Viva La Vagabond: Colo-rippin-rado!

The vagabonds have had a big last couple of days. We had a lot to accomplish upon our departure from Kremmling. We had a lot of miles of climbing ahead of us, our first time deviating off route and our biggest pass yet to go over. Pretty big day. The ride from Kremmling to Silverthorne was scenic, but on a fairly busy highway with no shoulder. We took a break in Silverthorne then got back at it with Fremont Pass still ahead of us. Thisnis where we deviates to that we coukd visit Sam Jordan who is living in Salida, CO for the summer. The good news was that there was a really nice bike path leaving Silverthrone for several miles. Riding on a seperate bike path is a really nice treat compared to highways. Bumps and cracks are not a concern for automobiles but biking over unkempt highways can make your day miserable. A bike path is a guarantee for a smooth surface which can make a world of difference. You can also spend much more time taking in what is around you instead of checking your mirror every few seconds to make sure that huge truck is at least trying to give you some space and there is usually prettier scenery to take in. This route in particular was very asthetically pleasing. This was the first time that we were in the middle of huge jagged mountain sides. Colorado has offered a huge variety of landscape for us. The path made the ride all the way to Copper Mountain extremely enjoyable, even if it was uphill.

Once we made it there, we hopped on the highway to conquer our very biggest and last mountain pass! The grade was not too steep and we knew this was the last time we would spend hours without ever going over 8mph, so the ride continued to be enjoyable. We climbed and climbed and enjoyed the views that Colorado provided for us. The high elevation did not make it easy to breathe but that didn't get us down either. The road would flatten out a little then climb higher again, flatten and climb even more until we finally reached the top. Spotting the big summit sign is always such a relieving moment. It means the end is in site! We're not sure if it was the lack of oxygen, the fact that we were done climbing for a loooong time, or both but we started to get a little crazy up there. We spent lots of time taking pictures, being goofy and just soaking in the moment. We realized it was almost dark and figured that was our cue to get going. We had about 11 miles of down hill left and at that elevation it meant layering up one more time before sending our cold gear home.

We felt so accomplished as we coasted all the way to Leadville. The ride was so quiet and peaceful with our satisfied hearts and nothing except the wind in our ears and the soft pitter patter of Mosquitos hitting our jackets and faces. Okay that part wasn't as peaceful as I just made it sound.

We made it into Leadville where we would stay for the night. A lot of city parks allow free camping, well some do, so we just assumed it would be okay to do the same here. They had a huge white tent set up that was perfect for sleeping under! We had an easy destination the next day. We would travel about 45 miles, mostly downhill, to meet Sam and visit for a day. We bummed around Leadville a little that morning since we knew the ride wouldn't take very long. We made it 34 miles to Buena Vista in a little over and hour and a half. Our conclusion is, going fast is way more fun than going slow. Sam met us in Buena Vista to grab some lunch then we met him about ten miles down the road at his boss's house that he is house sitting and they so kindly allowed us to stay there as well. Andrew and Kayla needed Sam to stay in order to take care of their dog and pack goats. That's right. So before dinner we took all the goats out on a goat walk to the river behind the house. This one was of those things that we could not predict happening on this trip.

Afterwards, Sam made us a lovely dinner then had some friends come over to enjoy a "the fire ban has been lifted" bon fire. He was particularly excited for us to meet Gracie because she unicycled across the country, east to west then north to south. And you may all lose interest in us now. Just kidding. We really enjoyed talking and sharing stories with everyone and also the musical stylings of Sam Jordan and his banjo. It was a good ol' time until everyone was ready for good ol' bed. Today Sam and his girlfriend Jess will take the 3 vagabonds on a Colorado raft trip! Shred some gnar y'all.

Some strange arrangement of art on the highway near Kremmling. Not really sure what is going on here..