R&R&R in Dillon

Friday, August 11. Dillon, CO. Rest, Relaxation and Repair.

After a short trip from Dillon to Silverthorne, a welder at Cook's Welding confirmed our hope that my BOB trailer frame could be repaired. We were hoping to get a new bolt, to have a sleeve installed to reinforce the pipe,and the pipe cracks welded. What we got was the pipe welded together at the center connection. Not ideal, but I doubt that the welder had much experience fixing these kind of trailers.

So with that drama ended, we were able to turn our attention to enjoying the day in the mountains. The sun was out, but the air was still cool enough so that I wanted to feel the sun on my skin. Another beautiful day in the mountains.

While waiting in Silverthorne for the trailer, we found ourselves at a couple of nice outdoor gear stores. Both of these shops had a lot of great cycling items. Not surprising, since everyone around here is either on their bike or driving around with a bike tied to their car. Specifically, I was hoping that we'd find a new saddle for Matthew. His current one is failing fast, and I could just see a catastrophic failure in the middle of, say, Wyoming. Luck was with us--Mountain Sports not only measured his butt for a seat, but installed it and let him try it out on a trainer. It is so comfortable that he's already forgotten that he's riding a new saddle.

We also found replacement water bottles. We carry most of our water in our Camelback backpacks, but we have a couple of water bottles in cages on the bike, too. I'd noticed that the water in the bottles was starting to take on a plastic taste, so I was on the lookout for a Nalgene bottle. What we found was the best of both worlds--a Nalgene bottle with a Camelback sip-tube. The disintegrating plastic bottles were quickly replaced. A couple more Cliff Shot gels, a half-dozen Cliff bars, and a new pair of sunglasses for Matthew and we're all set. Matthew lost his last pair of sunglasses on the descent from Hoosier Pass. He'd stashed them on his head, threading the temples through his helmet's vents. As Becky noted, this is akin to leaving your travel mug on the roof of your car. This is his third pair for the trip--the first pair was left on the train in Philadelphia.

We even had time today for haircuts. Matthew's hair was already longer than I've ever seen it. He'd promised to let it grow out until we reached the end of the trip, but I could tell that it was uncomfortable for him. Every time he took off his helmet he'd ask "How's my hair?", so I was glad to see him shorn again.

We also shared ice cream with Becky and her boys, Kenny, Austin and Colin. They were passing through Dillon on their return to Lafayette. It was great to get to see them one more time.

We also spent a couple of hours tonight examining the remainder of our trip. It looks like we have about 1,700 miles left, which will bring our trip total to around 6,400. Since we'll be in the mountains for the next few weeks, we decided to scale back our daily mileage to try to enjoy the days. It looks like we'll be on the road another few weeks, with a planned arrival in Lincoln City on September 27.

That said, here's our last few mail stops: Rawlins, WY, zipcode 82301 West Yellowstone, zipcode 59758 Lolo, MT, zipcode 59847 Hood River, OR, zipcode 97031 Dried fruit and PayDay bars are most appreciated. If you send a care package, address it to Matthew Stovall, General Delivery, [city], [state], [zipcode]. Write on the package "Hold for Pickup". Thanks!