9/5/15

Yesterday when I made it into Kremmling CO, found my favorite place to grab something to eat on the route… Subway. Sitting in Subway shivering cold and wet I was happy to be warming up and having a nice meal.

Once finished with dinner I took out the map to find what lodging is available Kremmling. One place was listed as a hostel so I and gave them a call to see if they had availability for me to stay that night. They did have rooms available and the situation is it’s a hotel with Hostel rooms.

After I was done with my meal I would head the couple blocks to the Shady Rest Hotel. Not the real name but that’s what I called it because the guy that answered the phone sounded just like Uncle Joe from the 60’s TV show Petticoat Junction. Soon after talking with Uncle Joe I got a text from Gene. It said that he and his riding partner Jim (a friend who joined Gene in Rawlings shortly after I left) were in Kremmling for Friday and going to Silverthorne for Sat. Well heck, it’s Friday and I’m in Kremmling so I immediately texted Gene to let him know that I too was in town. I got an immediate reply that they were at the Rocky Mountain Bar and Grill. I asked the girl working in Subway where that was. “just around the corner” she said. So I picked up my stuff to go meet with Gene and Jim.

Talking with those guys I told them of my dilemma of needing to be in Silverthorne by tomorrow noon before the post office closed, to get my maps. If I didn’t make it I’d be stuck until Tuesday. Looking over the map in Subway the only option I had, was to get up early and travel highway 9 all the way to Silverthorne bypassing the official divide route over Ute Pass. Didn’t look as though the elevation would be bad along the highway, but the big question was, could I cover 37 miles before noon if started right at sunrise? When I told Gene and Jim this, Jim’s suggestion was to stop at the gas station, at the intersection of highway 9 and main street in town, and try to bum a ride to Silverthorne.

I still needed to check in at the Shady Rest so I had to say goodbye to those guys, for now. The rate at Shady rest was only $25 and was very pleased with that. I asked how many beds to a room, in other words, what’s the potential roommate factor here? Told me I had a private with a double size bed. Just had to share the bathroom down the hall. Well hell to me that was like scoring a regular hotel room for part of the rate.

After getting my shower I went back out to meet up again with Gene and Jim. We all needed to do some laundry and the few clothes each of us carries, we could all take care of our wash with one load.

Had a good night’s sleep and woke just before my alarm at 5:30 am. Sitting in my room I ate the breakfast of doughnuts and chocolate milk I bought the night before. Still, a little dark when I left the hotel and headed to the gas station to give Jim’s suggestion a try before trying to beat ass to Silverthorne.

Used the gas station to fill up on water, fully expecting the plan to hitch a ride would be a bust. The first guy I asked was driving a little truck with a topper on it. Asked if he was heading to Silverthorne. He said no and I told him that I needed to be there by noon to pick up a package. His reply was I could be going that way if you buy breakfast. Told him that is one of the best deals I made yet on this route. So I loaded my bike in his truck and headed off to Silverthorne with him and his dog Shelby. His name is Dave and ironically he was originally from Greenville Michigan, now living in Colorado for the past few years.

Dave was very pleasant company to talk with. Even after having breakfast at the Mountain Lion Café we continued to talk for quite some time about various subjects mostly about our shared passion for airplanes. Like me, Dave got his Private Pilot license in the mid 90’s.

Said goodbye to Dave and Shelby thanking him for his generosity and helping me out of a jam. Discovered the post office was just two blocks away from the restaurant and was there so early I had to wait for it to open. They had my all important package and while there I also took advantage of the opportunity to mail a few things back to Michigan.

Dave and his Dog Shelby

Decided to take a rest day and stay in Silverthorne for the night and get back on the route in the morning. Spent most of my day at McDonald’s using their Wifi to work on the blog and spent an hour or so talking to my son Matthew. Got another text from Gene that he and Jim had made it to Silverthorne that afternoon. Met them one last time because Gene was getting off the route and heading home to Littleton, CO in order to take a planned vacation with his wife and some friends.

Had a good discussion with Gene and Jim about my current state of defeat and how mentally, physically drained I had been the past few days. Gene had been on the trail just about as long as I have and was all too familiar with my current state. The words Gene used to tell how he was feeling practically described my state to a T. It was extremely helpful to get words of encouragement and a heartfelt “you can do it”, from Gene.

Lodging for the night I ended up staying at yet another Hostel. However, with Silverthorne being a much bigger tourist town than Kremmling, the cost was almost double. Only had to share a room with one other guy, not too bad but not private as I enjoyed the night before.

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