September 3, 2019 Colorado Quickly landed at Brush Mountain Lodge, hosted by the wonderful Kristin, where I took a much needed rest day… …visited my namesake town and the local Walmart… …to help Kristin stock up on supplies. If you’re riding the GDMBR…stay on the ACA route, don’t take the alternate, stop at the Lodge and be human again. Sun gear attire #1: OR bucket hat, Patagonia Capilene Cool Trail shirt, Buff UV arm sleeves, Pearl Izumi gloves, Zoic Ether shorts. On the way to Steamboat through the Routt National Forest Is it the forest or the trees? Little Piece of Heaven Ranch Boreas Pass outside Breckenridge – it’s the second highest pass on the route at 11,482 feet Rode the Como to Hartsel section through heavy rain, and the road was covered in freshly applied Magnesium Chloride…needed to power wash the yuck off in Salida… …as well as the bike. Shout out to Subculture Cyclery in Salida for a fantastic shop: bike wash, chain swap, and the bathroom converts into a shower! Two thumbs up for the Simple Lodge & Hostel in Salida Wild goats on the way up Marshall Pass. They were obsessed with a 4 inch hole in the ground, and ignored me as I rode past on the left. Shout out to Susie, a CDT trail angel who greeted me at the top of Marshall Pass in her decked out jeep with fried chicken and a drink. Thank you Susie! Riding south from Doyleville, just east of Gunnison. There’s a rider on the far slope for scale comparison, hard to see at this resolution. Northern section of the La Garita Wilderness, heading south to Del Norte I ate lunch here. La Garita Wilderness, just south of SR 114. The view from Indiana Pass, elevation 11,910ft and the highest location along the entire trip. Bummed that the location doesn’t have sign for a merit badge photo after a 25 mile uphill climb. Yeah…TWENTY FIVE MILES OF CLIMBING. The downhill was…just okay. 2019 Tour Divide racers who stopped in the cafĂ© at Platoro. Prime fly fishing south of Platoro Reminds me of the Edward Abbey quote: “May your trails be crooked, winding, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” Final climb in Colorado