9/3/15
Was in no hurry getting out of Steamboat this morning. Bid a farewell to the MS bike crew and Gaston because those guys were staying an extra day or two to relax and take in the sights. Not sure if we would ever cross paths again.
The route took me through town one more time but figured I would stop and take notice of a few things before I left it all behind such as the ski jumps. Also noticed that near the ski jump there is an alpine slide, almost like bobsledding on a track down the mountainside. Really wanted to do that but they are only open on the weekends this time of year and it’s Thursday… At least I think it is.
The ski jumps at Steamboat
Steamboat is definitely a cycling town as my route stayed on a well-used bike path for quite some time heading out of town. Once I left the path I was still seeing cyclist all over the place. 19 miles into today’s ride I decided to take a lunch break at Stagecoach Reservoir. This was also a good time to stop because of thunderstorms building to the south, my intended route. It was looking as if that storm was heading my way so I rolled my bike into the concrete shitter to wait it out. After 45 minutes or so the storm dissipated, never reaching me so I decided to peddle on.
Thunderstorm on the south end of Stagecoach Reservoir, my intended route
About half a mile after getting back on the bike I came across a north-bound Divide rider who introduced himself as Andrew. We talked for a little bit and was rained on in the process. We shared trail notes and my already sour mood from previous days of riding turned even worse when I heard what Andrew encountered in New Mexico. By this point, I have a good idea of how many days it will take for me to reach the Mexico border. I learn Andrew has been riding for about 10 more days than I was figuring were left for me… [Explicative]
When Andrew and I parted ways the rains stopped but that was replaced by the winds… Right out of the south. Really? And to top it off I was facing a 2000’ climb to Lynx pass, which was between me and my intended destination for the day. This was just not going well!!!!
I kept looking down at my tires to see how much the sidewall was flexing against the ground because it felt like I peddling a bike with flat tires. With the tires nice and firm, I got off the bike at one point and spun both wheels just to make sure they were spinning free with no brake hang up.
Coming up a hill I approached a truck/camper that was parked just off the side of the road. One guy was standing beside the camper and I could just tell by the look on his face, he’s wondering why and the hell would anybody be riding a bike on a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere Colorado. I stop and we start to talk. He yells for his buddy in the camper and tells him: “Get this, this guy is riding this freaking bike to MEXICO!”
Great couple of guys, Mark and Gary were here to Elk hunt from Pennsylvania. They kept feeding me; wine, protein bars, biscuits. I was having an absolute blast talking with these guys. My mood dramatically improved at this point. Told the guys that riding is one thing, but meeting people like them is what the Divide is all about. I certainly could have stayed and talked more but they were backpacking up over the ridge to camp and hunt, needed to get going before they ran out of daylight. They were a mega morale boost for sure.
Mark and Gary
It was getting late and due to the sluggish miles I logged, was going to fall way short of my goal for the day. Looking on the map there is a camp spot about 3-4 miles past where Mark and Gary were. When arrived I noticed one Elk hunter was able to fill his tag because there was the gut pile. Even though I left Grizzly country a long time ago there are still bears in the area and a gut pile is just an invitation for dinner, so I rode on looking for another spot.
The left side of the road was National Forest so I was looking for a level spot up the side of the mountain to pitch my tent. Took about 2 miles of slow peddling and searching, but I found a somewhat suitable spot. Set up my tent and once inside discovered I was more comfortable sleeping with my head at the foot end of the tent. Oh well, a spot to sleep in the brush is a spot to sleep. Nothing more.
