Figure 8 On A Bike

* 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...