When we rode out of Aspen into Silt, the majority of it, was on a bike path which made for great riding. It was also downhill which made for a quick day, a number of riders were in before noon. Unfortunately, a few of the riders got caught up with some bike trouble just outside of Aspen. It made for a longer day than I had expected but honestly I spent the vast majority of the time napping which was nice. After I got in I showered and ate at the firehouse and then spent a little time exploring the town.
Our next day was a build day in Silt where we spent the day framing exterior walls and adding plywood sheathing to the exterior. We all had a great time being back at the build site after a couple of days off from Colorado Springs. After the build day, a group of us got together to go into the next town to see the premier of Harry Potter. We had a great time and I am glad that I got to be a part of it.
On our ride from Silt to Meeker I was assigned sweep, which means I have to be the last rider in. I had a much more enjoyable time this time doing sweep. A couple of riders ran into a gentleman, who was a hunting guide and let the girls in our group shoot guns. It was a ton of fun watching them. Even though I was sweep I still got into Meeker about 2:30. The host at Meeker had arranged for us to use the Rec Building in town for free. So, of course we did some swimming which was so fun. We also played a game of water basketball. It was Sierra, Tim and I versus Brad, Kara and Nathan. My team won, but really it was just about having a good time.
Yesterday was one of the more epic days of the trip. First, we had a 112 mile day, our third century ride of the trip. Second, we crossed into Utah. Last, we met up with the Central US route. I wanted to spend a good bit of time with the other trip so I pushed myself pretty hard in the morning but by mile 75 I had exhausted myself and had to take a break in Dinosaur, Colorado. I spent about an hour in the park when I noticed a group of Central riders so I chatted with them for a bit. I found out that Brandon Biggs, one of my friends and a leader on the route was about 10 miles back so I waited a while for him to come in and then rode into Utah with him. After we got in from the ride, showered and ate, Central came over and hung out with us for bit. Brandon and I renewed our food challenge and did a blended Happy Meal Challenge. It is exactly what it sound like, a McDonald's Happy Meal including the drink placed in a blender to create a Happy Meal milkshake. I am proud to say that I owned Brandon on that challenge. We also played a huge game of ninja and an epic game of slack jaw. All in all we had a great time with Central and am so thankful that we had that opportunity.
This morning we decided to meet Central halfway to do a morning huddle when we got their. Timur one of the leaders suggested that we do a two route chalk tribute for Christina and Paige. It turned out awesome (see picture below) and it was also a great bonding experience. We did a couple of chants and played All These Things That I Have Done, pretty much our theme song for Bike & Build. It made for an amazing morning. About to get back on the road, so take care and I'll update again soon.
-Jeremy
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