Day 23: Art

Sunday July 11

Kremmling to Heaton Bay Campground, Silverthorne, CO

59.3 miles, 3942 ft climbed, 1505.7 cumulative miles

Kremmling is where we heard the plane take off at 5 am, having camped next to the airport and the train tracks, and where we replaced our brake pads after breakfast. Bikes are ready for the Colorado climbs and descents!

Over Ute Pass we looped round Henderson mill and tailings pond. Although the snow covered peaks towered in the distance, it was quite the industrial site with many “NO” signs and warnings. Molybdenum is mined there and appears to be a large operation. There was no filtering water in these nearby creeks.

A paved road meant a fast descent and then a jolt back to civilization as we rode into the busy, touristy Silverthorne already late in the day, due to the morning bike maintenance. We stopped for food at the Dillon Dam Brewery, where we reviewed our camping options. Art, whom we met briefly back in Steamboat and saw again at the same campground in Kremmling, had #17 reserved at the Heaton Bay campground and extended a kind invite to join him.

Here is what meeting Art in Steamboat looked like: we were eating at the same busy brewery and as he was getting to leave, Irena waved to him from across the place, the only other person dressed in casual bike gear with certain amount of grunge and dirt around the edges, and a loaded bike parked next to the outdoor seating area. He must be on the similar route as us. Poor guy just rode 70 miles only to be shut down on Lynx Pass due to fire closure. We heard about it through word of mouth but didn’t quite know the reroute at that time.

Art was riding the Colorado section of the Great Divide and therefore it was not that big of a a surprise when we again saw him some 70+ miles “down the road” in Kremmling.

We picked up some beer at the grocery store in Silverthorne and while Irena was waiting outside, a kind stranger wandered over and wanted to pay it forward after her friend has biked this route and was hosted by others. She gave us her address inviting us to stay in the suite above the garage. We were touched by the kindness but decided to get on the bike path and find Art instead. We had beer for him after all. The sky was smoky and the sun was bright red as it was setting. We took the bike path all the way to the campground and found Art at #17 just like he said, poring over route maps. There was mutual joy when we all saw each other.

We spent the evening sharing adventure and trail stories over beer.

Art is the best thing about Colorado so far.