Riders on the Storm

Well what a fun few days we have just had! Right after posting we headed to the local bike shop in Steamboat called Orange Peel Bikes. It was a very very cool shop and they helped me get some more spokes (I have broken 5 now) and some other miscellaneous supplies. They also told us about a great burrito place downtown called Azteca Taqueria. They made us some huge chicken burritos as we anxiously awaited the arrival of my Uncle John.

After heading to the post office to pick up some care packages from my folks and from Katadyn (finally a working filter!), we headed down to the Yampa River to check out the farm fresh fruit and the people tubing down the river. Not long after biting into a Palisade peach, Nat's phone rang. It was John and he was en route to Steamboat! We headed back to the bike shop to meet up with him.

We waited around for a few minutes and then from behind me I heard a familiar voice. John had hitchhiked his way up and found us! We were excited to see him and to have a new person on the trip. We headed back to the burrito shop for one more burrito and then we were on our way.

As soon as we left, the sky grew very overcast and it appeared that we might have our first storm in a while. When we hit Route 14, the rain started falling in sheets and thunder seemed to come out of nowhere. We were prepared as we threw on our rain stuff and continued riding. It was a miserable way to start the ride out of Steamboat but we were happy to have a fresh face on the trip.
After about 20 miles of mis-shifts and grinding brakes, we noticed a small campground at Stagecoach State Park that was not on our maps. We hoped they had some place for us to setup. I could see the expression on Nat and John's faces as they talked to the park ranger, and they didn't look happy. We were drenched from head to toe and they were telling us that there was no more room and that we couldn't stay there. The ranger finally radioed a friendly voice and she said there was one site left that we could use. We were extremely happy as it was starting to get dark and the rain seemed to be coming down harder.

After setting up in the rain, we walked up to what we thought was a store to try and find a dry spot. Luckily there was an overhang with a picnic table underneath it. We setup the Jetboil and got to work stripping down and getting some dry clothes on. That's when we discovered that the bathroom had hot showers and blow dryers. Our night was saved as we stayed up to midnight warming up and drying out!

The next morning we woke up to much more familiar weather. It was a hot one and it was only 8am. We took our time getting out of camp and general procrastination of the 9,000ft pass we were going to have to climb. We got out of camp around 11 with our belly's' full and the sky bright blue. We immediately dove into some single track and then hit the dirt roads to Lynx Pass. As we climbed we noticed that clouds were starting to move in and they didn't look nice. Near the summit of the climb, we once again found ourselves getting drenched with an afternoon shower. Luckily this one didn't last as long and quickly the rain gear was shed.

One thing that I had asked John to bring was some music as that is something that Nat and I have missed a lot. He didn't disappoint and brought along an MP3 player and some pretty cool speakers. He asked if we wanted to listen to music while we rode and I jokingly said "Sure!". John got to work finding a way to mount the speakers so that we could listen to Grateful Dead and Cake as we pedaled. It definitely made the climbs easier!

After our little rain ordeal, we thought we were in the clear as we headed downhill. There was thunder in the distance but the sky above us was good. We descended into the valley and were met with yet another obstacle. The map warned we may have to ford a creek but only if it was a very wet year. Will all the dry weather and non-exist streams so far, we figured we would be fine. We were stopped dead in our tracks though by a waist-deep torrent that seemed impassable. Just as Nat and I were turning the bikes around, John popped out of the bushes and said he had found a trail. We took his word for it and headed into the stream. All of us made it across safely and didn't even get the gear wet! It was a good gamble that payed off!
We climbed and descended through some BEAUTIFUL Colorado countryside before a killer descent into Radium. The campsite was right on the Colorado River so there were boaters and kayakers everywhere! We setup camp and decided to introduce John to the wonderful word of freeze-dried meals. He opted for a chicken dish and said it was one of the best camping meals he ever had. With that we pulled out some music (and whiskey) and relaxed under a relatively clear night!
The next morning we awoke to the sound of a train rolling past. I got up and made some coffee bread to start another long day of climbing. This day would bring us over Inspiration Point and to the base of Ute Pass (9,500+ feet). As we were packing up, the people in the campsite next to us asked if we wanted any wine. We assured them we would love some and they came over and filled a Nalgene with delicious Franzia (box wine). It would be a great way to end the day.
The climb started off steep and didn't let off until nearly 6 miles. It was quite a climb and brought us to a wonderful overlook of the canyon we had just slept in. We were quite happy to see the top though and quickly headed down to our lunch spot for the day. It was a lodge that is owned by Orvis and said private all over it. We hadn't planned on that and Nat volunteered to ride through looking beat up and tired to see if we could use some of their shade. The lady was hesitant at first to have 3 dirty bikers on their nice clean, green lawn but eventually she gave in. We layed and enjoyed some wonderful peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
After lunch we were met with what we figure is a pattern. The clouds started to roll in and before long, it was pouring. The past two days, the storm was not directly over us and we were able to ride through it. On this day though, we were not as lucky. With lightning striking all around, we quickly got off the bikes and tried to find a low spot. We sat on some dirt and after about 5 minutes, the storm seemed to intensify. That's when I walked over to put my rain pants on and heard the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard. I looked back at John and he was already up and heading for different cover. We think that the lightning must have struck within 50 yards of us. It's something that none of us want to ever experience again.
We headed a little lower down and soon the storm passed and it was safe to ride again. We were all shaken but happy to be unhurt. We rode for a couple of hours and the sky started to clear ride back up again. That's when we ran into Chuck and Willy who are riding the trail from South-North. Willy had broken his elbow in a crash down in New Mexico but they decided that once he healed, they would continue on. They had been off the bikes for about a month and were just getting back into the swing of things. We were happy to see some more riders and exchanged stories for a good ten minutes. It was getting late though as we headed on and found our way to a deserted campground. There is a large problem out here with pine beadles destroying and weakening trees and this campsite had been closed due to the beadle's weakening all the trees.

