Taking a couple days off in Steamboat, staying with some friends in their place here in town. Thought I would catch up on a few miscellaneous items while I rest and get a few errands done.
Steamboat is a Ski Town (USA) that maintains strong ties to its western and rural heritage as well as embracing the outdoors. The Yampa River runs right through town, and is actively used by fisherman, tubers, paddle boards and kayakers. It also has a very nice paved trail running along it for 4 or 5 miles. Biking is embraced in art as well as in life. There is a bike race at Howellson Hill this weekend, many commuters, and a number of bike shops, each with its own personality.
My friend Tom who guided my recent re provisioning of fishing gear back in Colorado Springs is here and took me fishing at the local Walton Pond and I caught 2 rainbow trout, my first in Colorado. Now I need to see if the backpacking rod will fit in my BOB!
On Saturday, Tom took me out to Stagecoach reservoir for some more fishing, and he let me use his float tube to break away from the shore. Another first for me, and I hooked 2 more trout, larger and more frisky than th E previous ones.
I ran into Andrew and James from Milwaukee again. They are heading out today on their last day or 2 of the route. They will then peel off and go over Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain Park before sailing down hill through the Great Plains back to the Midwest. I played leapfrog with them along the route ever since A&M Reservoir, sharing food and chatting at each meeting and getting to know them better.
On Sunday, Dave and I went on a MTB ride along the Morrision Divide out to a place called Muddy Slide, wherea big section of the mountain had slide down the mountain at some untold time in the distant past. While the dated guide books indicated nice single track, the trail, it is heavily used by ATVs. It is no longer single track, and pretty loose in places. It was a fun return descent to car and a post ride refreshments.
few donated photos from Wyoming.
Horses - Saw a couple of groups of horses in the Great Divide Basin, and we assume that they are wild horses. Normally, horses are kept close to the ranch homes and not allowed to roam, but there were no homes for leagues. There was also other signs of free range horses along much of the route in the basin, as noted by the very large piles of evidence along the road. Apparently they are feeding very well indeed!
Another donated photo shows me paying homage to the current Rio Olympics as I ride triumphantly and enthusiasically into our first wooded campsite in many days.
This was the end of Day 19 riding into the relentless headwind south from Rawlins.
