First tour

I went on my first bike "tour" last week! It was an overnight trip - carrying gear for camping - from Boulder to Estes Park, CO one day and back the next. I went with a friend, Johan, who tricked me into going 50 miles/day, when I thought it was going to be 35. It was challenging, but beautiful!

There were tricky parts: long mountain climbs, snow then rain, and an 8 mile stretch on a winding hill with no shoulder.

But overall the trip was really great. There were the wonderful shop owners of Eagle Plume's at the top of the mountain pass who, after we chatted with them for a bit, laid out a big spread of food for us. There was the spring that appeared just when we were looking for water. There were the two herds of elk that we passed. And of course the beautiful scenery of the Rocky Mountains all around us.

The experience is making me look forward to the start of Join the Cycle's trip even more!

~melissa