Figure 8 On A Bike

* Day 1: Get out of the cabin by 6:05 AM; our easy days at Twin Lakes come to an end. Susan's mom and dad drive us the hour down to Poncha Springs , and we hug goodbye feeling so grateful that they made sure we could be part of the family trip. First step: coffee and bagel sandwiches from the FlaminGo food truck. Second step: hitchhike further to Saguache. We've barely even posted up under the highway sign when a Dodge cargo van pulls over and a van-lifer says he can take us there. He's a paramedic from Austin with a 16-year-old dog who gets to mostly set his own schedule and spends a lot of time in the area; he really likes the FlaminGo. The FlaminGo is a place of good fortune. The interior of the van is wood-paneled with care and sports a few nice paintings. The driver makes a reference to previously having a wife, but I leave that stone unturned. Susan's in the back, sitting on the floor; at least she has more space than when we were both tessellated in the trunk o...

It's time for us to crash someone else's travel plans: Susan's mom, dad, sister, and our two nieces were in Colorado for a week, so we got to join for their last 3 days around Twin Lakes and Leadville . 3 days of walking less than 2 miles a day, hanging out and recovering around the spacious "cabin" up on the hill above Twin Lakes, and eating as much food as we can. Even better, they brought a bag that had new shoes for us, and we could send a few extraneous items (like the Microspikes, no longer needed for the mostly-thawed mountains) back home. The convenience! Definitely worth it for cramming into the trunk of the Forester and trying not to bang our heads along bumpy dirt roads; who knew the Forester was a 7 passenger vehicle? 

  * Day 1: After enough watermelon and brownies in Lake City , we talked with the minister of the Presbyterian Church on our way out of the hiker center. He offered to find us a ride if we couldn't hitchhike within an hour. What a kind bunch of folks. We were supposed to stop at the store for sunscreen but after a few minutes of walking down the road a blue Subaru Crosstrek pulled over in front of us; the driver got out and shouted us over as she began rearranging luggage and the dog to make space for us. A hitch without even asking? Can't pass that up! So we climbed on in, sunscreen be damned. The driver and her friend were in Lake City for a stargazing festival, eagerly awaiting nightfall, when the observatory would open. She had some thru-hikers in her life, so was very friendly to us. Insisted we take some plums because "I know you aren't eating any fruit". Dropped back off at Spring Creek Pass about eight hours after leaving. Packs are heavy with... a kind ...