CO is Disappearing Fast

Hartsel to Salida was a cold start and a hot finish. Got the climbs out of the way in the morning, and peaked out Ute Pass for a ripper descent for 12 miles into Salida. We had a casualty along the way though - Karen took quite a fall, knocked herself out. She was taken to the hospital in the lunch van, and seems to be OK but is very stiff and sore.

Salida rocks. I almost moved here - it was my 2nd choice after Durango when looking at CO relo choices back in the day. Great river, great bike scene - we spent a little quality time at Absolute Bikes and left smiling (and with a bunch of stuff).

We camped in a decent little trailer park off of Highway 50. We went out for a few beers and called it a night around 10. Come 3 AM, I could hear someone, or something, moving our coolers and food boxes around. Turns out it was a bear - Mose got up to chase him off, which sent him right to my tent. I opened the flap just in time to look up at him running past me close enough to hear him breathing. Finally a bear sighting - but a little closer than I would have liked.

After Salida, a few of us opted for some single track on Monarch, rather than slog the roads. And it was the right choice. Jordan, Glen, Vinnie and I headed up and over, then down Agate Creek, which comes out on the road a couple miles above our destination in Sargents.

Turns out that we were in a RV park in Sargents that had the side lot reserved for us. By the time we rolled in, there were already a lot of tents set up. What nobody seemed to want to do was take over one of the two teepees that were in the middle of the tent spots. So, Vinnie and I each moved into one. It took a little sweeping and handiwork, but made them livable. And the added bonus was that they had gas fireplaces in them - a little propane and the place was perfect. We made a few people jealous of the fine digs.

Next up? Del Norte - a rest day and a chance to see my wife for the first time since this adventure started!