We left Durango after a quick visit to Fort Lewis College, where Dave spent his first two years of college and had an enormous amount of fun. We headed north, aiming for the Orient Land Trust Valley View Hot Springs, just north of Saguache and Alamosa. Sarah and Brian had highly recommended them, and we could quickly see why. The springs are located in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with a view of the San Luis Valley below. Friday night we enjoyed a long sauna, a swim in the pool and then a soak in the hot tub while it lightly sprinkled rain. Saturday morning we went for a bike ride down the dirt road and a jeep trail, which became steep and loose and I took my hardest spill yet on my bike. With a very sore bum, I rode slowly back to the beckoning hot springs and Dave went on for a longer, harder ride. He must have really jammed, because he arrived back only about ten or twenty minutes after I did.

This time we hiked up a bit to the natural pools on the hillside, which are filled by and drain back into rushing streams headed for the valley below. I soaked out some of the soreness of the fall and soon we felt ready to pack up and get back on the road.

We drove a few hours through stunning mountains, climbing one pass after another until we finally arrived in Golden to stay with Dave’s parents, Richard and Jan. We visited a bit, learning that Dave’s nephew Blaise was waiting here ALL AFTERNOON for him to arrive. We got to see him (and Dave’s brother Eric and his wife Jen) Sunday morning after Blaise’s swim meet. It was fun to meet Dave’s family and watch him play with Blaise.

Now Dave is working on his presentation and classes for this weekend’s Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. I’m working on back end details of the website and we’re chatting with Dave’s parents about our drive north to the starting point of the Great Divide trail.

We hope to be on the trail around the first of August. In the mean time, there’s Dave’s trip to Michigan for the symposium, and my visit to see my family in Yakima, some work to be done on the bikes, some packing, and a test ride or two. Stay tuned…