Does Snow Melt in Colorado?

Later when I post the map of my trek through Colorado, you'll see the first town I pass through is Lamar, located in the southeastern part of the state. This morning on NPR I listened to a segment about Lamar still digging itself out of more than thirty inches of recent snow. According to the owner of a grocery store, the town was without bread because all the roads looked the same, white, making it impossible for truck drivers to follow directions. Ranchers were worried about cows they hadn't seen in days, and helicopters were dropping bales of hay to save thousands of head. Thousands of homes and businesses, throughout southeastern Colorado, are waiting to have their power restored. You can read all about this in the Summit Daily News.

Almost three feet of snow is a lot of snow to melt by late May, at which time I expect to start the Colorado let of my trek from the Arch to Tor House. And it's just the beginning of winter! Hopefully, spring in Colorado is mild and and the snow melts and the rivers and creeks are full. And the open pastures are dry enough to pitch a tent.

Using Hammer to Crush Large Bones and Skull

In planning my trek next summer from the Arch to Tor House, I thought it would be neat to ride from the Arch to my house on Drexel, where I could get one last night of good rest, and then to ride from Drexel Drive in University City to Drexel, Missouri. This Drexel to Drexel leg, you might say, would seem comfortable because of the familiarity of names. I made the mistake, however, of googling Drexel, Missouri.

On Wikipedia, I found an ariticle about Drexel, Missouri. A man was charged there on August 20, for killing people, dismembering them, burning the body parts, using a hammer to crush large bones and skulls, and scattering the fragments in his backyard. Now I don't feel so comforatable about biking through Drexel, Missouri.

This article has made me realize there'll be times along the way between the Arch and Tor House that I could very well be concerned about my safety. What if late one evening I pull into the vicinity of Drexel, Missouri, or any other isolated town, pitch my tent, and later take a visit from the bone crusher's twin sibling. That's a freaky thought. Now that I know of the town's recent history, I'll likely plan to be well east or west into Kansas by nightfall.

Still, there's the concern for personal safety throughout the trek from the Arch to Tor House. I'm a big guy so I doubt there'll be any problem. I've thought of taking along a can of pepper spray or even a tasar. But that seems extreme. I've read blogs of other bikers who have made similar treks, and almost to a person they have all written that their days and nights were trouble free and that, for the most part, strangers along the way were fine and generous folk.

Still, I'm certain the first couple of weeks will have worrisome nights, sort of like leaving the blaze of a campfire for the darkness of your tent after having heard a story about the sunny dispostion man who gets his thrills by abducting little children from their beds.