Montrose, CO build day

Our build day in Montrose on Sunday was very successful. The habitat for humanity group was very well organized and knew exactly what they wanted us to do. There were 2 houses we worked on. First we fixed the nails in the walls to make sure they were all in tact and holding the wood properly. Then on the outside we nailed blue board around the whole house and wrapped it with a plastic material. The job took all day but we finished both houses. 

We didn't do much after the build site. A few girls cut their hair to donate to locks of love. We also had a family meeting. This week my highs were every ride day because the scenery has been amazing. My low was realizing that the Rockies were behind us. Lastly I gave kudos to the bike and build alumni that we stayed with in Breckenridge because he really helped us out with dinner and giving us a place to stay. 

Gunnison, CO to Montrose, CO

On Saturday we woke up to a beautiful morning with a hot air balloon in the air. We had a 64 mile day with 2 climbs in the morning and 1 after lunch. The hills weren't as large as previous days but the descents were long and felt great. A few of us got rained on while others stayed dry. Riding into Montrose we passed by the Black Canyon national park. A few people also stopped along the way to see mountain goats and also mules at one point. The town of Montrose has a nice street of shops and art galleries that a few riders went to see. Our hosts are very accommodating and gave us a great dinner and nice place to sleep. Tomorrow we have a build day that many of us are looking forward to. 

Hot air balloon. 

River valley. 

Along a descent. 

Petting a mule. 

Salida, CO to Gunnison, CO

On Friday we woke up and had a long 10 mile climb bright and early. It felt great though and the view from the top was beautiful. We also crossed the Continental divide for the third and final time. 

Top of the climb. 

Crossed divide. 

View from top. 

After the downhill we went straight to the host. I again explored the town and went into a few shops. Our showers were at a local rec center with an 2 story water slide and an indoor climbing wall, which were both a lot of fun. 

Ride to host. 

4 year old climbing the wall. 

Ate a flower for dinner. 

Breckenridge, CO to Salida, CO

On Thursday I thankfully woke up indoors, but the the people that slept in tents woke up to a damp outdoors. Along the ride we had a few climbs but most of was down hill. 

Crossing the continental divide again. 

After lunch we had a short climb of about 1 mile but then unexpectedly had a 14 mile descent into a beautiful valley. 

Not sure where this was. 

During the descent. 

During the last 7 miles of the ride we started sprinting away from a thunderstorm approaching. We could see the clouds coming and could tell it would start raining soon. We made it just in time to the host but most others weren't so lucky. After the storm rolled through my friend and I explored town. There were a lot of nice shops to look through and some nice restaurants as well. 

Town of Salida. 

Pretty truck. 

Granby, CO to Breckenridge, CO

On Wednesday we had another really pretty ride with great scenery. The morning was pretty chilly so I started off with leg warmers and arm warmers on. We also had to ride on a dirt road for a while but most of the time is was still enjoyable because we were riding through a national forest. 

Cows on the side of the road. 

Nice fields. 

Dirt road riding. 

Lunch stop at top of mountain. 

View from lunch. 

Bike trail along a river. 

Bike trail through woods. 

For the last section of the ride we went along a really pretty bike path. It had some rolling hills and we passed through some beautiful lakes and woodsy areas. About 10 miles from the host it started thunder storming. We knew the storm was coming before it struck so we sped through the bike trail to find shelter before it rained. We ended up staying in a Wendy's for an hour to let it pass and it was pretty clear afterwards. 

Before we got to the host we were planning on camping outside at a public park. When we got there however we were told that the town does not allow camping in public areas. A really cool Bike and Build alumni helped us out by letting us camp out in his backyard and grilling dinner for us. We ended up having a great time at his place and set up a campfire. I was one of the lucky 10 who ended up sleeping inside, which I was really happy about since it ended up thundering and raining at night. Everyone that camped though said they didn't mind and some didn't even notice the storm. Breckenridge seemed like a nice place for hiking and exploring the town but unfortunately I didn't have time to see it. I'm definitely hoping to return to all of these places in Colorado since they are all so beautiful. 

Estes Park, CO to Granby, CO

On Tuesday we all woke up knowing that this would be the best ride of our lives. We biked 20 miles up hill and 20 miles down hill through the Rocky Mountain National Park. At the top of the park we rode on Trail Ridge Road, which is the highest continuous road in the US and reaches a peak elevation of 12,183 feet. At the top it got pretty windy and a bit chilly so I put my leg warmers, arm warmers and zip up jacket on. The cold wasn't too noticeable though because the sun was shining and we were lucky to get great weather. The entire ride was beautiful and I also saw some great wild life such as elk, a mother moose, a baby moose, and some deer with antlers. After reaching the peak we also crossed the Continental Divide, which had a lake on both sides of it. So far this entire trip I have always ridden with at least one other person but on this ride I chose to ride by myself, which I enjoyed even more. I climbed and descended the hills at my own pace and stopped whenever I wanted to enjoy the scenery. A lot of people also approached our group members and asked what we were doing. I think people were much more impressed by our cross country journey on this ride since they drove through the mountains that we all biked through. We received much appraisal from them, which made the ride even more memorable. 

Morning in Estes Park. 

Bottom of the park. 

Past the tree line. 

Top of the climb. 

View at top. 

Baby moose in a stream. 

After the ride in Granby I stopped by a small bike shop before heading to the host. I talked to a guy who was also biking across the country by himself. He had a mapped out route but he never knew how far he would be going the next day, but he would try to bike between 60 and 100 miles a day. He also was never really sure where he would be staying the day before but would often try to use Hot Showers, churches, or go camping. That night we was planning on camping outside of the bike shop because he had talked to the owner previously. I was really interested in his story and was impressed he was able to travel so leisurely. 

Loveland, CO to Estes Park, CO

Monday was a short ride but it was so beautiful. In the beginning we rode towards the mountains and saw some great views of them. 

Rockies in the distance. 

Saw some great views. 

Then we entered the up hill but it was a very steady climb. 

Rode along a river for parts of it. 

At the end of our ride we had a very steep climb for about one mile. It was very tiring but the top was beautiful. 

Estes park and mountains in the distance. 

When we got to the top we all celebrated and took a bunch of pictures. Most of us met up at that point and had lunch together. 

Elevation sign. 

Other side of the sign. 

After lunch instead of heading to the host we went to the visitors center to find a good hike. We took a shuttle bus up to Bear Lake and went to Emerald lake. The entire bus ride and hike was so beautiful, it looked fake at some points. I took a bunch of pictures and had a great time. 

Red roof is of a hotel that is inspired by The Shining and Dumb and Dumber was shot in. 

Nymph lake. 

Dream lake. 

Emerald lake where we took ice baths. 

Bear lake. 

After the hike our group got split up and I missed the shuttle that three others got on to get back to Estes park. My friend and I asked a couple of old ladies of they were driving back in that direction and they said yes and offered us a ride. My friend Yudi and I ended up getting back down before the other three so it worked out well. When I got back to the host a bunch of people had DM'd dinner which was great and then we went out to see the sunset. We climbed up on these huge rocks and watched the sun go down behind the mountains. It was probably one of my favorite days of this trip so far.