Day 21 - May 11

I had 17 miles to go from my campsite to get to Cameron Pass - the top of the mountain range between Fort Collins and Walden.  Fort Collins altitude is roughly 5000 ft.  My campspot was about 8500 ft - earned gradually over 50 miles during Day 20.  Cameron Pass was at 10,276 ft so I had some climbing to do early in the day.  It took longer than I expected but the scenery was spectacular.  I started running into snow on the ground around 9,000 ft.  The roads were fine.  The wind was blowing but not as bad as the day before.  I took the summit at 12:15 after 3 hours of riding.  After a short break for photos and a snack - I started sailing downhill.  I quickly realized how cold it was.  I stopped to put on pants and a jacket for the swift decent down the backside of the mountain.  I had about 30 miles further to get to Walden.  From the map, Walden looked like a pretty good size town - and I had my tastebuds set on a real meal.  After 2 meals of Ramen and tuna the previous day - a diner or cafe sounded pretty good to me.  I rolled in Walden about 3:00pm - quickly found the one cafe that was open - The River Rock Cafe and settled into my booth for a club sandwich and chocolate milk.  Yum!  I'd only covered 50 miles today by the time I rolled in Walden - but the wind and hills and altitude had taken it out of me pretty good.  Climbing hills at 10,000 feet really tests your lungs.  The lack of oxygen at that altitude was noticable and I had a loopy, lightheaded feeling.   Fortunately, I got over the pass.  Walden is a typical, small Western town in the middle of nowhere.  It has your basic amenities - grocery store, cafe, hardware store, ranch supplies, etc.  This one even has a fly fishing shop due to the proximity to some excellent trout streams.  Walden claims to be the Moose Spotting Capital of Colorado.  I didn't see any real moose - but every sign in Walden had a picture of a moose.  I figured that would have to do.  I'm heading on.  I hope to get another 25 miles up the road by dinnertime.   The terrain looks flat and if the wind doesn't rear his ugly head - I should be able to find a moderate pace and roll into campsite by 7:00.  These parts of Colorado and Wyoming are very thinly populated - so it may be a few days before I find another library.  I'll fill you in when I get to another computer.