were like two kids in a sweetie shop, but common sense reigned, and we sensibly just bought the essentials we needed for the bikes and of course bear spray! The locals tell us the black bears are a lot like squirrels, shout at them and they will run. Grizzly Bears are a different matter so we thought it best to be prepared.
