Jacinto and I would both like to return to British Columbia soon. I would like to see more of the providence in general. Jacinto would like to ride the Icefields Parkway in good weather. However, the budget requires staying close to home next year.

Planning my next tour helps with tour withdrawal. I already have next summer routed out and lodging selected. What will I do for entertainment in January with all of the big planning already done? I'm not going to reserve anything on this trip far in advance. There's no need.

This is a motel trip. There were only two spots we had to take short days because of lack of lodging. Jacinto and I did have a big discussion about riding a short day instead of taking a layover day, just for something to do. That would be his idea. I'm just fine with taking an entire day off and not having to pack up and change locations. We did sacrifice a layover day this year (Lumby to Vernon) in order to cut the mileage the following day. That is what gave Jacinto the idea of taking a short day. Plus the fact we rode nine days in a row at the finish of the trip. I think we were all a little surprised at how well our bodies stayed in the groove with the high mileage and lack of rest days. I believe those two things are what is sparking Jacinto's opinion that rest days aren't necessary.

Since our unpleasant rest day in Old Station on the Sierra Cascades trip, I've tried to be careful about our overnight choices. An example this trip is taking a short mileage day ending in Eagles Nest rather than ending in Cimarron. There are more lodging/restaurant choices in Eagles Nest.

Without further ado - here is my proposed route for 2017. Friends new and old are welcome to join us for all or part. You will notice that there is a nine day loop out of Chama which would be nice for those who don't have a month to tour. I am thinking of an early June departure. That will make it interesting going over Independence Pass so early, but it will hopefully help with the heat in New Mexico.

Edit - 11/12/16 - In 2016 we did a warmup tour that was a great success. We decided to do another warm up tour in 2017. Jacinto did the planning on this one. It has lower daily miles and less elevation than we usually ride. We should be all ready to ride Independence Pass at over 12,000 feet on day two of the big tour.

Timing is everything. I was looking at lodging in Aspen ($$$). My current favorite place to stay is the Tyrollean Lodge. I was browsing their website and noted that rooms for our chosen date in midJune were almost gone. It turns out that is the Food and Wine Festival. Hmmm. Cyclists do enjoy food and drink. Should we keep that date and join in the fun and deal with the crowds? Or change our date. Jacinto's opinion was to change the date. So. We now have official dates. June 4-10 for the warm up tour. Two days off to regroup and make gear changes. We leave for Aspen on June 13th. As always, we welcome you to join us. I have included a map for both trips. Those familiar with Colorado will note that we are staying in very, very small towns. We don't need much entertainment at night. We are skipping expensive Steamboat Springs in order to explore the backroads between Hayden and Yampa. I am a little sad about that - I like the Rabbit Ears Motel and visiting the hot springs across the street. I do enjoy new roads. We are going for a balance here.