The Last Supper

Today was such a great day for the tribe! Up early for a day of r&r for some, riding for some, river rafting for some! The weather is gorgeous, going to be hot!

After a breakfast of sausage and mushroom scramble & hash browns, the tribe went in their separate directions. The mood was relaxed and jovial. No agenda! Gotta love it! Well, except for one fine gentleman. Jack was hanging out by the dish wash station and overheard this man's plans for the day: "I am going to find the biggest, greasiest cheeseburger there is to find!". He proceeded to describe some of the best burgers that he has ever eaten. When he turned around and saw Jack he looked a little sheepish and said, "no offense! The food has been great!". Maybe a little TOO healthy for some!.

Isabel offered to camp sit for us. Jack and I got to ride the route the tribe is taking tomorrow. What a great ride! Almost all on trail, a gradual 1-2% grade up toward Aspen. When the trail peeled off to the left at Carbondale we found ourselves riding along a beautiful river for miles and miles. We stopped at mile marker 21 for a granola bar and were immediately swarmed by hordes of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are another topic for a whole blog. We jumped back on the bikes and headed back toward camp. In Carbondale we left the trail to explore the town. HOW CUTE! It is a must see if you are in the area. We found the Village Smithy Restaurant that is extremely bike friendly, (they have a tire pump out front for those who need one! TOM?????)

We ordered a late breakfast and were surprised to be joined by Suzanne, the massage therapist that Spike arranged for the two day layover, and her partner. The food was great, (grilled veggie salad for me, heuvos rancheros for Jack). A must do when you are in Carbondale.

Jack and I took advantage of the downhill from there and hauled back to camp. About 8 miles from the jump off on the trail we passed our luggage guy, Tom. He was pulled off with a flat. We hollered to him and kept on riding. Jack asked me if we should stop, and I almost said no: he's experienced and of course has tubes and a pump: but I said, sure, let's check on him..No tube....No pump...8 foot elk fences along the trail: no hitch hiking back to camp! Glad we stopped.

We got back to camp and started dinner. I had to do a twist on the peanut yam tofu. I was out of tofu! No tofu for you, veggie people! So the menu for the last supper was:

Spicy Asian noodle salad: peanut yam sauce w/ fresh spinach: curried chicken & vegetables: basmati rice. I was really surprised how well everyone liked the curries! Another hit to add to the collection.

After dinner Bill had the award ceremony: oldest rider, repeat lady rider over 70: youngest rider, Tom's son at 15. Good job all! Then the tribe headed to the hot springs for a good soak. We cleaned up and are getting ready to head home. 6 weeks on the road is a long time away from home. I can't wait to hug my Ruby Dew!