We spent yesterday biking into Montrose, CO and had the opportunity to build with the local Habitat for Humanity today. Unsurprisingly, it was another incredible two days in Colorado.
I rode into Montrose with Sarah and Mary, and around mile 15 was joined by Sarah's friend Ashley who rode with us the remainder of the day. Our ride took us through the Curecanti National Recreation Area during the first half of the ride, which is the home of Blue Mesa Lake, the largest lake in Colorado, and creator of stunning reflections for miles. The remainder of our ride took us climbing over mesas, eventually leading into open spaces of adobe badlands. As we entered Montrose we could see the jagged San Juan Mountains to the south and Grand Mesa to the north. The ride showed us new parts of Colorado, equally beautiful to what we've seen already, but so completely different and surprisingly captivating.
I was lucky to have the opportunity to go to Black Canyon National Park before dinner with Ashley, Sarah, and Brandon since it's a short drive from Montrose. We had passed by the entrance sign and the steep winding road on the way in, but there was no way of knowing what we would see from the top. The Canyon is just so unassuming from the road. It ended up being one of the most incredible places I've ever been. The west is full of natural wonders at a scale that I have never experienced living in the Midwest and east coast. I wish pictures could do it justice but there was no way to capture the massiveness of the canyon. From the top we could hardly even see the Gunnison River flowing through the bottom.
Today I woke up refreshed and ready to get to work on the build site. It ended up being one of the most fun build days of the trip. Most of us worked on two adjacent houses helping to install and stabilize roof trusses, wrapping the homes with Tyvek, and cutting out windows and doors from the plywood frame. It was so cool to see such apparent progress from start to finish and we even worked with the future owners of one of the homes.
After the build I went to the nearby town of Ouray (the Switzerland of America!) with Ashely and Sarah to get a closer look at the San Juan Mountains and soak in the hot springs. It was a great end to our time in Montrose and a treat for my muscles before we start riding again tomorrow.
Although the last two days were amazing, our hearts were definitely still heavy due to the death of Patrick Wanninkhof. However, seeing how the Bike & Build community came together across the country (and even in Europe) to honor him, and support the recovery of Bridget Anderson, was absolutely inspiring. This is one of the most incredible groups I've ever been a part of and witnessing the intense sense of community over the past couple days increases my drive to give every ounce of energy I have to this trip and the affordable housing cause.