Day 16 - 18

2004_0419Image0001.JPG This and the next 3 are the view from the hike 2004_0419Image0003.JPG 2004_0419Image0014.JPG 2004_0419Image0016.JPG 2004_0419Image0023.JPG Me and Bob 2004_0419Image0025.JPG Owen, Bob, Conrad, and Meghan 2004_0419Image0026.JPG The view to the West 2004_0419Image0029.JPG A lake in loveland 2004_0419Image0030.JPG church in Old Ft. Collins 2004_0419Image0034.JPG Inside New Belgium Brewing Co. 2004_0419Image0036.JPG 2004_0419Image0038.JPG Every employee at New Belgium gets a bike 2004_0419Image0041.JPG Colorado State University campus from the hotel room

Day 16 - 17
Golden, CO

Stayed the weekend at Bob and Meghan's.  Many thanks for all the great hospitality.  Saturday was their son Owen's 3rd birthday party.  Bob and I spent an hour or two duct taping cardboard boxes together to make a fort/tunnel  for the kids; it came out well if I do say so myself.  The kids played in it at least 15 minutes.  Anyway, as far as I could tell the kids had fun, and the birthday cake was good.

Had a bunch of bike work done at a place called Self Propulsion in Golden on Saturday.  The owner, Portia, and her assistant (Ryan?) were super helpful and worked on the bike for an hour and a half after closing.  If you're ever in Golden and need bike work, I recommend them.  I think I'm all set for another thousand miles.

Sunday Bob suggested we go for a hike in the hills just SW of his house.  I was envisioning a casual stroll through the woods along a marked trail, but Bob had other plans.  We ended up blazing our own trail through the woods, over rocks, and so on for a knee-pounding three-hour hike where we got snowed on as we made our way back to the house.  As you can see above, the view was spectacular from the top of the hill.

Day 18
Boulder to Fort Collins, CO
43 miles

Bob kindly dropped me off  just outside of Boulder and I had a fairly short ride into Fort Collins, home of Colorado State University. Stopped by and toured the New Belgium Brewery, makers of Fat Tire beer (among others).  Nothing like taste testing several beers and then getting on a bike and looking around town for a hotel.  Anyway, had a great steak for dinner and am about to hit the hay.  If the weather is okay tomorrow I should make it to Wyoming (although it's supposed to be pretty windy).