Day 46: Steamboat Lake to Steamboat Springs

Ride time: 1:59

Average:  14.8 mph

Distance: 29.56 mi

We deviated from the route this morning because just as we were about to leave, I rolled my bike out and discovered that once again, my back tire had gone flat.  Flat tire count:  Robyn 5, Nate 0.  We had to get to Steamboat Springs before 12 PM because that's when the post office closes, and our bounce box and an alleged care package from my sister were waiting there.  We booked it into Steamboat Springs along the highway and stopped at a bagel place to fill our bellies with something other than Clif Bars.  We ran into a couple of other riders that we hadn't seen since Lincoln, so that was good to see them.

This was the only picture we took today, and I have no idea what Nate's doing..

At the post office, the bounce box was there, so we resupplied and sent the box back to Milwaukee because we'll be ending our trip in the next few days in Estes Park, Colorado.  However, there was NO box from my sister, so I asked them to forward it to Estes.  I'm sure the brownies will be hard as rocks, but it doesn't matter.

The bikes need new chains, so we went to the Orange Peel bike shop to get that done.  The staff there was super friendly, and we're pretty convinced that Steamboat is the nicest tourist town that we've been to.  We stopped at their farmer's market and somehow scored a free baguette, so we made some tasty veggie sandwiches for lunch.  Oh yeah, we checked into a motel since the campground was outside of the town.  We stayed at the Western Lodge, which has gotten mixed reviews online (someone wrote that it smelled liked someone had died in their room the previous night...).  Our room was decent, and the guy who runs it is pretty ridiculous.  The prices are the most reasonable in town.

We then had a nice dinner at the Mahogany Brewery to end our busy day.  We asked where the best burgers are and this is where we were told to go.  Good food!

Future GDR Riders: The Orange Peel is a great bike shop and they really take care of their customers.

Day 29: Dell to Lima

Ride time: 59 minutes
Average:  9.9 mph
Distance:  9.8 mi

It was a nice, quick ride today, at a pace that I was calling "Nate's Leisurely Grandfather" pace.  We had to come to Lima to pick up our bounce box, and once we got here to the Mountain View RV Resort and Motel, we decided to get a room and call it a day instead of pressing on further.  The woman running the place was super nice, and considering that there aren't any other options for lodging in the town of Lima (pronounced LIE-ma, as in the bean, not the capital of Peru), we thought it was a good pick.

I went to the post office to pick up our bounce box, and I asked the postal lady if she would let me use the Priority Mail tape to tape the bottom of the new box that I would be sending.  All of the other post offices have let me do this, but this one was a no.  "We don't have that in our budget, but you can buy a roll of tape if you'd like."  Bummer.  Fortunately, back at Mountain View RV Park, there is a hiker/biker box with all sorts of discards in it, and there was a roll of packing tape!

It was a hot day, and I was a little irritated about the tape situation, so I stopped at the Exxon Station and there, shining from the cooler, was a Mountain Dew Throwback!!  I was so excited to find this that I called the 800 number on back and told them that I love their product and hope that it isn't just for a limited time only.  This is exactly what my can looked like:

Peace out, high fructose corn syrup!

Future GDR Riders: RV Park is a good bounce box site, great laundry prices ($1 a load to wash), and free Internet use.  Just check the hiker/biker box for tape!

Day 24: Basin to Butte

Ride time: 3:08
Average: 9.8 mph
Distance: 30.54 mi

I love bounce box days...  We had a package waiting for us at the post office here in Butte, and even though this is the 3rd time we've picked up a bounce box, I still get nervous standing in line hoping they they didn't return the box to Milwaukee.

Let's see, we awoke super early again (I'm loving getting up early), and our ride started out chilly!  We rode along Interstate-15 for most of the day, but followed "Unmaintained Cattle Access Trails" most of the way.  It's actually an old railroad bed, which made for a nice steady grade uphill.  The coolest part of the ride was going through Tunnel #9, a tunnel built in 1911.  It was super spooky:

Great Divide Route - Basin to Butte - Scary Tunnel #9 from Nathan Currier-Groh on Vimeo.

We got a room at the Days Inn in Butte, a bit of advice from some other GDR riders that we passed the other day headed south to north.  The Outdoorsman is a bike shop located next to the Days Inn, which all belong to the family members of Levi Leipheimer, currently on the Tour de France.  Anyway, Rob, the owner of the Outdoorsman, gives GDR riders a free drive train cleaning.  He's incredibly hospitable and generous.  Plus, you get a goodie bag when you stop in and visit (I won't spoil the surprise and reveal the contents...)

Happy 7th Birthday, Adrienne!!

Day 8: Baynes Lake to Eureka, MT

Ride time: 3:25

Average:  10.6 mph

Distance: 36.5 mi

We awoke to a very wet, dewy morning, but clear skies.  We biked out of the park and through the town of Baynes Lake.  We hopped onto Hwy 93 and had a whopping 8% grade down over the Elk River,  and of course, and equally vicious climb up the other side.  I actually enjoy those climbs, as long as they're not happening more than once a day.

We stopped at some podunk convenience store, whose owner had way too many signs posted (no garbage please, no dogs, hold handle down to flush, no loitering, etc.) for a snack before crossing.  We biked another 8 miles to the border at Roosville and had a vastly different crossing experience than we did a week ago--it took about 45 seconds for the 3 of us to cross.

Back to the U.S.A.

As we were heading into the town of Eureka, we met up with a bunch of other bikers doing the Northern Tier Route.  We got directions from a Eurekan on how to get to the post office and also gain access to the campground.  Nate and I had a bounce box waiting for us at the post office (a box that we shipped from Milwaukee to Eureka that had lots of resupply items in it: travel toothpaste, floss, Q-tips, vitamins, lotion, McCoy's book, spare tires, tools, etc.).  I was surprised at how excited I was to pick up the box of goodies, and I was also quite pleased with our nation's post office. :)  We also sent a 3 pound 6 ounce box of stuff home that we didn't need of books, clothes, and other things.

Next stop: finding the mysterious Eureka campground.  Turns out that we had to go to City Hall to pay $5 to camp, plus a $5 deposit for the key to the bathroom so that we could shower.  Upon our arrival, a farmer's market was being set up, so Nate and I bought some lemonade from 4-year old Hank, a gluten-free scone from a bakery, and Nate got a donut from an Amish family.  The photographer from the Tobacco Valley News was at the farmer's market and took our pictures, so be sure to check their site to see if we made it into their publication!

The day's events continue... we showered and then went to dinner at Jax Cafe in search of a good salad--veggies have been hard to come by on this trip.  Before we ordered, some old lady missed a step, fell, and smacked her head on the floor.  The ambulance came about 20 minutes later (must have been out on another call?).  We then stayed up quite late talking and laughing with Wes from California and Martin from Prague, Czech Republic, both of who were riding the Northern Tier.

Enjoying some laughs at Eureka City Park: Nate, Martin, and Wes

Future GDR riders: I would suggest laying over in Eureka, unlike the way that McCoy suggests in the book.  First of all, the town itself is pretty cool, and the camping experience in the town park is not to be missed.  Secondly, the ride to Tuchuck campground is difficult, and shaving off 10 miles (Roosville to Eureka) is quite helpful.