Why don't we just stay here?

Well, after cycling through a good portion of Colorado, there is little doubt in my mind that this is the most beautiful state in which I have ever traveled. When we left Gunnison for another long day in the breathtaking Rockies, we were afraid that the rain that poured outside would remain with us all day and ruin our ride around Blue Mesa Lake. Fortunately, it cleared up after only a few miles, and we were left with only rainbows and mist rising from the river as we headed on our way. Soon, we arrived at Blue Mesa Lake, or as Emily calls it, "The Lake of Unspeakable Beauty," a name that could not be more appropiate. Imagine a gorgeous lake, filled with cool, crisp, mountain water, and then surround that lake with gorgeous peaks and place river gorges on either side. That is Blue Mesa Lake. It's amazing. After leaving the lake area, we started our climbing for the day, which was not too strenous but not too bad. To keep ourselves occupied on the ascents, Claire, Dan, and I started to fabricate the life of Michael Crichton. Our conversations went something like this:
"Michael Crichton was the president of what club his junior year at Westchester school of the arts?"
"Umm... Chess?"
"Wrong! Flamenco Dancing!"
And on it went until we had created his entire life, from his hometown to his marriage status to his hobbies, favorite foods, vehicle, and miniature golf addiction. It made the hills go by a lot faster. The rest of the ride was fairly pleasant, with a descent into a town and then a gradual climb over the next 30 miles to Ouray, probably one of the most amazing towns I have ever seen. The town is situated in a valley at an elevation of a little under 8,000 feet, and on three sides of the town sheer rockfaces capped with snow stretch up to close to 12,000 feet in height. It was absolutely beautiful.

Out of Ouray, we climbed about 3,500 feet right away on the "Million Dollar Highway," so named because it cost $1 million per mile to build - in the 1930s. The road stretched upwards in front of us for the first 13 miles, rising without a guard rail with a 1,000 foot drop on the side to the top of the Red Mountain Pass, an elevation of 11,018 feet. From the summit, we descended quickly and coldly to the skiing town of Silverton, where we ate lunch, got shuttled past some construction, and then ascended the second peak, which had an amazing view of a lake and the mountains rising beyond. We then went down again and then back up to our final peak of the day, where we rested for only a moment before beginning the 4,000 + foot descent that would occur over the next 30 miles as we approached Durango. Unfortunately, descending also means leaving the Rockies, which was not an altogether pleasant thought. We still have a little more of the mountains left, but Arizona is approaching rapidly.

Durango has been totally amazing. There are cyclists everywhere, and the gas stations sell clif bars instead of chips and sodas. Last night, Emily's aunt and uncle had us over for dinner, and they treated us to massive trays of fresh fruit, amazing cheeses, and amazing chicken and pasta. It was such a treat to be in their home. Today, we built floors and prepared walls with the La Plata County Habitat for Humanity Chapter. After that, we headed into downtown Durango, where we had an amazing run-in with the local bookstore owner. Scott's parents had contacted the bookstore in search of a new journal, and they had talked with Peter, who we then met when we went to the bookstore. Not only was Peter extremely kind and interested in our trip, not only did he give Scott a huge discount on the journal, but he also bought us ice cream! It was awesome. Tomorrow we ride for Cortez and then over some state lines to Arizona.