Oops, sorry...

ohmygod. I am so sorry for abandoning you for over 11 days as several of you have reminded me. That's probably because this has been the best part of the trip, so it's hard for me to break away from all the fun things we've been doing and force myself to sit inside at a computer. But really I do apologize.

We rode from Holyoke, CO to Stoneham and the next day to Fort Collins. The ride into Ft. Collins was rolling hills but I actually lost my breath when I saw the Rockies looming in the distance. I mean I always knew it would be like this but really...I couldn't possibly imagine the excitement (um, terror?) at seeing them in real life. For that day though, we were still on pretty flat ground as we rolled into FoCo.

I was able to see my friend Misty (we lived with Kara and Erica together for 3 years at Kenyon), she is from Ft. Collins and still in the area. Since I got in relatively early, we were able to grab lunch at a cute cafe downtown (Ft Collins is a typical college town, a main street with cafes, coffee shops, bars, outdoor shops, bike shops, young kids, etc. Definitely my kind of place and a nice change from the small towns we'd been in since Lawrence.). Later we went to REI and then met up with Becca and our mutual friend Elana (Hi Elana), who came to ride with us for the next day and a half. We browsed the downtown, got ice cream at Walrus Ice Cream (yes it's in the book and yes it lives up to it's reputation), and then went for drinks and some Mexican at Rio. It was a great afternoon away from 30 other Bike and Builders and like I said before, in an actual town.

The next morning we woke up at our normal wake-up time of 4am. Of course it was still dark outside but we had a 42 mile ride uphill into Estes Park. 42 miles is a cakewalk you say...not so much. Actually, it wasn't at all as hard as I'd imagined, and I had a great time riding/trading stories with Elana.

Estes Park is another cute town, a bit too touristy for me but I was finally able to get a pair of (pink, obviously) Crocs as well as a new pair of flip flops (they have ice cream cones on them) since Becca so carelessly lost my beloved Rainbows. There were a ton of outdoor shops there too which were fun to browse and I was so proud of Roshan for finally buying a pair of her own Patagonia shorts. If you ever are in Estes Park, be sure to check out Kind Coffee, a great little coffee place on the edge of town. Free wireless and lots of reading materials (plus a great iced chai) make this a place one can sit for hours. In fact I did later in the afternoon, and almost missed dinner at the host site.

After Estes Park came Granby, but inbetween the two was the hardest and most beautiful ride of the summer. We rode on Trail Ridge Road (thru Rocky Mtn Natl Park), which included a 22 mile climb straight up to the 12,000+ summit. The climb took 7 hours, but that wasn't because I was going 5mph, instead it was due to the many stops I made 1) to take random hikes to gorgeous views (don't worry Mom I took pics), 2) to eat food because after every half mile I became so famished I thought I was going to faint, 3) because of the altitide, I also thought I was going to pass out, and 4) because I got a flat in a construction zone and ended up walking my bike to the visitor's center on top (though sadly, even though i could see it, it was actually about 2 miles away, which made for a pretty long walk. I did refuse 2 offers for a ride because that would mean I hadn't biked xc). It was cold at the top, maybe 40-50 degrees, and super windy and cloudy, but it didn't even matter because the ride to the bottom was just sublime. After we left Rocky Mountain National Park, Becca and I stopped in the town of Grand Lake, bought Phish Food at the gas station and walked down to the shoreline to share the pint. That was pretty sublime, too, even though we were swept by sweep.

After Granby came Steamboat Springs, a cute mountain town that kind of reminded me of Vail a bit although a little bit less snobby. Highlights from that stay included a night of drinks on a rooftop bar, a build day in the nicest Habitat neighborhood I've ever seen, and a trip to the hot springs for naked nighttime frolicking with about 10 other riders. Fantastic.

Now I'm in Park City Utah and not only is my internet time running out but I've been in Utah for 3 days and haven't even noticed one Morman. I've seen several churches (we're not allowed to stay in any), but no one has bothered me with their Mormanism, which I think is awesome.

Park City is somewhere I'd definitely love to return to, not only to snowboard but to be here for the Sundance Film Festival. Next January maybe, or in '09? Can't wait.

Hope this update gives you a little idea of what I've been up to for the past week. I'll be riding thru the salt flats next (has anybody besides Rowan seen Wind? Now picture the sailboat being a bike.), then on to Nevada along I-80 (hopefully we will all stay injury free), Reno, and into the GREAT state of California! I can't believe this is ending so quickly. In the words of Roshan, "this trip has totes been da bomb digs."