Day thirty four.
Back on the roads already? 69 miles.
Yep. The Colorado Trail between Breckenridge and Denver runs through the Lost Creek Wilderness National Forest, which prohibits bicycles. So the route for bicycles makes a large detour on paved and dirt roads, so that was our entire day.
That band of snow on the mountain is the glacier Max was climbing the day before.
We sat at a firehouse using their electric to charge our devices. While waiting, we played a game where we tried to identify the colors of Sour Patch Kids by taste. Max got three out of five correct. I got one out of five.
This is clearly the most popular sign in America. It’s just crazy how many NO TRESPASSING signs we see. “Keep out, keep out, keep out.”
Shortly after I took this photo, we came to a creek and we needed water. We dropped over the edge of the bridge to get to the creek and filtered a few liters. As we were finishing up and loading our bikes again, a woman drove up and came at us hot. “You are trespassing! I’m calling the sheriff!” She was so, so angry. It was like a YouTube video. We probably stood on a yard of her property, just so we could get to the water, but she didn’t care. Then her husband showed up, called us dicks, took our pictures, and said next time he will drive us off a cliff. In the mayhem, I left my rain jacket sitting there. Ugg. They did not lead with kindness, the opposite of so much we have seen on our journey.
We stopped here for dinner and contemplated staying for the night, but finally decided to move on.
This area we rode through was so dramatic. It had clearly suffered a wildfire, and we could only imagine how amazing it was before.
We ended up camping in a no camping zone. But when you’re traveling by bicycle, sometimes your options are limited. We always practice “leave no trace.”
Mail Bag
Anna from Chicago asks, “How do you push through when every part of your body wants to stop or give up? What are the things you say to yourself?”
Great question Anna! It’s something we deal with daily. A lot goes into the mental game of pushing further when you are tired. In no particular order:
If the road is bad, just push on and it will get better.
If the climb is long and steep, push on and it will go downhill.
If you are thirsty, drink. Hungry? Eat. Not hungry? Eat anyway. It’s amazing what a body can do when it’s properly fueled.
And sometimes you just HAVE to keep going, you can’t stop here.
A four word phrase that makes happy people sad and sad people happy, “This too shall pass.”
JMo from Cincinnati asks, ”Do your sit-bones still hurt when you get on the bike or are you calloused by now that it’s comfortable? And when you get tired—what is tired? Thighs, shoulders, neck, sit-bones?”
Great question JMo! Maintenance of the undercarriage has been a big part of our trip. We used copious amounts of chamois cream to reduce friction and prevent saddle sores. Now we don’t worry about that. Pain in the sit bones is still a thing, but mostly just when climbing, when you are pulling hard on the bars and driving your bottom into the seat. Obviously the legs get tired, but mostly only after a rest. When you start again, it seems like they are too tired to continue, but 30 seconds later, amazingly, they just do the work.