July 10- Hot Sulphur Spgs to Silverthorne, Colo

The recent long hard days must be catching up with us, because we slept until 7:30 this morning. All along on this trip, we've been waking at 6:15 as if there were an alarm.

Right outside of Hot Sulphur Springs we entered the deep and wide Myers Canyon, accompanied by a freight train winding through alongside us. The turns were so sharp for the rail line that we could hear wheels squealing.

After a few miles we emerged into the mostly level Middle Park area, and rode downhill to the pretty town of Kremmling. There we turned south, crossed the Colorado River, and immediately began a climb which would last the rest of the day. Except for a long hilly section around the Green Mountain Reservoir, we were riding on narrow SR 9, which has little or no shoulder, and heavy traffic. So despite the spectacular mountain scenery, it was a long, stressful ride.

At Silverthorne, the biggest town since Missoula, we found a comfortable motel near a Target store where we could pick up a few needed items, and also near an Irish pub/ sports bar, where we could find refreshment and nourishment while watching both a Rays game and the Tour de France on wide screen TVs. So the day ended on a cheerful note.

A remarkable sighting yesterday I forgot to mention. Near Granby we passed a backpacker hiking along the road and leading a big billygoat which was also carrying packs. The goat wore homespun shoes; maybe the goat was footsore, or perhaps the owner took precautions to protect its feet. Wasn't able to get a picture because our only camera is my smartphone, which takes a long time to boot up. Now we've seen everything.

At the end of five weeks of riding, we have logged 1715 miles and 76042' of climbing.