Turning East Instead of South

Today, we not only said goodbye to our fabulous Warm Showers hosts, we also said goodbye to the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. 

With our original plan, worked out so many months ago, We had intended to head a couple more stops south on the GDMBR, as far as Kremmling, Colorado, before turning east for Rocky Mountian National Park and Estes for our stop in Loveland to see friends Bill and Maggie Cassels, then on to Denver to visit Alaine's brother Callen for the first time every. But the weather forecast - 30%-40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms - had us looking for options other than higher elevation (12,000) treeless roads and passes full of lightening strikes and nowhere to hide.

So instead, after a leisurely breakfast at a Steamboat creekside hotspot, time outside the public library to catch up on last minute writing and things with Finnian, then a stop to provision for our last 4 days/3 nights on the trail, we headed east toward Rabbit Ears Pass on Highway 40. With the plan of Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge and State Forest (tomorrow), Poudre Canyon (Wednesday), and Fort Collins (Thursday), where we'll turn south for the final 15 or so miles to Loveland. What route we'll take to get to Denver we don't know, but that's week.

Today was a short day, with no real wind to speak of, but it included an ass-kicker of a hill on highway that went on for 14.5 miles before it leveled off (only to make a couple more vertical leaps the remaining distance to the campground turnoff). But the climb was on pavement (good) with lots of traffic (bad--and the noise of it, too, is a bane for Alaine), though with periodic level(ish) spots every mile or two for a breather.

Catamount Lake below our ride up Rabbit Ears

But now we are at Dumont Lake Campground where there are still many pale purple asters, Queen Anne's Lace, lupine, a sunflowerish bloom and other flowers in fields and meadows surrounding. As at other stops, we were grateful for a body of fresh water to refresh our own bodies, a nice campsite, and free, foraged-by-Alaine firewood.

A thunderstorm rolled in to the north and east of us this afternoon--pretty loud and ominous enough for us to batten the hatches and wait to see what transpired. Luckily it stayed dry where we were at and we were able to enjoy our fire, dinner, and even the mostly well-behaved Boy Scout troop nearby. Life is good. 

Day 32- Monday, July 28. Steamboat Springs to Dumont Lake Campground (USFS). 25.3 miles, 3:18 ride time, 7.6 avg spd.