We anticipated that today would be difficult. Not only were we about to bike 65 miles, but we had to go over/through Poncha Pass (9,010 ft). We were starting in Salida, CO which is at about 7,000 ft. The 2,000 ft increase all occurred within the first 12 miles, so it was a long climb. 

The climb was definitely not the steepest we've done. The winds, however, made it really hard. Michelle literally was blown over once and we all struggled to keep our balance. We celebrated at the top with chocolate and lots of water. The view was great: snowcapped mountains, blue skies, and gorgeous valleys. 

We were hoping the rest of the day would be easy (because it was mainly downhill and flat). The winds made it more difficult than we thought. We took a little break in Villa Grove, but both Emily and Michelle were feeling a bit sick. We had to continue on though.

We stopped again in Moffat, CO and Rebekah bought her first souvenir: a pair of earrings. After filling up our water bottles, we kept on heading south toward our destination.

At one point, had a mini-pile-up, but nothing too serious. All three of us fell off of our bikes, but luckily, we had no injuries and no bike damage. Rebekah also got a flat tire on her front wheel. Things just didn't go our way today.

We finally made it to our destination: Sand Dunes Swimming Pool and RV Park, near Hooper, CO. We were pleased to find out that they had one camp site left for $15. Free showers in the pool area were included...what a deal! We were also really glad that they had a little cafe area that sold food. After such a long day, we did not feel like cooking and eating camp food.