8/16/2004 (Monday) - Lynx Pass to Red Mountain RV Campground, Kremmling, 41.68 Miles.

Our second day of riding of the Great Divide wasn't too shabby. It didn't hurt that Kathy, one of our co-leaders, made everyone chicken Quesadilla for breakfast!

The ride started out easy. We rode through a beautiful valley and forded Rock Creek. Then the rolling terrain became a little more demanding as we made our way toward the Colorado Radium. This rolling section included a "hill from hell" where everyone walked their bike (except I think David, the other of our co-leader). We were rewarded with a great view of the Colorado River before the screaming descent down. That 2000+ feet drop down was exhilirating - and somewhat nerve-wracking....

After a short lunch together at the Colorado River, Kathy, Ken, Nancy, and I began the earnest climb up (starting at below 8000 feet) to Inspiration Point and onto a local watershed divide (at 9600+ feet). The climb was not easy, especially considering the heat (no shade) and the altitude. But to be honest, it could not have been that tough because we rode mostly on pavement and encountered little traffic.

We ordered pizza and salads for dinner today because many arrived at camp late, and the designated cooks would not have had time to get groceries and cook in time. We were able to do so in terms of our budget because a group member who decided to drop out yesterday (Frank) had insisted that we keep his portion of the budget to use as our own (what a stud!). In addition, the owners of the campground had agreed to lend us their jeep for getting our pizzas for dinner and groceries for the next day!

All in all, this was a short but solid day of riding. I left camp at around 7:40 a.m. and arrived at camp before 2:30 p.m.