2015-07-03 Day 5: Closed Campsite, Blue River Lake to The Woods
Post date: Jul 4, 2015 11:54:20 PM
Miles today: 51. Total Miles: 251.
Today, we rode nearly to the head waters of the Colorado River close to the town of Granby. We are now just west of Rocky Mountain National Park. The Transamerican Bike Route has been moving us consistently north and west but today took us 25 miles due east to a mountainous valley containing Highway 125. I included a shot of the valley because the lower section is really lovely. For the first time on this trip, the route seems isolated. Very little traffic on Hwy 125.
Up higher in the valley, the Pine Beatle has destroyed the trees on many of the ridges. I saw this last year in the National Park and it has certainly spread to other areas of the state. On some of the ridges 3 of every 4 trees are dead. I don't know what Colorado can do about this. They need to do something.
Arrived at our goal for the day, Sawmill Creek campground only to discover that it is closed. Just one more adventure along the way. It was 41 miles and 1 mountain pass to the next services of any type. So, we opted to camp here in one of the abandoned sites far back from the road. It sure is quiet!
We don't want to feed the bears so we opted to put up a bear bag tonight hanging from a tree about 30 yards from camp.
Tomorrow our plan is to ride just 44 miles to the largest town in the area, Walden, Co (Population = 608). Maybe we can find some July 4th activities. After 5 days of riding, we are averaging just 50 miles per day. We hope to pick it up after our bodies get used to the altitude, the weight, and the climbs. For now, 50 miles a day is just fine.
