On to Kremmling , CO..maybe.

Rising early in the morning from our lodging at the Rabbit Ears Lodge in Steamboat, we were greeted with some news of the course. Due to a fire along the GDMBR (or in the near vicinity thereof), there would be a detour!

The original route took us out of Steamboat Springs on pavement for 15 miles or so and then would have had us on dirt road for the vast part of the morning. The paved part remained, so after a quick 20 miles or so (we did get about 5 miles of the original dirt) to the Yampa River, we detoured West, along the Yampa and rode Colorado Road 14 to Colorado Highway 131.

Colorado Highway 131, by it’s location is not a major route, but it is still as we wound out, highly trafficked. The major difficulty of this route was not automobiles, but an almost complete lack of shoulders on the road. (Therefore, I have no photos of the ride that morning, as it was too sketchy to divert my attention for even a second!) It was sketchy at best with lost of Semi rig and agricultural (read that as big Ford, Dodge and Chevy) traffic.

Adding to re-route issues was the fact that I was simply not having a great day (Probably due to once again eating pizza, the only thing available for dinner the previous night).

As we rolled down CO 131, with Ray taking the lead and gently peddling as I struggled to keep even a modest pace, we decided that we would stop for lunch in the small town of Yampa, population I would guess in the mid 200’s. We rolled through the modest streets and finally found ourselves at the front door of Penny’s Diner, which also served as the front lobby to the Travelodge of Yampa. A very new looking motel (who knew?).

After we had our lunch, we went outside to find that Ray had a mechanical issues with his bike. The afternoon sun was warm, in spite of cool air temperatures. As Ray worked on his minor mechanical issue, I sat at a sunny pick-nick table and was soon asleep. I must have slept for about 30 minutes and only awoke as Ray was finishing his repair work. We were soon back on the bikes, and though still on the detour, on our way.

After about another 12-15 miles on CO 131, we made an easterly turn on CO 134, a highway that would take us back to our original route. CO134 had wide shoulders and climbed about 1000’ to the top of a pass where we would intersect the GDMBR.

As we climbed, lunch finally kicked in and the lethargy that I felt earlier in the day subsided. Ray and I rejoined at the top of the climb and turned right onto a dirt road that would take us towards Kremmling, CO via Radium, CO.

One would have thought that by now that Ray and I would always expect the unexpected. For some reason we maintained our youthful ignorance and believed we were back on course to a quick ride to Kremmlling. The ride was anything but quick.

As the late afternoon wore on, we were subjected to several hours of climbing, then descending. The climbs were usually 15-30 minutes, the descents, about 1! So it was that we spent the afternoon with our ups and downs.

We finally hit a smooth patch of gently rolling road and mistakenly believed we were on our way. We hoped to get to Kremmling by about 10PM. As we rounded a corner, just as the sun set and the temperatures began to drop, we saw it. Since the start of our journey at the Canadian border, we had to cross many, many small creeks. Most of them were just a few inches deep and we rolled right through. This one, while not a major obstacle, was knee deep. Not an issue except that it was now about 8PM, the temperatures were quickly falling, we were tired, and our patience was gone. Basically, it was just a bad time for a river! We stood at the edge for several minutes cussing and dis-cussing how we could approach getting across.

It was certainly something we COULD ride, but a fall into the river would leave us, our bikes, and our gear soaked. Oh, the other thing complicating this decision was the fact that, though we were on public land, no fires were allowed, so if we fell in hypothermia was a major concern. Riding was therefore eliminated as a possibility. We thought about just trudging through. However, we feet and shoes would have sucked, so that option went the way of the Dodo. Finally I just plopped down in disgust, and took my shoes and socks off. I reached back and got my Crocs from my seat pack, put them on and angrily and stomped in, and across, the river. Ray soon followed.

Now across the water, we quickly dried our feet, put on our socks and shoes, and got back on our way towards, hopefully a not too late arrival in Kremmling.

As we found ourselves going up and down ridges, and through canyons, we soon realized that Krelmmling was not going to happen. So after a long discussion, we decided to aim for Radium, a campground located about 15 miles ahead, and situated on the Colorado River.

After another 2 HOURS, (now in complete darkness, save our klite headlites) of climbing and descending ridge-lines, we hit a very steep section, just as we crossed a small stream and went past a “Leaving National Forest” sign. Not knowing what lie ahead, and being thoroughly exhausted, we had had enough. We stopped and made the decision to camp. There was about a 10’ x 10’ area just before the Forest sign, and that would be our “campsite” for the night. We quickly pushed our bikes into the willows of the creek, set up our tents, made some Ramen and a pouch of Chicken or Tuna for dinner, climbed into our tents, and went to sleep.

Hopefully Radium has food and water at the campsite tomorrow morning!

We’re South bound and down!

Shane and Ray