and... what it's all about, really.

Ok- when all is said & done & ridden,

the riding is great, but without others to enjoy it with-

it just doesn't work.

Here we are, enjoying soda-fountain sundaes in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Pretty nice smiles on our faces.

No, we didn't know each other 5 days before, 

but we were sure enjoying sharing our time together!

Lafayette!

Riding full circle, as it were....

wouldn't be complete without getting by Easton, PA

and Alma Mater, Lafayette College!

Along Cayuga's friendly banks....

Took a really nice ride up the w. side of Lake Cayuga...

it was rollier than I thought ( I had imagined it was VERY hilly.)

But after the Rockies, not too much is going to seem too long & steep, at least for a while...

What a pleasant place to be, ahhhhh, Ithaca!

a birthday ride

and off I went.... on a nice birthday ride in the great state of NJ... to guess where?

( not far away from my hometown at all..)

Pocono rides

Back in the Poconos for a while- visiting family, having fun, riding my bike ( of course.)

Here I crossed the Delaware River on the foot bridge at Portland, PA. They still make you walk across... ( at least the sign asks you to.)

comrades in cycling...

So we we to the ice cream shop in Steamboat Springs... $1 for one dip- what a deal!

Met a good group of guys along the way.... who knows; we may meet up again on another ride someday.... (!)

That would be a good thing, too.

rewards

Sometimes it's just nice to stop and say, 'wow'- thanks for being able to do this!

Although there wasn't a terrible climb to get here ( from Steamboat Springs- though a 7 mile mountain at a 6% grade is no small thing...) is was a good place for a pic.

I'm glad, too, that someone else was gracious enough to take this picture.

the view (2)

So I could post a hundred of these pics.

This is from the base of Mt. Evans... looking up at that glorious monstrosity of a piece of land.

From this vantage, it looks pretty tame. But I know better now. The storms can come up & kill you & not care at all.

From this distance, though, you'd never guess.

the view

Riding the Rockies gives you a you- doesn't it?

Here's from day One, entering Estes Park, from the back side.

We had just climbed an atrocious hill to get here (the steepest grade all week, but we didn't know that at the time...)

It was worth it, of course, can't you see?

The way I'll do it next time (?)

There is another 'housing'  option to choose....
"Sherpa camping".... The crew sets the tent up for you each night & you get to live in a "sherpa tent village' all week.

Not a bad option. More privacy, a little more adventure, less bother from the guy who snores, but you do have to deal with those overnight storms ( which, thankfully, in Colorado, don't seem to happen all that often.)

back to the beginning.....

the Beginning of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour, that is.....

( Since I was without a laptop all last week, I'll post some notes about some highlights (and lowlights- though few) about the event & experience....

Starting with... Indoor Camping

 Here's my stuff!

Sleeping on a ThermaRest mat, on a high school gym floor, next to a guy you never met before who snores like a train, is not the best way to start off on a 475 mile week of riding the Rockies, but so it goes.
It is humbling, and somewhat revelatory, to live with so little- but you soon realize that you have so much. I didn't unpack a third of what I brought, and I soon made pretty good friends with my snoring neighbor.
Thank God for small miracles!

last day of the tour

So this is how the Colorado Bike Tour ended...

with a broken spoke,

 the bike on the support vehicle

and me inside. Not the way I would have wanted it to end..

but more miles to ride over the next two weeks,

in PA & Maryland!

Logistics !

Does this look familiar?

One more time- back in the shop..

the rear wheel is trued once again, at Vecchio's- and final adjustments are made on the rear derailleur.

Now, if it were just that simple to make all the adjustments I need to be ready for the next 6 days of cycling, I'd be set.

Wish me luck!

470 mountain miles, descents and climbs, to go!