Enjoying the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains...

Day 191
9-14-2006
Started: Cripple Creek, CO
Finished: Outside Guffey, CO
Today's Miles: 22.0
Total Miles: 2650.5

There's no better way to start your day than by being woken by the sounds of cock-a-doodle-doo. Dick Bratton was our alarm clock this morning and enjoyed waking us as he mimicked the sounds of a rooster. We always manage to get a slow start when we are in a warm comfortable bed, and this morning was no different. Dick greeted us with with coffee and juice and even helped us pack up a box of gear that he offered to mail home for us. On our way back to Cripple Creek we stopped in to a local grocery store so we could resupply our food bag and also made a quick stop at Burger King for a couple of breakfast sandwiches. After saying goodbye to Dick in Cripple Creek, we set out on the road for what turned out to be a beautiful day of hiking. We spent most of the early afternoon with our full rain gear on as we walked in and out of many passing storms. The windy road that led us out of Cripple Creek and eventually to Evergreen Station, meandered through the valley between beautiful rocky mountains. We stopped for a quick restroom and Gatorade break at the Evergreen Station, a charming convenience store, where we met a couple of local guys who offered us some great knowledge about the area. They even took the time to look at our maps and pointed out several great spots that we were sure not to miss as we made our way west. They reassured us that it was a great time to be hiking through Colorado and only wished that they could join us themselves. We also had the pleasure of meeting Dusty at the Evergreen Station. Once a traveler himself, after hearing about our journey offered us a place to stay for the night. He told us where he lived and that he would check in on us on his way home. We left the Evergreen Station feeling so happy that we met a couple of great local folks, who reassured us that the best part of our journey was still to come in the mountains of Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. The rest of the afternoon we followed little traveled mountain roads that made us feel completely engulfed in the mountains. We are really enjoying the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains and could really see ourselves living amongst them someday. As the sun was getting lower in the sky we began to discuss what our options may be for finding a campsite for the night. It seems that no matter how many days we have spent outside that figuring out where we will sleep is always the most stressful part of our day, especially for Sheri. Our friend Dusty form the Evergreen Station came back to check on us earlier in the day, but we decided to take advantage of a couple more hours of daylight and continued hiking. It wasn't long after we started our discussion of where to sleep when a woman in a silver truck stopped to ask us where we were hiking from. Her name was Karen and she was on her way home from work. After telling her a little bit about our journey, she told us of a good spot to pitch our tent that was about three miles away. She also shared with us that she had biked the Bicentennial Trail in 1976 from The Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. Before driving away she asked us if we needed anything, wanted her to be in contact with anyone for us, and even gave us a tasty apple. We were very appreciative of the local advice for a campsite and thought we were planning to make our way there. However, not long after Karen drove off, she was back to offer us even more "trail magic". She offered to pick us up at the end of our day and drive us back to her house for the night. We accepted her very kind offer and after about another hour of hiking were in Karen's truck headed back to her house for the night. Karen and her roommate Patty live in a beautiful log cabin that they built together from the bottom up. Karen owns her own solar heating business and is very much concerned about her impact on the environment. Their log cabin is made of recycled materials, and is "off the grid" powered by solar energy. Their home is absolutely beautiful and has the most stunning views of the mountainside. We enjoyed spending the evening with Karen, and are so happy we had the chance to meet such a kind hearted sole. We are camped out tonight in Karen and Patty's fifth wheel and are enjoying the warmth of the indoors. We can't thank Karen enough for for her kindness and look forward to talking to her more in the morning.

Your Friends on the ADT,
Randy and Sheri
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