Day 24: Public Lands or Bust

Monday, July 12

Heaton Bay Campground, Silverthorne, CO to BLM land between Hartsel and Salida, CO

91.7 miles, 4877 ft climbed, 1597.4 cumulative miles

The sun rose above the horizon this morning as an orange disc through the smoke. We took pictures with Art and said goodbye since he was rolling out earlier than us and we needed to stop for breakfast food so figured we wouldn’t see him again. The route took us through Frisco and to Breckenridge via bike path. This area has amazing infrastructure for cyclists - including a free bus system that mountain bikers can use to shuttle trails!

We opted to seek out a Starbucks so we could charge up our devices and as we pulled in, there was Art! We were happy to see him again and enjoyed our breakfast with him and we all rolled out together to tackle Boreas Pass. The road over the pass was originally a railroad line constructed in the early 1800’s for the mining industry. This meant it was a gentle grade and we were able to chat comfortably on the way up. In spite of the smoke, there were some beautiful views as we climbed and the wildflowers were again putting on a show. We stopped for a photo at a water tank used originally to resupply the steam engines heading over the pass. The summit was our highest yet at 11,482 feet and was another Continental Divide crossing. 

We descended after Boreas into the tiny town of Como where we said goodbye to Art for the last time since he was taking a detour to meet up with his wife for the night.

We got to the town of Hartsel at around 4pm, having done 64 miles for the day. We got snacks and cold drinks while we debated whether to camp there for the night (a free spot behind the cafe/bar) or keep riding until we reached public lands and could wild camp, which would mean a 90+ mile day and possibly riding past dark. We were tired and weren’t sure what the road surface and wind conditions ahead would be - and across 30 miles that could mean a difference of hours. We decided to camp but then when we were walked past a table of drunk men making comments and then shown the spot, we both changed our mind. Back on the road!

The next 28 miles offered washboard, headwinds, and hills but we managed to make it to BLM land just after sunset and find ourselves a beautiful little spot tucked away from the road. It was the quietest night of camping we’ve had yet and both slept really well. Hooray for public lands!

Published July 13, 2021