» Day 35) Breckenridge to Buffalo Springs Campground at Bikepacking - …Like backpacking, only on bikes. A blog about a cycle tour from Bend, Oregon to Durango, Colorado

Jul

Day 35) Breckenridge to Buffalo Springs Campground

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Our oatmeal breakfast was tasty, with apple in the oatmeal and slices of mango on the side. The couple eating breakfast with us were from Colorado Springs and the guy was a championship cyclist (in a Velodrome) and had won a world title at an event in Manchester. He was originally from Guatemala, but now lived in Colorado Springs where the U.S. Olympic Training Centre is. We used the wireless internet in the cozy lounge of the Fireside Inn to have a look at the route given to us last night by Gary. Eventually we decided to stick with our original route over the Hoosier Pass as this is the highest pass on the Transamerica. We had been anticipating it for a while and many of the other cyclists we had met along the way had mentioned it, so we felt it wouldn’t be right to miss it out. Once we got to Johnson Village we would decided whether to follow the route over the Monarch Pass or head over the Cottonwood Pass to rejoin the Transamerica at Gunnison. We caught a bit of the Tour de France of the TV before we left, with the cyclists flying through the streets. Oh the pleasures of being unloaded (and in tip top physical condition). We could certainly appreciate the benefits of staying in motels the whole trip and we wouldn’t need the tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats etc, etc….

We were sad to leave Breckenridge and also slightly dreading the Hoosier Pass! However, the climb wasn’t as bad as we anticipated. My bike was playing up a bit, like the chain or the gears were slipping. It was really annoying. Breathing was a little difficult at this altitude and we needed to stop a few times but we made it to the top and felt very proud. This was the highest we had been. The view over the otherside was fabulous and we sailed down towards Alma with huge grins on our faces. When we reached Alma there was a folk festival in full swing. Oh dear, I can see another Breckenridge happening! We’ll never get to Durango! We sat in the sun and enjoyed some lunch ( a footlong Subway sandwich purchased this morning in Breckenridge AND a barbecued beef sandwich and ribbon chips from a stall!) whilst listening to the bands. It was a great atmosphere, with loads of families, dogs and kids playing in the adjacent river. We had a quick look at the stalls and then managed to carry on our journey. We didn’t get very far though as the next town of Fairplay came upon us pretty quickly. There was a restored mining town called South Park City on the edge of town, which looked really amazing. Then we made it as far as the ice cream parlour, before stopping for another break. We really weren’t in the mood for cycling today!

As we left Fairplay we had a strong headwind and my chain was still slipping so we decided to stop at the Buffalo Springs, a primitive National Forest campground. There were only 2 other trailers there, a bit different to a weekend in Frisco! Not many miles covered today, but we weren’t pushed for time anymore. Ryan spent a bit of time on my bike and realised that 2 of the chain links were really stiff, I guess from the good cleaning they got yesterday. After a bit of manipulation he managed to work the links loose and my bike was in working order again.