Higher and higher

     A short ride from Hot Sulphur Springs (43 miles) brought me to the Green Mountain Resevoir just past Heeney.  What a site, surrounding mountains with a huge beautiful lake in the middle. Rather than push on for Silverthorne, I found this iydillic camp site on right on the Resevoir.  The site had a small number of campers, quietude and a place to soak my feet.  No running water but a neighboring camper replenished my dwindling supply. 

        7:40 am I clipped the shoes to the pedals and headed south.  Nearing Silverthorne, I picked up a bike path that took me all the way to Breckinridge, a welcome reprieve from the cars.  The path was loaded with bikers and it appeared I was the only long distance rider. The path took me through Silverthorne, Frisco and into Breckinridge.  All three towns were gentrified to the max, upscale everything, virtually no fast food chains and not a soul who looked less than middle class.  All the houses are brown, homogenous, tastefully done but pretty dull.  My warmershowers accommodation is an apartment smack in the middle of Breckinridge.  Dave Dean, the renter, his eccentric brother, Abel and I dined at the local brewery, great IPAs. Very smart guys, well versed in the classic reads and very computer savy. Dave's robotic vacuum cleaner was hilarious roaming around the room periodically bouncing off me.

       Breckinridge is one giant tourist Mecca, making Mystic look like an undiscovered backwater town. It is at 9600 feet with huge snow covered mountains in your face, very impressive.

        Tomorrow I make the ten mile climb from 9600 feet to 11,500 feet; slow and steady, loads of water, numerous stops.  After this point the Transamerica route is all downhill. Thank god for small favors. I need to go out an buy on oxygen supply before the stores close.