Great Divide (NOBO) - Off Day in Steamboat Springs

June 12, 2022
Off Day in Steamboat Springs

I slept incredibly well in room 211 of the Nordic Lodge in Steamboat Springs. Today was an off day and I tried to sleep in, to no avail. I had a mad hankering for orange juice so I rode over to the gas station for three small bottles. After some noodling around on my iPad I walked over to the Creekside cafe, which had a long line of customers waiting for a table. It was Sunday morning. I agreed to sit at the bar, and was shown right in. I had the Eggs Benedict with incredible green chili grits, along with two more glasses of orange juice and a cappuccino.

Next I walked over to the rafting place and was stoked. I adored our guide, and warmed up to the others in my raft. The trip was about an hour with a few class three rapids, and some nice holes that got me soaked. I sat in the front left position. There were locals in the raft with me, and I learned more about the area. The ranches get over six feet of snow in the winter, and real estate prices have soared since COVID.

After the rafting trip I still needed to finish yesterday’s report, so I walked back over to Mountain Tap Brewery where I enjoyed two more Current IPA’s. I got the  report edited and posted. Next I walked over to the Alpine slide. It was weird being on a ski lift without snow or skis. The people ahead of me had never been on a lift, and the operator had to slow it down for them and explain about lowering and raising the bar. At the top of the hill, I asked for a huge space between myself and these people. I planned to bomb down the hill, and I didn’t want to have to brake. It was fun, but bumpy. I only needed to do it once.

As soon as I got back to the hotel, Sam and Scarlet had pulled in. This was the fourth bike tour that Sam and I had met up. Sam was an old college friend, and I visited him in Minnesota on the Northern Tier, my 2020 Covid Cross, and I even saw him and Scarlet last summer in Denver before I started the Western Express. He and Scarlet were in Colorado for a Jack White show, and he had urged me to take an off-day in Steamboat.

After a few margaritas in the room, we went over to Steamboat Whiskey Company for some special cocktails. We then went to Sunpie's Bistro alongside the Yampa where we ordered drinks and shrimp. We then got in Sam’s rental car and drove to Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs, which was the nicest hot springs I'd ever been to. It was a fifteen minute drive out of town on a dirt road. My friends couldn’t believe that I was cycling on these types of roads. The two-hour slots had been booked in advance, and there were several different pools with varying temperatures. We stayed in the warmest one, and did rapid sprints across the freezing river.

For dinner we went to Laundry, which would rival the quality of the finest restaurant in Brooklyn. It was amazing, and by far my best meal on this tour.

Nordic Lodge room 211 in Steamboat Springs, CO

Rafting on the Yampa

Me, Scarlett, and Sam at Steamboat Whiskey Company

Sam and I soaking at Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs

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