Day 44 Jun 30: Hot Sulphur Springs CO to Six Mile Gap Campground WY

 

 Woke up at Pioneer Park campground at Hot Sulfur Springs rested but everything was wet from the night before. Torrential late afternoon thundershowers with lightning right near us and buckets of rain had rolled through while we were hanging out at the hot springs resort lounge area the previous evening. It was one of those things where you think all the angry gods in heaven are having bowling league. Bill and I had left some of the tent fly zips open and Bill’s sleeping bag and some of our other things had gotten wet. Packing up a wet tent and damp everything is no fun. Rolled out at 6:10am and stopped by Jaz’s motel to use his bathroom and let him know our plans which was to get to Walden CO 65 miles away with a big pass to get up and over. In the end we wound up pushing on to just past the Wyoming border to Six Mile Gap CG for a 89 mile day. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Out of Hot Sulfur Springs we went up CO-125 due north through Willow Creek Pass. We had been a little nervous about the status of the road because Google Maps said it was closed. Bill did some research by calling the Sheriff who said that the road had recently reopened.

The problem with that whole canyon was that a huge wildfire had come through there in 2020 and deforested it and now there are a bunch of mudslides all up and down the highway. As we rode along we observed this firsthand. What a mess. But Colorado DOT has a lot of heavy machinery up there and are doing a diligent job keeping the road clear. Regrowth had allowed for an explosion of various wildflowers, so all in all it was a pretty climb. But oy, the rain.

Ramen is Rife

A constant heavy drizzle that finally let up at the summit. By the time we crested I was soaked, shivering and uncomfortable. Then we heard our names yelled out and we found Eric and Leisa taking a break at a pull out cooking a batch of hot ramen. Genius! We made a batch for ourselves and that really took the chill off. Rode a screaming, endless downhill past the town of Rand and by then, the temps were warmer, we were dry and miles of lovely, flat-ish ribbon of road lay ahead of us with a gentle tailwind. Just goes to show you, never give up because just around the corner it can be completely different and better. Pulled into the town of Walden and lo, first business on the left is a coin-op laundromat. We tumbled our wet things in a dryer and air-dried our tents on a fence. All better!

Jaz at River Rock Cafe

Then onward to lunch at River Rock Cafe which was super yummy. Eric and Jaz had a huge, decadent open faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes all drowning in gravy…no veg. We had thought we would end in Walden, but as Bill said, a great tailwind is a bad thing to waste. 

So we pushed north another 25 miles. There were pronghorn antelope, coyotes, foxes, a bald eagle and even a sighting of an adolescent black bear bounding in a field about 25 yards away. We crossed into Wyoming to Six Mile Gap campground. Arriving right about the same time was an elderly couple in a gorgeous Travato motorvan. Tom the Dutchman yelled over to us that he was jealous and impressed with our biking adventure. He was drinking a Coors so I boldly asked him if he had some for us. Of course he did! But it was warm, not refrigerated. Leisa prickled at the idea of warm beer to which I said that we have proven time and again that we are capable of going to new lows and enjoying the results, which we did. As we sat around drinking our drinks and congratulating ourselves on a big day, we noticed a few raindrops and a wall of dark approaching. We dashed to set up tents and cover our gear and barely took cover when all hell broke loose. Lightning and thunder where you count 1-1000, then kaboom thunder! Flash flood grade rain pouring down. This went on for about an hour. As Bill and I sat in our tent the wind was blowing so hard that it pressed the tent supports flat on us. And then just like that, it was over and we were treated to a beautiful sunset and the floor of our tent wash a big gully wash. What a day.