We were happy to have the place all to ourselves with some peace and quiet. We setup and went down to the stream to pump some water. The new pump worked 100% better and we were able to fill up in no time. John pulled out the wine and I dug a small hole in some rocks near the shore so we could chill it a little before dinner. We made some more meals and I retrieved the wine and we had ourselves a little feast before John's last day. That night we were able to see the moon and lots of stars with a wonderfully clear night.

Monday we woke up with a sense of excitement and urgency. John had rented a condo for us to stay in when we got to Breckenridge. He told us of a small brewpub and of the hot tub that was right on the property. Wanting to relax our weary muscles, we quickly got ready and headed to our last big climb, Ute Pass. With "Uncle John's Band" pouring through the speakers, we pedaled fast and dug into the climb. We rode past a mining operation of some sort and kept climbing as the trees got smaller. We reached the summit of the climb in just under an hour and a half and couldn't believe the view. The Gore Range surrounded us and Nat and I felt like we were right back in Alberta. It was just gorgeous.

A passing tourist took a picture of the dirty trio and we pedaled off to the downhill portion of the ride. It was fast and over way to quick as we caught back up with the highway that would take us to Silverthorne. We didn't want to take lunch but a sign reading 2 for $2 hot dogs persuaded us otherwise. We stopped in and grabbed a quick bite before hitting the bike path that would take us to Breckenridge.

Rain entered the picture for a few minutes but none of us seemed to care as we flew along the nicely paved bike path. It was 15 miles but it seemed to take forever as we passed ski resorts and condos on the way. We hit Breckenridge and rode through the Main St. before veering right into a group of condos. John was leading and pulled into a condo called the "Motherlode" and we saw the Jeep that he had talked about getting at the rental car place. We were so tired and excited to be here that we ran upstairs forgetting the key code for the door. Luckily John had the number in the car and before long we were fully relaxing, drinking the local "Avalanche Ale" and watching a recap of the Tour. Our friend Rob's brother Levi was in 4th place overall and still looking like a strong contender for winning it this year. I turned the channel for a second and to our amazement, the Sox were on! Jon Lester was making his return to the mound and they were up 5-0! How could things get any better?!
With two showers, getting washed up was a snap and before we knew it we were going 45 mph to Safeway for a restock run. It felt weird going so fast, so easily after almost 2 months without being in a car. We grabbed lots of good Ramen and peanut butter (and lots of other food, thank you John!) before shooting back to get some dinner. We parked and walked down to the brewpub to grab some beers and steak and celebrate the 160+ mile ride we had just put John on in just over 3 days!

The food was the best we have had on the trip so far and a welcome relief from Ramen. We topped it off with some chocatley desserts and beer. It was so nice to relax and not worry about rain or wind blowing the tent around! We walked around town for a bit and hit a few more saloons before bed. We all had a great time and fell asleep with smiles on our faces.

That brings us to today where John has to leave the adventure and head back to Portland to start some new adventures. We were sad to see him go but so thankful to have him for the time we did. He boosted our moral and was just a pleasure to have along! Nat and I both want to thank Uncle John for everything he did for us!

Nat and I are going to hang out here in Breckenridge for another night and then head on to our biggest climb yet, Boreas Pass (11,800+ ft). We are nervous and excited but we look forward to checking back in at Salida. Hope all is well with you guys and hope to hear from you soon!

-Keith and Nat (And John)