The Scenic Route: Gypsum to Steamboat

As we pushed off from the top of Rabbit Ears Pass this morning, I thought about all the beautiful places we've seen in the last few days. We left off in Gypsum. From there we proceeded up the more desolate road to Wolcott. Of course we had a little fun along the way.

Somewhere between Wolcott and State bridge, we made the impulsive decision to tag Steamboat. So we rode as far and as hard as we could to get lots of miles under our belts. Out in the middle of nowhere, we stopped for water at a ranch and made a new friend named Matt. We were hoping that a place like that would serve us some BBQ but sadly they weren't cooking that night. So Matt sent us on our way with a box of granola bars to help get us over the big hills.

I decided to name the nameless slog of a pass that followed '20 granola bars and no BBQ pass.'

We found a sweet spot to camp outside of a little town called McCoy just before the sun went down.

The next morning we got up super early and were on the road by 7. We all felt a bit foggy but we were so determined to get to Winona's in Steamboat for a cinnamon roll.

At around 12, we rolled into Steamboat and indulged.

After lunch, we all felt so tired that we decided our only option was to take a float trip down the Yampa.

Refreshed and clean after bathing in the river, we stopped at the store for dinner and snacks. We are quite a spectacle in front of grocery stores.

From there we began the long slog up Rabbit Ears Pass. I find that bike touring gives you a lot of time to really sit with the thoughts in your head. Rabbit Ears Pass was no exception.

Thankfully the pass did not claim our lives as it did this poor soul. We had a nice little celebration at the top and found ourselves a lovely camp spot amidst the amazing wildflowers.