Sometimes you just need a mental health day…
After the weird and interesting day that was yesterday, we were eager to get back on the road!!
Rob Hill (Badass human being!!) picked us up promptly at 0700, just as he had promised. Soon we were back on the road to his house and our bikes.
When we arrived we were greeting by his wife again, who apologized for not offering to do our laundry! How kind can anyone be???!! Simply a very special couple!
At any rate, we were soon saying goodby to our new friends and back on the road to wherever the day would take us. As we rolled down the narrow shoulder on the highway, we realized just how dangerous the ride would have been the previous night, in the rain, with all the highway traffic on this busy stretch of road.
Once we reached Silverthorne, we found the bike path we were to take. Incredibly, this path goes all the way to Breckenridge, about 25 miles in all. The path winds through, around, and past neighborhoods, businesses, lakes, and trees. It is wide smooth and enjoyable, albeit unlighted which would have been a problem last night in the rain.
Strangely, neither Ray nor I were in much of a mood to push ourselves to ride hard today. As a result, we stopped often, looking at the sights, and taking our time to rest and just enjoy the sunshine and beauty of this part of Colorado.
The miles crept by, as we stopped to talk to folks along the way. One of these folks was Josh. He stopped to talk to us near Silverthorne. Josh, and his dog, were friendly and we chatted about the Tour Divide. He was well aware of what the TD was and the conversation went on for quite some time as we discussed our bikes, the route, and how things were going for us. It was at this point of the day that we realized that on this section of our Tour Divide, we were racers riding at a touring pace. We simply had no desire to ride fast or far.
As we left and rolled down the path, it was becoming obvious that today was going to be different from any other day we had ridden on the TD. It didn’t take long for us to come to the conclusion that we simply needed a day to mentally and physically rest. Most folks who have a complete rest day don’t ride at all that day. They’re called “Zero Days” Just a day to rest and recoup. Ours was going to be an “Almost Zero Day”, with about 35 miles of riding.
So there we were, just leisurely riding on the bike path to Breck!
Now, it is strange how paths in life cross. Random folks you meet and talk to in your journeys, have a strange way of demonstrating just how small the world is, and how our lives intersect and connect with others. Here is an example!!
One of the things that happens very often on the TD is you meet other bike packers headed north. These are NOBOs (Northbounders).
As we rolled along, just past the Dillon Resevoir, we happened to see three NOBOs sitting on a bench. We stopped and started chatting with them. as they introduced themselves and we did as well, it’s kind of customary to tell were you’re from and a little about yourself. As we said we were from Las Cruces, one of the riders, Mark, asked if I knew Reed Cundiff! Now Reed and I had worked together for years at WSMR. We still communicate, mostly via social media. It turns out that Mark and Reed were long standing friends! (For these two, Mark a retired smoke jumper and Reed a badass mountain climber/athlete, the term “OLD friends” simply does not apply. Both are in incredible shape!) Small world!
As we spoke to the other two riders, we were introduce to George and Tina, NOBOs originally from Texas. They had started their journey on the TD a few weeks earlier from southern NM. Here’s another connection.
A couple of weeks before the TD started I, as one of the contacts on FB for ZiaVelo cycling, responded to an individual who had messaged the group. The individual was looking for an easy route out of Las Cruces and on to Deming. You guessed it, that was George! We had just communicated not 3 or 4 weeks earlier! Small world indeed!!
We spoke at length with the trio , as the conversation flowed easily. We stood and watched as dozens and dozens of riders rolled past on the highly used paths in this part of Colorado. It is a beautiful thing to see so many folks using bikes for transportation, exercise, and recreation!!
We soon said our goodbyes and were back at it, quietly and slowly rolling towards Breck.
We finally arrived in Breck about noon. It was way to early to check into the inexpensive hotel (yes, there are a few, a very few, in Breckenridge!). We decided to head into the older part of town. Much like other Colorado towns, the downtown area is a mix of outdoor stores, breweries, resturants, and assorted gift stores. We wandered in and out of shops, having locked our bikes up. In any other state/town we might have looked out of place. In Breckenridge CO, we fit right in!!
We decided we needed to eat something, and strangely found ourselves sitting in a Breckenridge Tap House! How could that have happened??!! In another stroke of luck, particularly for Ray, they had La Cumbre Elevated IPA (Ray’s go-to) on tap. We HAD to have at least one! (or Two!!)
Finally we had killed enough time. We rode the two miles or so to our motel and checked in. After a bit we wandred over to a convenience store and gas station to get some snacks and some trail food for our ride tomorrow.
It was an interesting and restful day, if not a productive TD riding day.
Tomorrow we have Boreas Pass starting immediately as we leave Breckenridge and head for Salida. It should be an interesting day!!
We’re South bound and down!
Shane and Ray
