Mood:  a-ok

As I looked at the map of today's travels, I put together a plan on how I was going to tackle it.  First breakfast in Walden.  There was a town 22 miles up the road called Rand.  It had a restaurant and a grocery.  It might be early to eat again so soon, but even a light meal would help fuel my climb of Willow Creek Pass, 10.5 miles out of Rand.  Then downhill, and eat again in Granby.  Then I would only be 13-14 miles from my stop for the night.

It is a typical morning, like all of the past mornings.  Sunny, clear skies, chilly because it is 7 AM.  I spot Doug Rood as I am returning from the cafe, and we say our goodbyes.  Then it is off, down the road. 

Boy, is it pretty.  This time I saw lots of deer.  Two of them, startled by the bicycle, ran parallel to the road, then jumped the fence crossed the road, then jumped the other fence, and fled to safety.  Later I saw one of those plastic owls on a pole.  Upon turning around and looking closer, it was not plastic at all, but flew off before I was able to look for identifying markings.

The morning's plan is working to perfection, not a common occurance.  I got to Rand a little after 9 AM.   The cafe was only open for dinner.  Plan B, the grocery, had been closed for years.  So off I go.  There was a little tiny Post office at the outskirts of this tiny town, and the postmistress, who was sitting out front, waved at me and asked if I needed any water.  I pulled in.  She was a bicycler and, as such, was always trying to help riders.  I have learned, since I go through water quickly, to not miss a chance to fill up my water bottle when the opportunity arises.

Willow Creek Pass was typical of most of the passes since I left Washington.  Lots of climbing, steep at parts, but my legs must be getting stronger becuase I am going up slopes at a gear or two higher than I would have used at the start of the trip.  Soon I was over the top.   By 1 PM, I was in Granby, wolfing down lunch.  I was very hungry.

Having already gone 56 miles, lunch was supposed to give me back my energy, but someone forgot to tell my body that.  I was okay, but my legs lacked the strength that they had before lunch.  I arrived at my destination around 3 PM.

Finding lodging in Grand Lake, a community at the west entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, was a big concern.  It would be expensive.  I wasn't sure what day I would arrive.  I didn't know what lodging was available.  So imagine my surprise, when my good friend, Ted Pfeifer (aka Hawk) emailed me with directions to a home in Grand Lake that his relatives owned.  Hawk will be meeting me in North Carolina and may ride with me into Raleigh, so he had been sending copies of my online journal to his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Paul and Karen Noble.   At some point, they graciously offered their lakefront "cabin" for me to stay in.  It was an incredibly generous and welcomed gesture on their part.  The "cabin" is a level entry home with a daylight basement, 2,800-3,000 square feet.  It was built perfectly for the environment:  modern yet western.  My first function there before even unpacking was to sit out on their deck and unwind.

You know, I might have enough energy to do Trail Ridge tomorrow.  I was tired.  In fact, I was too tired to even ride into town to eat.  I had been carrying around one of those freeze-dried dinners, in this case Beef Stew.  that became dinner and that was plenty to satisfy me. 

With plenty of rest, I should be able to tackle Trail Ridge.  Here is my plan:  I would get up early, at or before 5 AM, pack up, ride into Grand lake, eat breakfast at 6 AM, and enter Rocky National Park around 7 AM.  Sounds good!  Lets get going! 

In terms of dress, I would go back to my winter gear.  Bike pants instead of shorts.  Long sleeved turtleneck shirt.  Thick socks.

I slept well. 

Will McMahan