Day twenty eight.

Steamboat Springs! 48 miles.

We are meeting so many people, so many conversations with total strangers. Many of our interactions are with other cyclists, so we have common topics to draw on, “Where did you start? Where are you from? Where did you sleep last night? Does your ass hurt too?” It’s been great for Max to practice his interpersonal skills and to notice the differences in how people interact with the world. Priceless experience.

This is Kirsten. She is a stoner from Michigan who runs the lodge we stayed in last night. She’s a legend on this route.

Is this the way to Mexico? I walked/pushed for two miles.

This is Andrew from South Africa. He lives in the states now and he and his wife sold their house and are doing the van life thing. She is driving along the route while he rides, so his load is super light as he doesn’t need extra clothes or food or camping gear. Definitely an appealing way to go. He is a northbounder.

And our last intro for the day is Michelle. Last night, knowing we were going to be in Steamboat Springs, I went on the facebook group for the route and found Michelle’s post offering her side yard, only three blocks from downtown. Turns out she was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic two years before Jenny and I were volunteers in St. Lucia. She let us take a shower, do our laundry, and even gave me a whiskey!

The people on this route have really enriched our experience!