Day 313
Summit County
Well the best made plans of mice and men don’t always work out. Having ridden hard for 2 months we felt we deserved and certainly needed a rest. However we both came down with a tummy bug, combined with the effects of the altitude, made us unable to do much but rest up and binge on Netflix. Still we had avoided riding during a massive snow storm so that was a major plus!
We set off with the expectation of a fairly easy day through Summit County. Komoot promised a day of downhills. We started out on a cycle path that led us away from Breckenridge through a stunning valley towards Frisco. We were in the area of the gold mining rush, the town of Frisco was named by a Swedish fur trapper and miner, Henry Recon, he and a group of fellow miners were involved with the development of the railway which linked the developing towns in the area. We continued our way through Summit County, towards the Dillon Dam. We were surrounded by Green Mountains, a popular hiking area and riding beside the Blue River, a 65-mile tributary of the Colorado River. The Ute Indians had called this area ‘home’ for thousands of years, and had named this valley, ‘Nah-oon-Kara’, meaning where the blue river rises. It all made for a stunning ride, but with more up than expected on a downhill!
With both of us still not 100% we were pleased with the distance we managed but were very relieved to pull into the Red Mountain RV Park in Kremmling. The new owners, Jesse and Jodi, are continuing the previous owner’s policy of offering discount to campers who arrive by bike. With no other cyclists around we were free to pitch our tent wherever we want. Jesse offered to loan us a fire pit for the night but we were too weary to take him up on his kind offer. The forecast for tomorrow is wind and rain so the plan to hit the hills and wildcamp is under review! Plus we will be entering an area where bears live, so we need to get some bear spray!
