TransAm Day #34 Breckenridge, CO

TransAm Day #34 Breckenridge, CO - Kremmling, CO

TransAm Day #34

June 28, 2018

Breckenridge, CO - Kremmling, CO

63 Miles

Ride Time 4:27 Hours

Tour Total Miles 2478

details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180628-0924-35256

Yesterday after filing my report, I went to the Breckenridge Brewery, which had been highly recommended by my Denver team. After dinner and a couple of Avalanche Amber Ales, I got a text from TransAm Gangstas Eileeny Beanie and Scotty Potty. They had just arrived in Breck, and were looking for a place to stay. I offered a sleepover in my hotel room. They got calzones, I picked up beer, and we beelined it to my hotel’s hot tub.

I slept great in my king-sized bed. My friends slept on the floor, and I had to remember not to step on them in the middle of the night. Our bikes and gear were strewn about the room. Scott left his stinky shoes out in the hall.

I swapped my jerseys this morning. I had been wearing Brooklyn for a long time, and it needed a rest. I pulled out the TransAm, and another set of shorts. The advantage to leaving later in the day, is that I don’t have to put on and then take off warmer layers. We took our time getting going. At breakfast I realized my lips were bleeding. My poor lips are in bad shape. Charlotte doesn’t understand me on the phone. Siri can’t make out what I’m saying. It’s not good. I bought some SPF lip balm. Hopefully it will help.

Breckenridge is totally touristy, and it’s a lot like Disneyland. That being said, everybody bikes. There are three bike shops in town, and they’ve got great bike lanes. It’s a sports biking destination. Riding out of Breckenridge on the Blue River bike path was totally awesome! We shared it with other cyclists, and runners. It was the most beautiful bike path I have ever been on! Riding alongside Dillon Reservoir with snowcapped mountains in the distance was sublime. The path was perfectly designed. It had sections of boardwalk along the Blue River and tunnels under the highways. It was extremely well made. The riding surface was perfect.

We passed pine and aspen trees. The leaves on the aspens sparkled in the wind like silver sequins. The air was crisp. I had to pinch myself. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. It was heaven! The bike path was actually a network of routes that ran throughout the valley. It was so much fun, and felt like cycling paradise.

In Frisco we met up with legendary TransAm cyclist Jay, from New Zealand. Last year while attempting the TransAm, he was hit by a motorist on Hoosier Pass. Jay doesn’t wear a helmet and sustained major brain trauma. He recovered, and this year, instead of picking up at Hoosier, he started all the way back at Yorktown. He did Pike’s Peak a couple of days ago, off route, just for fun. We ate at Bread & Salt, and I had a sesame bagel with egg, ham, and cream cheese. After our meal we rode for a bit with a Jay, before he turned east towards Denver where he’s meeting his friend. He’ll be catching back up with us in a few days. We rode over the dam at Dillon Reservoir and into Silverthorne where we crossed interstate 70. The bike path continued to follow the Blue River. There were fly fishermen in the water.

The word from up ahead at the Wyoming border is that westbound TransAm cyclists are taking nude selfies in front of the Wyoming sign. I can confirm having seen photos of Brian and Kyle. I sent this information ahead to Steve, whom I knew was making the crossing today. His phone service was poor and he got the word too late. I passed an east-bounder with two guitars fastened to his rear rack. I hate to tell you Gary, if you’re reading this, but the bar has been raised.

The picturesque most splendid bike path ever ended after Silverthorne, and I was dumped back out onto highway 9, which was thick with speeding cars. It was anticlimactic. I headed north down the Blue River Valley, which opened up to expansive horizons. New snow-capped mountains appeared behind unfamiliar hills. I had a long steady downhill, and could coast twenty-five miles an hour without having to pedal.

The three of us have Surly Long Haul Trucker touring bikes. Eileen just got her MBA from the University of Maryland. She begins a secretive high clearance government job two days after she returns in August. She got married right before her trip and will be celebrating her honeymoon with her husband in Oregon. Scott got his both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in aerospace engineering at RIT in Rochester, NY. He will begin a PhD program at the University of Buffalo this fall. His ambition is to work at Space X. His travel blog can be found at: https://bikingthetransamericatrail.wordpress.com. Eileen and Scott don’t carry paper maps or Garmins. They use only the ACA smart phone app.

Nine miles heading into Heeney, I left highway 9 and traveled east around Green Mountain Reservoir on small highway 30. It was refreshing to get away from the traffic and have the water, trees, and mountains back to myself. There were unfortunately no services at Heeney, and I had to pedal another sixteen miles for drinks and food.

I’ve felt like a kid many times on this trip. Once again today, it seems like I had returned to my childhood when I rode my bike around the neighborhood with other kids, and adventure laid waiting at every turn.

The second dam I crossed was ginormous. The lake level was over five hundred feet higher than the gorge below. I left the Blue River and continued north on Highway 9. I cycled through a corridor with deer fencing to either side of the road. Beyond was vast scrub and hills. There were animal overpasses, and I relaxed in the cool shade of one of these tunnels.

I crossed the Colorado River coming into Kremmling. The lady at the Kum&Go said there were major fires to the south and to the north. Luckily I was headed east and wouldn’t be effected. I parted ways with Colorado State Highway 9, which I began in Royal Gorge and have been following north for 145 miles.

In Kremmling we opted for the city park pavilion. As soon as we arrived we were attacked by mosquitoes, and couldn’t get the DEET out of our panniers fast enough. Unfortunately the electrical power is not working, but there is a nice bathhouse with running water.