Well, the curse is alive and well. It rained last night. Matter of fact, it’s still raining as we try to cook breakfast! So much for Adrian maybe breaking the curse – he made it worse!

This is what it looked like outside when we got up:

Ugh! No riding today. Damn!

Well, we had heard of a scenic drive, so we took off for Walden on Colorado 14. Very nice drive! Less than 100 miles, but about 3 hours, so, kind of winding roads out here!

Here’s a photo of the drive:

And here’s another:

Unfortunately, when you get there, there’s not much to see in town! On a lark, we headed for Steamboat Springs, to try and find some lunch, which we did, at a grand eatery by the name of Wendy’s. Yes, THAT Wendy’s. Three salads and we’re on our way.

Looking at the map, the drive I’d heard about was taking highway 34 From Estes Park back towards Fort Collins, so we’d have to first be IN Estes Park to start that trip, so off we went, with Poindexter leading the way. Not so fast, pardner! To get to Estes Park on 34, you have to go through Rocky Mountain National Park, and THAT is twenty bucks! Adrian whipped it out of his wallet, prepared to take a bullet for us all, when Barri pipes up “WAIT! Is this a National Park? Will our Annual Pass work here?” Of course it does! Financial crisis averted, and we are on our way. BUT … we’re low on fuel …

Bill – “Is there Diesel fuel at Estes Park?”

Ranger – “Yes … how much fuel do you have?”

Bill – “An eighth of a tank”

Ranger – “That’ll be enough!”

Yes … well … maybe, and maybe not. My concern grew as the needle dipped, we were climbing, climbing, climbing … to heaven, it seemed … still 25 miles away … and then the low-fuel light comes on, and the truck dings to remind me I REALLY should have fueled up when we stopped to pee, back in Steamboat Springs. ARGH!!

Well, it was a nail-biter, for sure, and we were surely running on fumes, but we finally hit the outskirts of Estes Park, and there was a Shell station. A bit overpriced at 3.99 a gallon, but we were not about to quibble! As it turns out, another Shell on the way out of town was only 3.79, but, well, we had fuel. Off to Fort Collins we go, and off to bed. What a long day!

Oh, yeah, and on the way back to the trailer, we saw a sign that Colorado 14, the road we took this morning, is closed due to a mudslide! We are 8 miles from the State Park where we want to ride. What are the odds the trail is still wet tomorrow. Damn!

I’m tired! I have photos, but they’ll have to wait, sorry.

Ok, photos are up (obviously!) and here is another, from the top of Rocky Mountain National Park:

Today, we travel again! Got up a bit late, as we’re not in a big hurry – we have to check out by 10, but can’t check in until after 1, and the drive is only about an hour, so there will be a lot of something to burn time. We decided to go shopping for stuff we need for the trailer.

Left before noon, and all was going pretty well, until exit 281 off IH-25, when everything came to a screeching halt. Serious slamming of brakes, to keep from hitting the cars in front, and,since the line of stopped vehicles stretched literally as far as the eye could see (and the eye could see at least two miles down the road!), and we were only about five miles from our exit, we got off and let Poindexter recalculate the route. Gotta love automotive GPS!

Checked in, set up, pretty nice KoA, though it’s right on State 287, and thus a bit noisy. Got a good night’s sleep to prep for the next day.

Alright, broke camp early because it was going to be a long drive. Not too bad, at least we gained an hour going into Mountain Time. Had lunch along the way, a quite good burger.

Mid-afternoon, we pulled into Curt Gowdy State Park and set up camp. Water and electric. Well … you have to walk about 80 feet to the water spigot, but it’s by the bathrooms (no water, pit toilet. Hmmmm … this is looking worse by the minute!). But … the park is stunningly beautiful, and that kind of makes up for it a bit.

This is our view from the front door:

Of course, there’s always a downside – while they have a fire ring with a grill so we can cook our fish tonight, this is what the previous tenants left us with:

Why yes, that IS a dirty diaper you see in there. Maybe we’ll go into town for dinner.

Ok, went into town to see an old co-worker of mine, Dan Bond, back from the old Kodak days, checking out his gym, 007 Extreme Fitness. Cool place! If you need a gym and you’re in Cheyenne, go see Dan, either he or his wife Karen will fix you up!

We did go into town for dinner, and tried out Poor Richard’s … Well, we walked in, saw the menu, and decided we did not want to spend a small fortune for dinner, so we walked right back out again. Poor Richard’s? Nope, sorry – at those prices, no way in hell Richard is still poor!

Tomorrow, we ride!