STATS
- Day: 28
- Day Mileage: 64.2
- Total Miles: 1,640.5
It rained throughout the evening. It never got terribly cold but I was still bundled up. I woke up early excited for the day. I New it was my last day on the road if all things go as planned. I contacted Adventure Cycling Association when I was at Jenny Lake. I was questioning my route into Denver so I thought I’d ask the pros, the ones who put together all my maps and the maps others use. They didn’t have a route they recommended which meant the ones into Denver were unsafe or interstate riding. They suggested the shuttle from Frisco which would cut off a day from my ride and almost 100 miles in total. So that was the plan: end today in Frisco and catch the bus into Denver. It was just over 60 miles for the day so I wanted to get started.
I packed everything quickly and made my way to the cafe that opened at 6am . I hung out my rainfly to let it try to dry a little before rolling it up as well as a few other items that had been rained on. I had coffee and s delicious bagel breakfast sandwich and even watched the news for the 2nd time this trip. Haven’t missed the news. Leah and Oakley followed behind me shortly to do the same as they wanted an early start too. They were attempting Frisco or maybe even Breckinridge for a hotel/hostel with snow in the forecast at elevation. We said our goodbyes and wished each other good luck and I was rolling for my last ride of the trip.
18 miles to Kremmling were at a net elevation loss. I couldn’t figure out the temperature again and was layered up trying to adjust to the breeze created by the bike and the actual temperature which was near 50 at this point. I didn’t feel my feet for those 18 miles though so I stopped for additional coffee and cell service while my feeling came back to me feet. From here, it was a 2,000ft elevation gain over the next 40 miles. Again the climbing wasn’t going to be terribly difficult but it was going to be all uphill.
The ride took me along highway 9 in Colorado which is heavily trafficked by trucks but did have a nice shoulder for a charge portion of it. This made for somewhat of s stress free ride but not peaceful by any means. I then turned to take an alternate route around Green Mountain Reservoir. I was the only one on the road for those 13 miles around the reservoir and they were terrific. After reconnecting with highway 9, I had 14 miles into Silverthorne. 14 miles are small, chipped shoulders and heavy traffic.
One item that was of concern for today’s ride was my tire. Last night, I noticed a little separation from my wheel and my tire where the valve stem was. It wasn’t large but it definitely shouldn’t have been there. I needed it to last 14 more miles to Silverthorne where there was a bike shop if I needed it and at the very least, I was going to be on a bike path the remainder of the miles from Silverthorne into Frisco. I was hoping and hoping. I kept feeling the bumps of the increasing tire bulge and was nervous about my tire and my wheel. This was my tire that I had changed less than a week ago and bought new in Missoula.
I made it into Silverthorne and knew I’d be able to finish on the tire. It was a paved path along the Blue River through the mountain town Silverthorne. The path climbed up a few switchbacks to the Dillon reservoir dam before turning in the direction of Frisco and 9 short miles away. I took my time over those 9 miles taking in the views, looking back at the trip and enjoying the path that wasn’t next to the highway. I rolled easily into Frisco and went to the transfer center where the bus would pick me up. There was a brewery right next door to the transfer center so I walked over, grabbed a beer and like that, my trip was completed.