It’s not goodbye, it’s smell you later

The inevitable happened today. I knew the day would come, but it hurt more than I thought. Last night I didn’t rest easy, partially because the couch wasn’t fit for my length, but also because I had to continue the trip without my dudes for life, Jim and Old Timer. Due to my schedule, I must move on while they take rest days in Silverthorne.

Jim was up first, brewing the coffee as he usually does. I took every chance possible to slow down the morning process, and used every excuse not to rush out. Eventually, the whole gang was up. We sat around for a bit taking life real slow, veering out the window at a moose grazing throughout the sage bush. Here and there I would put together my belongings, but continuously poured more coffee into my cup so it was never empty. I took my last bite of maple syrup laden oatmeal, and one more lick of crunchy peanut butter off the spoon. By 7 AM, I knew I needed to get rolling before the wind started picking up. Old Timer and I were alone in the room, and we held hands while he prayed for me. Halfway through, with closed eyes, I started crying. The bond we’ve created is like nothing I’ve ever had happen in such a short time. He’s shown me how to believe in something so passionately, in such a respectful way. We shared a warm hug, and exchange kind words towards each other. I was only disappointed with one part of his prayer though, he forgot to ask that I meet interested people along the journey (long story, but he’ll get the joke).

At this point, I had to excuse myself into the garage because the dry air was making my eyes tear up. Jim followed me in with the rest of my belongings, and once again, for some odd reason, both of our eyes were effected by this damn dry air. We exchanged kind words and I shared how influential he’s been for what decisions I will make with my life. We roped up with a nice bear hug. I guess someone was cutting onions in the garage again.

Had I finished the trip today, I would be satisfied. Like Jim has said in the past, “After only a week, I have a lifetime of stories”. That’s an incredibly true statement. We shared so many moments of laughter, adversity, fartersity, and friendship, that I already can’t wait until I see them again. Who would have thought I’d miss Jim’s trumpet snoring or Old Timer saying ‘Ohhhhh yeaaaah’. I’ll miss these dudes.

After a few more hugs, I rode off into the sunrise. The moon barely peaked over the mountains. The temperature was quite chilly, so I wrapped my face up in my neck warmer and cranked out some nice speeds on the slight decline. The road was moderately busy, but shoulder width was wide enough to accommodate cyclists. I biked along a gorgeous river for over an hour, until I realized I missed a turn. Fortunately, the road I missed looped back over, but I also rode fast because it wasn’t a bike friendly rode. I proceeded to fly like an angel into town, thank you tailwind!

My first stop was straight to the library because it was only 9:30 AM and I had already biked 40 miles. With only 15 more to go, I figured I’d kill some time. After four productive hours of journaling, reading other journals, emails, map downloads, music downloads, and stealth eating a peanut and jelly bagel sandwich in front of a librarian, I was ready to head out. I decided to grab a coffee from a local cafe, and I’m very happy I did. I ended up running into Tim, a biker we rode with probably 2-3 weeks ago. He had just finished up five break days in Breckinridge, and coincidentally was staying in the same town I was for that night. We chose to ride together, and with a nice tailwind glided into town in just about an hour.

Just before approaching town though, we rode through towering canyons on both side of us. It reminded me of Utah so much because of the geography and color. I’m just blown away with what Colorado has to offer. The canyon section was easily the best part of the day when riding.

Hot Sulfur Springs was our destination (real town name), and luckily camping was free just outside the hot springs resort. Had I arrived earlier in the day, the $18.50 charge to use the hot springs would have been worth it, but with only a few hours before closing, I chose to pass it up. We camped next to a couple of lax bros, mainly because they had a fire burning and I’ve been craving a campfire since Virginia.

As I’m setting up my tent, I notice another biker. “Yo Alex!!” The Belgian was in town! He quickly turned around and I smiled because I enjoy his goofy company. I was enthusiastic to see him again, and with all the bear stories he’s been hearing, I’m pretty sure he was happy to see us too. We eventually ate some dinner and chatted the evening away. I sat by the river for a bit journaling until my natural light faded to darkness. The temperature was already dropping, so I bundled up, leaving only one jacket left unworn. Cozy was how I felt, and I happily patted myself on the back for going with the 20 degree sleeping bag. Just as I was about to drift into slumber land, the world’s most annoying lady ambushed the lax bro’s fire, and spoke about herself for what felt like an eternity. Her laugh was the worst part though, I literally considered shoving a finger from my glove into my ear, but fortunately for my eardrum, I eventually drifted away to the crackling of firewood.

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