September 3, 2021
Day 2
Nobody said this would be easy, and Paul can tell you that some days you have it, others you don’t. His legs were like lead today, and being retired and not having to stick to a stringent schedule, we called it a day after pedaling to Mugrage Campground and finding it was closed. Our choice was simple: go back to Radium Recreation Area and make camp. It was a good choice, as several young thirty-something guys came by, and we each were offered an ice cold brew.
Today’s ride included at stare-down with a very large bull, several cows standing in our way and christening the gravel with a liquid pie treatment of Rocky Mountain grasses. It included the refreshingly cold water crossing just east of Rock Creek Stage Station, a genuinely rugged hike-a-bike section complete with slick mud and loose rock, and an aspen grove that appeared to come off a Bob Ross canvas. It also included the youth of tomorrow, our new friend Rhys, catching us just before the descent into Radium, then casually slipping out of sight on the climb to Inspiration Point. Our last words were “Go, don’t wait on the old guys!” We spent that night in the lowlands adjacent to the Colorado River, listening to the occasional sounds of an AMTRAK train rumbling it’s way up river, with observation and Pullman cars in tow.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 25 miles (40 km)
Total: 64 miles (103 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 4 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |