Day 48: 41 Miles

Silverthorne, CO to Kremmling, CO

Drinking beers on a bicycle all day yesterday was exhausting. By the time I got to the last brewery in Silverthorne I was only good for a sandwich and 1 more beer. By 9:30 I was passed out in my hotel room. I woke up around 5:30 AM, but it was still cold out and I had a short mileage day planned. I decided to go back to sleep and aimed to instead get on the road by 8:00 AM.

Today’s route was just 41 miles from Silverthorne to Kremmling. Silverthorne is at over 9,000 feet and Kremmling is at 7,300 feet, so I knew I’d have a downhill day. I didn’t expect the day to go by so quickly though. An hour into the ride I’d already covered 16 miles. The route then diverted away from the main road for a more scenic loop around the Green Mountain Reservoir. The scenic loop involved some climbing, but there wasn’t​ much car traffic which was nice. After making it around the reservoir, I got back on route 9 North to finish out the day.

The one interesting thing I noticed along route 9 were the bridges made for animals to cross the road. They have fenced off the road on both sides and the only place an animal can cross is the man made bridges. This seemed like a great solution for both motorists and the animals.

I arrived in Kremmling and found a place to grab lunch. Then it was time to figure out a place to stay. I found the Hotel Eastin and was able to get a $25 room for the night. The only catch is that it has a shared hallway bathroom rather than a private bathroom. For $25 it was a much better deal than the expensive hotel in town and actually cheaper than a lot of places I’ve camped on this trip.

Kremmling surprisingly has a nice main street with a lot of shops and places to eat. It’s always hard to tell what a town will be like based on the maps, but Kremmling has a lot to offer. After I was settled into my room I went out and got some ice cream. I got hold of a scale yesterday and found out I’ve lost at least 8 pounds since the start of this trip. I’ve already been trying to eat as much as I can, but now I know I’ve got to be taking in more calories to maintain my weight. A great excuse for ice cream.

Tonight I’m going to find a restaurant in town for a good meal and then rest up for tomorrow’s ride. Tomorrow I’m heading to Walden, CO. This will involve some climbing and I’m still not sure which route I’ll be taking. The maps have me going 78 miles and climbing back up to 9,700 feet. There is an alternate route that is only 61 miles and only climbs back up to 8,700 feet. I was all set to take the alternate route, but got an email from Steve that he had made it to Walden today and the views over the higher pass were amazing. He had a much more productive riding day than my 18 miles of beer yesterday. I guess I’ll see how I feel in the morning and make a decision on my route. The longer route does have some service stops along the way, whereas the alternate does not, so that may sway my decision as well.