Zero day with my new friends from Venezuela!

Day 72

Date: 12.07.2022

CDT Mile: Mile 1'437.8.5

Miles hiked: 0 miles / 0 km

Camping at: KOA, Steamboat Springs

I had a wonderful night in a bed inside the Cabin and woke up shortly after 8am. There are many decisions to be made now. Shall I stay or shall I get back on trail? Ducky and Vista are getting back on trail today, however only later. Their plan is to hike 10 miles today, off which I already hiked 3 or 4 miles. I check the hiking app and we agree on a camp site for the day after. Well that's sorted then and I can stay the day here today. I will have to hike some bigger miles to make it to Encampment by Friday night, in order to get to the Post office Saturday morning (Post Office only opens from 8.30am to 9.00am on Saturday and is closed on Sunday). But that should be ok, as we have left the high mountain's and will not have as much of climbing ahead of us, as we did lately.

So my decision is made, I am gonna stay here the day! I am totally excited but also a little nervous. I don't really know the group that well yet and how if I don't manage to keep up with them biking? We get up, Adriana makes me breakfast - the best scrambled eggs with cheese and left over meat from yesterday I have had so far in the US! Thanks a million! - and thereafter we drive to the bike rental place, to get me and Negroni😁 a bike and helmet. I am not allowed to pay for anything, which makes me feel a little akward. I know renting a bike for a day ain't cheap and we hardly know each other. Accepting this totally unexpected generosity isn't that easy first. It was my decision to join. Being invited to join the group for biking already is more than I expected. And I have nothing but my hiking clothes🙈 Peggy has some extra biking gloves and sun screen and Negroni an extra water bottle for the bike. Only bike pants I didn't have and also can't rent. Well then let's go! I have an amazing cool bike, I have never had such a good bike before. And then we start biking up the mountain. Single trails, over big rocks, dirt and roots. First, I was a little scared but after 15 minutes I learned better how to do it and became more confident. I was still scared if rocks were very big and/or the trail became very steep (so it doesn't lift your front wheel) and had to get off my bike once or twice. But I love it. Adrenaline pur! And something new. I do bike at home but normally on streets or easy hiking trails. However, nothing like this! We have definitely not picked the beginners route🤣 However, my legs are doing very well. I can feel now how strong they are (on trail I still always have the feeling they are not that strong yet!). Also the downhill is a blast. Again, it takes me a couple of minutes to get confident and feel the bike, but then I am totally lovin'it! What a fantastic experience, thank you soooo much guys! We did around 12 miles and quite some hight meters, before we return the bikes and cool off at the river at our Campground. As I am always wearing the same clothes, they are now washed again after the swim in the river🤣👍 after resupplying in town, having Negroni as my private driver (yes, I am being totally spoiled here!), we left for the famous strawberry hot spring's at 5.30pm. You need a reservation and Adriana added me to their booking! My underwear will have to serve as my bikini, but no one seems to care. The hot springs are a little out of town and beautiful. There are several different pools with different temperatures, from very cold (the river), to very hot (closest to the hot water spring) and all outside. We enjoy the hot springs till our skins are super wrinkly and we (or mainly I) get hungry.

We return to the cabin and cook amazing dinner! Flanksteak, sausage and pork with salad. I ate sooo much, I simply couldn't stop because it was so delicious! We enjoyed the rest of the night at the bonfire with the full moon, until very late. It was an absolutely amazing day and I can hardly believe my luck, meeting so wonderful people! Thank you all so much, it means a lot to me!

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