Awesome Folks we stayed with outside of Steamboat. As we biked away from town with no definite plan of where to stay, Steve and Ian pulled over to offer us lodging for the night. We'd seen Ian at the library but we had NO IDEA how awesome he was. Thanks to Steve and Michelle too. Lovely people who make bike trip miracles happen.
Grouse running around on the side of the road.
We kept our eyes peeled but didn't get to see it.
Have we reached it? Steamboat Lake? ... YES!
Aaron is taking this hill head on. A REALLY bumpy road all the way to the top through Routt National Forest.
Looks like we found our campsite. Time to settle in just as the rain is falling. No fires tonight despite the sweet stash of wood at this hunter's camp.
Nice Mountain Stream. Wildflowers are still blooming even though it has been a dry year.
Aaron's tearin' it up on this gnarly downhill.
Amazing Rock texture outside of Slater, CO.
As we rolled in to Medicine Bow National Forest it started pouring rain. We turned toward the work center to get some water(to drink-there was enough falling from the sky!). As we hid under some trees a hummingbird was wizzing about. And yes, then we found it, a hummingbird nest. Later we found a robin's nest. We tried to figure out a camping plan as the rains were no ceasing. We talked to the camp hosts and they said we should just stay (for free!!!!) in the old forest service cabin seen behind Aaron. Well, we did. A nice refuge in the storm.
Politically incorrect and de-commissioned Forest Serive Info about the local history.
Perfect little nook for a robin's nest.
Hummingbird nest. Eggs are a little bigger than jelly beans.
Aspen Alley, Medicine Bow NF.
Aaron thinks this is an Albino Red Talk Hawk. AMAZING!!!!
Tracy and Jim, two Divide riders/racers, heading south.
Big Rolling Hills on he way to Rawlins. Makes for some hard riding. And yet still they smile!
More Divide Riders headed South: a pattern emerges! These guys give us some tips about the Great Basin, which sounds scary, but they promise is not so bad. Here in Rawlin's we'll get supplies for the next three days.
We camped outside of Rawlins at the ONLY grove of trees in the basin, many of them dead pines. Fortunately, we discovered this awesome GREAT HORNED OWL living in the small grove. Really neat. It was so windy, not sure how the owl managed up there.
A sampling of rocks to be found right near our campsite. How did all this diversity come to be? Amazing again.
Long Shadows at 6:30 AM.
One of our roads in the Great Basin. The sand is deep.
Where are we?
Local inhabitant.
Filtering water. One of life's pleasures
Breakfast of choice for Basin Bike Riders. No Water needed.
Antelopes. Hard to get a good photo as they run quite fast.
Continental Divide Trail Hiker "Brown Bag". We shared stories and went our own ways. He was carrying 8 days worth of food for the next stretch.
The food we were able to procure for dinner/breakfast tomorrow. 50 mile stretch coming up....We reviewed our "score" and went back in to the mercantile to find 4 mini chimichangas in the freezer and another bottle of sarsparilla.
Sooper sweet divide riders heading south. A storm brews in the background.
Sweeping landscapes everywhere you turn in this section.
A cowboy herding a flock of sheep outside of Pinedale, Co. Yes mom! They do exist!!!!
Three kids riding the divide with matching jerseys. They are packin' light and pulling 100+ mile days.
Peanut? Is that you?
Osprey nest on an old power pole.
We chanced upon these delightful people riding the divide heading south. So glad we decided to take showers at the RV park, where we met these rascals. They are from the Netherlands and they know how to eat! Basically they are the European equivalents of myself and Aaron, but way more awesome. When we saw the jar of nutella on their table we knew we would get along.I sat down for coffee and then Willemijn danced over with the $4.99 box of a dozen donuts we had been eyeing at the grocery store yesterday. Needless to say, we were very pleased. Good luck to Niels and Willemijn!