Day 29, July 9: Long Road to the Top

So we got out of Steamboat around 2 and figured well we are only going about 40 miles, how bad can it be?  So we each grabbed a gigantic burrito from Azteca Tacqueria, ate it all and set out on the trail.  It felt like a loong day even though we were only out for 5 hours.  I know, only 5 hours, it was flat at first, gave time for that burrito to stay where it was supposed to, then hit the uphill for the majority of the day.  Up to Lynx Pass 8,937 ft.  Jen was having second thoughts about being glad to be in Colorado as the mountains are back!  So our trail magic came at the end of the day when the forest service campground that was supposedly closed was open and we were able to end the day alittle early and it was on route.  Met a 3 day bikepacker, Dave and hung out for a couple hours before going to bed exhausted.  Oh, we did find a t-shirt embedded in the trail, my size, not really my style though.  It said "I'm not a doctor, but I will take a peek" Breckenridge, Co.  We picked it up and ended up using a sleeve to assist in filtering water from the stream.  Hope to ripe the other sleeve off and maybe make it into a sporty, retro sleeveless, half-shirt!  Pics to come.

Currently in Steamboat Springs

July 9, we are currently in Steamboat Springs, getting our bikes worked on at Orange Peel Cycles, will head out this afternoon and put in some miles.  On the spot tracker map in the right hand column click on all riders and then my name and you can see more of where we are and where we have been.  I have not been able to upload pics in a while as it is very slow and time consuming, will attempt to do so in a couple of days.  We are now passed the halfway mark and will be in Silverthorne, CO in 2 days, though you can drive there in a couple of hours.  We are now up to 82% of our goal of $2,754, which is just awesome and amazing, thank you for more generous donations, it is much appreciate.  This has been a very special ride for us and hope everyone is enjoying the blog, miss you all, though we are not very anxious for this to be over.  We take it one day at a time and take it as it comes to us.  Chow for now folks!

Day 28: Riders in the storm

July 8, 60 miles from Ladder Ranch to Steamboat Springs.  Had to get up early for the 6:30am Ranch style breakfast with all the ranch help.  Definitely worth it though an hour and a half later, it was time to eat again.  Got caught in a storm, had to pull over under some pines and sit on our BOB Bags as to insulate us from the ground and lightening.  Almost fell asleep after eating some more snacks, then decided to carry on in the rain as the lightening all but stopped.  Rode through some beautiful country, stopped at the Columbine Store for some delicious instant coffee.  "I rarely drink instant coffee, but when I do, I prefer Nescafe!"  Then stopped at the Clark General Store/Post Office/Library/Deli/Ice Cream Parlor, new meaning to the word "General."  Ate again at Clark's then pushed on to Steamboat Springs.  It is definitely nice to be back in the mountains, though our legs are feeling the climbs a bit after some relatively rolling hills for a few days.  We are having an awesome time and are feeling really good!  To all the people who have been courteous and slowed down on the dirt roads and not flung dust and stones by the speed at which we are passed, thank you. 

Day 27: Then the storms rolled in...

July 7, rode 75 miles from Rawlins, WY to Ladder Ranch WY/CO.  I will say we were glad to be gettin out of Rawlins, while the gettin was good.  We were glad to be back riding after a lazy day, began to get into more terrain with trees.  It is nice to have a splash of green!  As we rode into Colorado, a major storm was building and looked to be moving in the direction where we were initially headed.  So we decided to change direction and take the alternate root toward some camping/lodging.  Well then the storm changed direction and began following us.  We had a difficult time finding Ladder Ranch as we overlooked it in the description of services and only had a symbol along the route to go by.  Stopped and asked some people, they were unsure, finally stopped a car and sure enough our luck returned and the lovely lady lived on the Ranch and told us where to go.  Just as we were shown our rustic cabin, the storm unleashed it's fury, while we were safe and secure inside.  I tried to add some drama here, though it really wasn't that dramatic, though again we had some good luck and good timing.  The ride was beautiful, came across a herd of sheep, one sounded like he needed a throat lozenge, they were everywhere on the road.

Day 26: July 6 Rawlins, update to previous posts

Not much to report, went grocery shopping, visited the library, ate, drank, ate some more then didn't feel like rolling out in the late afternoon and ended up staying.  It is kinda nice to go as you wish and not be on such a tight schedule.  Anyway, forgot to mention in previous posts that we have seen quite a few divide riders heading south to north, which is cool to see other people out riding.  We also encountered a badger on the road through the Great Divide Basin. 

Day 25: When needed the Divde will Produce it!

Day 25:  July 5, Camp in the Basin to Rawlins, WY, We rode 100 miles in about 9 1/2 hours of riding time and about 13 hours overall!  Hot, Dry in the 80s and limited water.  We were getting beaten down a bit, difficult to drink hot water and hot gatorade when you are so thirsty.  We wanted to take a break when we reached the reservoir, the next water source, ended up short of that to refuel on more food.  Just after we stopped, we spotted some bicyclists up ahead and a van behind them.  They were riding the divide with a support van full of cold drinks, what a relief and a boost, both mentally and physically.  Thank you guys and gals from Absolute Bikes!!  We battled a significant side wind all day, that was until we hit the pavement in the basin and got a tailwind that literally blew us 30+ miles into Rawlins.  We were not expecting to go that far and got a boost with the tailwind as we were riding at about 20 miles and hour with minimal pedaling.  What a difference a tailwind can make.  So we are still eating a lot!  We eat about every 1 1/2 hours, breakfast, after breakfast meal, lunch, after lunch meal, 2nd after lunch meal, dinner and sometimes after dinner.  Paydays, pb&j's, clif blocks, granola bars, wheat thins, and occasionally will actually stop and make more of a meal like tortellini, ramen or whatever, as well as stop at random places and eat to supplement all this....And yes, we are still losing weight!  This is awesome, eat and drink what you want and lose weight, while getting into shape!  Looking forward to Colorado, which is only about 50 miles away.  We are about 80+ miles from the halfway mark and making good time and having an awesome time and adventure!

Day 24: Dry, Hot, and more Dry

Day 24:  July 4 Sandy Creek to Somewhere in the Great Divide Basin, 77miles, rode for 8 hours, total hours was about 12.  Found a camping spot in the dark at about 10:30pm.  We rode through South City Pass, stopping at the local Mercantile for a drink and ice cream.  Then rode into Atlantic City for lunch before heading out in the Basin, which is Wyoming's desert with limited water along the way.  Filled up with water at an artisan well that flows from a pipe in the middle of nowhere, literally the middle of nowhere, no one, nothing around, it was actually quite neat to be out there.  Crossed the continental divide 3 times and enjoyed the nothingness that was something to us.

Day 23: The Day the Liquid Carbs appeared

Day 23:  July 3, Hot,  80s, Dry.  Rode 87 miles, 7hrs 30min riding, overall 11 hour day.  Rode into primitive camp near Sandy Creek arriving around 9-9:30pm.  Stopped in Pinedale, WY at the Wrangler Cafe for lunch and had some darn good blackberry pie.  So there we were sitting along the rode in the dry desert of Wyoming, taking a break when a couple in a jeep pull over to see if we need anything.  They gave us cold beer, water and chocolate!  Got to the remote camping area, where a horse outfitter had already set up camp with their clientele, again we were given a couple cold blueberry beer and camped across the road from them along the creek.  Got to wash up in the creek which was nice and used a cow patty for a pillow, things are looking up!

Day 22: Going uphill on the downhill

Day 22 July 2:  Union Pass, WY to Whiskey Grove Campground (otherwise known as "Fly Grove")  40 miles, sunny and in the 80s.  Flies, flies and more flies, I won't get into details, other than to say they were brave and bold and would land everywhere!   The map showed all downhill once we crested union pass, it was the most uphill we did on a downhill.  We could see more smoke from forest fires in the distance and at the end of the day got blasted with wind, rain and dust for about 15 minutes, that came out of nowhere and abruptly ended as fast as it started. 

Day 21 The Smell of Bar-B-Q

Day 21, July 1:  Togwotee Pass to Union Pass, 38 miles, mostly uphill.  So we crest the 9,658 ft Togwotee Pass, come down the other side to the smell of Bar-B-Q.  Taste buds watering, thinking this will be an unexpected treat, roll into the "famous lava mountain lodge." (not sure how famous it is!)  Just to find out that it will only be ready at 3 and it was noon, so much for that.  Rather uneventful day with lots of climbing.  Camped at a forest service campground along the spring creek that locals told us about, that was littered with cow pies.  We could see smoke to the east as a result of some wildfires that were burning 300 miles away.