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Saturday, Sept. 16 -- Durango to Mancos -- 32 miles

 
It rained briefly as we headed out of Durango, but it stopped as we turned onto Route 160 to begin the climb to Hesperus.
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Snowy mountains to the northeast


Our room at the Enchanted Mesa Motel  wasn't ready yet, so we tooled around town on our bikes for a while.

We did the
self-guided tour
of historic buildings, and a little window-shopping.

The climbing was fine, but a fierce crosswind made the downhill difficult.

The Absolute Bakery & Cafe in Mancos, right next to the Mancos River, was our kind of place, right down to the outdoor table half in the sun (for Lynne) and half in the shade (for Rick). Delicious wraps, pasta, cookies, and lavender lemonade.
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We met a local man who used to be a ranger at Mesa Verde National Park, and he gave us a good suggestion for solving a logistical problem the next day. We figured the morning bus tour from Far View Terrace in the middle of the park would be the best way to see Mesa Verde and still have the afternoon to bike to our next destination, but we knew we couldn't bike the 22 hilly miles to Far View in time for the 8:30 a.m. tour. The ex-ranger told us we might be able to get on the employee shuttle bus into the park.
In the evening we walked a few blocks to the Millwood Junction restaurant
for a concert by pianist Scott Cossu.


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