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Bicycle Tour Adventure #20 |
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Pictures and Stories About Bicycle Tour Adventures
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR - Segment):
Steamboat Springs, Steamboat Lake, Stagecoach State Park,
Clark, Stagecoach Lake/Reservoir, Colorado;
Round Trip Legs by Bicycle Tour; July, 2007
We saw quite a few fawns and twin fawns, up close, but its difficult to be riding bikes and taking pictures with new born animals because the mommy either leaves immediately or the stopping of the bicycling to take a picture scares off the nervous parent. However, the doe in the center of the picture has a fawn next to it but this parent tolerated us because she was across the valley about 150 yards away. So Cool?
Day 1: Steamboat Lake to Routt County Road 56
(via CR 62 & CR 129)
We don't have outside touring support, so each leg segment that we bike is a round trip.
Above Right: Steamboat Lake. The temperature is about 48 degrees Fahrenheit and it is too cool for fast down hill runs. We are having to brake and drive slowly on long down hill runs - That's just not right!
Above Right: Our shadows. See the bike wheels too?
Above Right: The beautiful plant is called Indian Paint Brush.
Above Right: This is Dennis playing the Air Guitar. We're on the return part of the loop here. We are one switchback away from cresting the road pass. We're guessing that its about 7,500 feet elevation and we're just south of Red Creek on CR 62. A nice trucker stopped in an empty dump truck to give us a road report. We thanked him, we're sure that he passed us going uphill almost an hour ago.
Above Right: NAKED Lamas! NAKED Lamas! NAKED Lamas! The guy in the lead looks like a stretched out poodle, the gal at the tail looks like a deer (she isn't).
Day 2: Routt County Road 56 to Steamboat Springs
(via CRs 129, 44C, 44)
Strategy Correction: On Day 1, we biked down hill in the cool of the day and biked up hill in the heat of the day - A not well thought out plan. On Day 2, having learned a lesson, we are biking up hill in the cool of the day and down hill when it warms up. So we are starting at Steamboat Springs, riding to CR 56, and then returning to Steamboat Springs. We are also moving our base and camper from Steamboat Lake State Park to Steamboat [Springs] Camp Ground (which is actually a mile northwest of town). Additionally, this is 3 July, just before a big 4 July Holiday, so we are lucky to even get a campsite without a prior reservation - the rest of the entire week would go smooth, like this!
Above Left: Bicycling North. View over the handlebar bag's map case. We're just north of the Airport.
Above Right: Its an interesting view. We are riding parallel to the Elk River and there is a Teepee and Canoe setup in a tributary creek (Big Creek we think). It looks nice and makes a good picture but no self respecting Indian (Native American) would ever actually stay in a mosquito infested area with stagnant water, like this.
Above Right: We arrive at our CR 56 destination without incident.
While we are sitting on the big boulder another biking couple on the Great Divide Trail stops to talk with us. They are from England. They have been on the trail for four or five weeks, they started more or less at the Mexican-New Mexico border and are riding North. Her name is Joe but we never quite understood his name. They met with his parents, also visiting the USA, for a few days about a week or so ago. We tried to exchange names but none of us had a pencil or pen, it didn't occur to me to pull a business card from my stored wallet. In any case, it was neat meeting another long distance biker couple on the trail. We should have taken a picture - arh. We would really like know the rest of their trip story, some day.
Above Right: We're heading back on a different route. We just happen to stop on the top of hill for a water break and we just happen to turn back and see this interesting mural painted on the back of a house. It looks like the mural existed first and then a back porch and passive solar extension was added to the house. Its very interesting.
Day 3: 4 July, Its a Fishing Day on the Yampa River!
Above Right: Just around the corner. Cows swimming the river, well they were actually walking across the river. This demonstrates how shallow the water was in a few places. At one point, the Guide (Seth) and Dennis had to push the boat. Of course, the big trout hide in deep pools.
Above Right: Riding back to camp, we saw this Honor System Fire Wood road side Sales Stand. Anyone selects the amount of wood that they need and they leave the payment money in the plastic bowl. When we rode by, there was no one around and there was money sitting in that bowl. Only in the West.
Day 4: Steamboat Springs to Stagecoach Lake
Above Right: We had to bike into the city from the campground. We passed these signs several times - they just sort of help put things into perspective.
Above Right: Artistic Horse on the river walk, Steamboat Springs Ski Resort slopes in the background.
Above Right: Car Art. Nautical Theme.
Above Right: Twenty miles further up the road, still following the Yampa River. We're entering the Stagecoach Lake State Park area and we are still three or four miles down stream from the dam (destination).
Above Right: Stagecoach Lake State Park uphill view - Old lava dome.
Above Right: Cool Mail Boxes. In snow country (as in ski resort area), the swinging mail boxes allow plowed snow to hit the box and not break.
Day 5: Steamboat Springs Local Ride
Above Left: Nice Sign!Above Right: Snow country Fire Hydrant.
Above Right: Balloons. More, everywhere.
Above Right: Stagecoach Mural on the side of an otherwise boring building next to the River Walk. What a touch of class.
Tribute to F.M. Flight Store owner, who believed in service first and delivering value for the dollar. He's a legend in the west. Loyal customers traveled hundreds of miles to visit his store. Little advertisement signs start at about a hundred miles away and get more frequent as one nears the store in Steamboat Springs. We only know of one other similar western merchant, near Cody Wyoming.
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