Day 34

I got to see trees again! In about a 1/2 mile from campsite I got to ride through "Aspen Alley." So that was a pretty cool start to the day. Then I got to go down the mountain and into Colorful Colorado. On the way down I got a cattle trucker to blow his horn for me, I had a great scenic overlook, and I passed about 20 antique tractors and every single one of the drivers waved at me. I took a picture of the tractors and then I saw one of the drivers take a picture of me. I guess we are all tourists depending on your perspective. So it was a pretty good start to the day. It turned out to be a long slow climb up the mountain. I finally got to the top and again had some great view and even some wildflowers. I thought about wilderness camping again, but my map said there was a campground at Steamboat Lake. It was another 8 miles and downhill, so it wasn't too bad of a ride. But then I got there and the campground was full. Usually, that isn't a problem because I'm on a bike and don't take up too much space, but the campground host wasn't having it. As I was trying to convince him to let me use the spot next to him that was empty, but apparently reserved for the Park Ranger, some people came up and said to come pitch my tent at their campsite. They turned out to be the nicest people I have met yet. They fed me a huge supper. Pork tenderloin, rice, potato salad, salad, wine, beer, brownies, and smores. It was veritable feast. They also said I could go water skiing with them in the morning.