Figure 8 On A Bike

* Day 0: Zero day in Lander . Motel breakfast is a little sad but the bagels do the job - we'll have second breakfast anyway. But first stop is literally just on the other side of the highway - new clothes! I'm shopping for a new sun shirt because the one I've used for the last 1,000+ miles can't hold itself together anymore. We both pick up new insoles for our shoes. Susan exchanges a pair of my old Darn Tough socks for new ones. That's because I didn't know this store did the exchange, and I have 3 new pairs of socks waiting for me at the post office. That package also has new pants for Susan - she's lost so much weight that her original pants are loose and floppy enough to take off without undoing the button or zipper. She can put the old ones on over her 2-sizes-smaller new ones and still stretch out a bunch of slack. Spend a little time working on the tent, because one of the zippers acts up when you try to close it all the way. Then we go to the next g...

* Day 0: Zero day in Rawlins . Surprisingly good hotel breakfast - bless the person who invented those waffle-makers with the batter that comes out of a mysterious metal box. Most pressing concern is laundry, mainly because the laundromat is more than 2 miles across town and we just don't want to walk that far. Have heard rumors of someone driving Lyft or Uber here but strike out on both apps. Call Carbon County Cab and not only do we get a fairly-priced ride but also the phone number of someone who might be able to help us skip forward along the highway tomorrow. Our driver makes a lot of chit-chat about putting down roots here and serving as aunt to her friend's first grader. She's the disciplinarian who isn't afraid give the kids a smacking. After laundry comes disappointment because the cafe I wanted to visit is closed on Saturdays. So we stop in the sporting goods shop, closing because the owner is retiring and can't find anyone to take it over, then walk the ...

* Day 0: Zero day in Encampment . Since Susan washed the laundry yesterday we don't have too much to do today other than wandering around the convenience and general stores to buy more food. Thank goodness our cabin rental grants us free coffee at the general store because I guess the espresso shack that hung around last summer didn't make it back for this season. It's a dusty little town, without a lot of paved roads and subject to the fickle winds that kick up over the high, dry plains during the hot summer afternoons. But everyone seems proud of the place; the buildings have fresh paint and all their windows and the few lawns stand out crisp and green. We're staying in a small log cabin with one main room that looks like it was originally furnished in the 50's and a bathroom - indoor plumbing in a cabin is quite the upgrade. We can even cook eggs on the little gas range, although the mismatch between the size of the burner and the pan means frying them is out of...

* Day 0: Zero day in Steamboat Springs . Susan snags bagels and coffee from the hotel grab-n-go breakfast and we enjoy it alongside fried eggs, so pleased to have our own little kitchen. Chat with an old couple visiting from Texas who are very impressed with how far we can walk and give us a quick ride down across the street to the visitor center. Chat with the woman working there and get goody packets of snacks and coupons. Who ever said you can't earn anything through a life of leisure? It's a day out on the town, cruising on the surprisingly convenient local bus. Ace Hardware first, out west, then downtown for the bakery Norm recommended (it really was that good), doing shoe math on the bank of the Yampa River and calling the Lander post office to forward our box because that's at least 100 miles too far and I don't want to sew my shoes together again, getting Susan a new pair of earrings. Hoping she's not allergic to the metal. We picked up a couple cheap bathi...

* Bonus Day: Rocky Mountain marathon! The alarm goes off at 3:30 AM because the goal today is to cover about 26 miles of trail, 27 including the bit through town. But all the overnight kit stays home at the KOA cabin; this is our chance to hike the whole RMNP section in one day,  getting by without securing any permits. Fueled by pâtisseries and cans of cold brew, we crossed the campground in the dark morning and whispered out of instinct, not wanting to be the roosters that brought on daytime. The highway sits empty, the emulated-old-timey covered boardwalks don't creak and groan under the weight of passing tourists. Manage to find the trailhead and start the slow and steady ascent along North Inlet Creek. The dawn gathering weakly behind low, grey clouds backlights the charred spears of tree trunks; nearly the whole valley burned in 2020. Car-sized boulders  stand naked and exposed, all the lichen and moss burned away, leaving only white granite as a testament to what it to...

* Day 0: Zero day in Dillon . The Super 8 actually has a waffle station so breakfast is "elevated". That's a word we've learned from having Food Channel on the TV for literally about 10 hours straight. Maybe we expect to absorb some calories through the airwaves. Guy Fieri doesn't take himself too seriously and makes a lot of bad puns so he's my new favorite celebrity food personality. Second breakfast at the Blue Moon Bakery is actually elevated, a delicious lox bagel heaped with cream cheese, and a couple espressos. Susan is on a hunt for new underwear but strikes out at Sierra, although I snag a bunch of food we didn't come in there for and we also leave equipped with bear spray. Next stop is US Bank, and then to REI - this is the most amenities we've seen in a town in ages. But REI only sells women's underwear online. Make a proper grocery run at City Market and stock up on enough food to avoid leaving the hotel room again. Leftover pizza and ...

* Day 0: Zero day in Leadville . Wake up and get to cook ourselves fried eggs with English muffins. I haven't fried an egg in months. A CT hiker tries to talk to Susan about "segment numbers" for the second time this morning and she won't have it. Lolligag after breakfast, soaking in good feelings from 3 over-easy eggs and one-and-a-half muffins, but Susan finally gets me out the door to head for coffee. Smoke haze nearly obscures Mt. Massive and a faint charred smell wanders through the air. The lone barista at Zero Day coffee prepares an excellent cappuccino but the donuts in the counter case look suspiciously similar to the colorful assortments we found in Safeway. What are the odds both places would make Fruity Pebbles donuts? We check out their "gear store" and find mostly coffee paraphernalia that "ultralight" folks can carry without feeling too guilty. Nowhere in Leadville seems to be fully staffed. Caffeine kick-starts a bout of furious pl...