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Day 4: Columbine Hut to Graham Cabin We can’t resist – we MUST have pancakes again. Todd obliges us. We start at a good pace today, and see some deer and turkey along the way. We finally begin to see some of the open range cattle that we had seen only slightly before, now “taking over” the roads. By rights, I guess it’s their road, not ours. Eventually we learn they just look mean, but they are, at heart, “big scaredy cats”. We chase them off the road easily. For a while they ride on the road, making Todd and I feel like we are “Mountain Bike Cowboys” herding cattle. At different times in our rides, I am able to ride by myself – great time for reflection, and my MP3 player. I can’t believe how great the weather, the company, the freedom, the scenery, in a nutshell – the entire trip is! We finally get to our next cabin, and it’s a real working cattle/horse ranch. This is our first “official shower”, as they have a shower room for the ranch hands which they let the “hut riders” use. You can not imagine how good that shower feels after 4 days of riding and taking “sponge baths”. This “hut” is actually a real (and real OLD – over 100 yrs) log cabin. The setting is absolutely beautiful. I’ve probably said “I wish Lorraine was here” about a million times now – only second to “WOW” which we all probably said 2 million times. The only “down side” of this cabin, is that there are no brand new ‘thrones” here. Yes, this has the “old style” outside potty – which the main ranch house, and the driveway in have a clear view into… oh well. Fortunately, few folks are around This hut also had the funniest log book of past travelers. We howled over the stories of past ride groups, and the various ways to “kill the mice” of the huts. Tam (the grandson of the ranch owner – and yes, a “real cowboy” that herds cattle on a horse) came to visit us while we were eating (compliments of Ray the chef and bill the first mate again). He regaled us with a few stories; it was a nice visit. Ray led the discussion tonight about becoming the man you were meant to be. Another excellent way to end the day. Paul is allergic to something in the hut – so he sleeps outdoors, and has a great night’s sleep. Stats for the day: 36.6 miles, about 5-6 hrs total time, and 4:25 hrs of pedal time. Average for the day was 9 – 10 mph
More pictures for this day can be seen by clicking the button at the top of this page. A sheet of "thumbnails" will be displayed, and you can click on them to see the full size/full picture.
We traveled WEST or Right to Left looking at the map, but the profile below reads left to right.
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