#6-We're in the Mountains!

Saturday & Sunday, August 22 & 23

After a good breakfast Saturday morning, the ride from Sterling to Laporte was uneventful, yet another windy experience. 'Hang on to your helmet' type of ride. We stopped for gas at a little town along the way and I asked a guy there pumping gas if it was always so windy. He said no, he didn't know where all this wind came from!  I sheepishly told him that I thought we might have brought it with us from Iowa. 

We got to the KOA in Laporte, just a bit north of Fort Collins, mid afternoon and are thrilled. We have a really nice site, under the trees, across from the pool, facing the mountains, 35 miles from Rocky Mountain National Park, and close to several other rides we want to take. We bought a book before we left home called, "Motorcycling Colorado" that describes the rides in any given area, maps them out, and tells you just about everything you need to know. How many miles for the ride, what you will see, typical traffic, gas, food, etc. It has already proven itself invaluable.  

After settling in and later that afternoon, we looked at each other and said, "Let's go for a ride!" and off we went! We picked a nice short one close to home base called Red Feather Lakes. It was a beautiful ride about an hour before sunset. Saw a couple of mule deer but that was about it. Rick built a nice campfire at dusk and it wasn't long before the day was done. 

Like two years ago, we're meeting really nice people along our journey. The camper still attracts attention and there are always lots of questions. 

Late Sunday morning we took off for a longer ride called the Cache La Poudre. (Hidden powder) It's name has something to do with French trappers in the 1820s stashing their gun powder along the shore of the river during a terrible snowstorm. The ride followed the river through the mountains and canyons and it was just a beautiful day.