51 miles, 4:52/7:00

Today is a very hard day for me. Funny how one day I feel super strong, and the next I’m worn out by mile ten. But that’s just the way it is, and I want to ride this trail so I keep going. Dave is always very encouraging. Calls me Chief Strong Butt whenever I get to the top of a pass. I wonder if he minds me saying that. Huh. Anyway, he’s chipper and gets me smiling and sometimes even chuckling even when I feel my worst. But he does this thing where he takes pictures of me when I’m feeling crappy. I’m not sure if he realizes this, but a good portion of the pictures he takes of me, coming up a hill usually, are when I’m really having a hard time. I think every time I say, out loud but also out of hearing distance, “Oh no.” every single time. I’m just now getting this. Must be his way of helping me buck up, because I don’t want to look like I feel in these pictures so of course I smile and sit up a wee bit. I think he must be pretty smart.

We get town and do our grocery shopping at a health food store. We spend way more than usual but everything is so SO good I want to tear into it right away. Have you ever had whole dried bananas? Think not of those nasty hard banana chips you see in colorful plastic bags in the regular store. These are soft and, ohmygosh, so super yummy. We get all kinds of these treats for lunches mostly.

After shopping we find the RV campground and find a good spot. I set up camp while Dave starts dinner. Just then a couple rides in on their bikes and stops at the spot next to us. It’s Kerry and Dee Jay, retired teachers from B.C. whom we actually heard about on our very first day on the Great Divide Route from riders going the opposite way. We spend time chatting about the Divid, our gear, food, more food. They’re very friendly and cheerful and even share some Whitewall cookies with us. They taste like Oreos used to back in the day. Then Dave rushes off to do laundry while I get a shower and put stuff away. We sleep well because it’s a very quiet spot for a campground in town.