Beeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaar!

Ok ok, so yes, after hoping to see one for ages, and thinking I had probably missed the chance now that I'm only a couple of days ride from New Mexico (and grizzly country is a long way behind), I at last saw a bear. But I will get to that.

Out of Sargents we set off hoping to put a long day in, to get us a little closer to Del Norte so we could make it in two days rather than three, myself still with my terminally injured pannier rack.

Well the day to me just felt tough for some reason. Even though Marshall pass the day before had been a really long climb, the views had been so spectacular it didn't seem to count. Anyway the last part of the day was spent climbing Cochetopa pass, back up to over ten thousand feet again. Conversely and almost stupidly this was the easiest part of the day. Apart from the steep finish to the climb, at times I found myself going faster than at almost any other point that day, I cannot for the life of me explain why. Well not unless they put some kind of amphetamine in the energy sweets I had at the bottom.

Just before the top in an alley of the golden aspens that have come to represent Colorado for me, despite the little squeaky mouse that lives inside the bottom bracket of my bike (every time I turn the pedals he gives off a little squeak of indignation until I feed him some oil) we managed to creep up on a coyote stood with his back to us. When we got to within about twenty metres his ears swiveled around and I could see the look on his face wondering how we had managed to get so close without his noticing. Of course at that point he bolted off down the hill into the aspens. He had his revenge howling like a banshee in the middle of the night though!

By the top of the pass Maarten and I agreed that the long day plans were done for, as the next campsite was more than twenty miles away, and called it a day at fifty miles or so. We decided that we would try for the sixty miles plus to del Norte the next day.

So we pulled into Ludders Creek campsite. However we saw that all the pitches were full. We soon found out why. A group of friends have been meeting there every third weekend in September for the last 26 years. Anyway the 'sideways' crew invited us to their party and told us to put up our tents wherever we could find space.

We had a great night. They warned us that they were bunch of hippies, but what they were was Damn hospitable. They were a great group who knew how to have fun, and for two hungry bikers, the food they gave us, oh man! Green chili stew, pork ribs, pasta salad, some kind of potato and sausage casserole, elk brisket in gravy, peach pie, chocolate brownie....the list goes on. Maarten and I took a bag of chips (crisps) and a packet of wiggly worm candy (sweets) as our contribution. Ah well we didn't exactly have much else. But the food was so good and sure as hell beat freeze dried spaghetti with meat sauce or whatever I was supposed to be having. Sideways crew we salute you!

The next day (after a very generous breakfast being thrown into the bargain) we said our farewells and set off down the pass so that we could start climbing another, Carnero pass. Well what a pretty day it was with some lovely country, and interesting rock formations throughout the journey. The pass was one of the tougher climbs as well, and it felt good to conquer it and get to the top. Then it happened!

Coming down the other side Maarten pointed to the side of the trail. Slowing right down to a stop I saw a young baby black bear cub, undoubtedly one of this year's new borns snuffling around. We slowly started to back up being probably no more than twenty metres away again. The cub came out onto the side of the trail, covered in his dense furry fluff, looked at us and actually started to walk towards us, which freaked me out a bit as we had no idea where mum was. Maarten afterwards suggested that with my now supreme beard he probably mistook me for mum. Anyway he must have caught our scent because after a few yards he turned around and lolloped off with his furry self into the woods.

I can't tell you how excited and happy I was at this point, literally bouncing around and grinning from ear to ear. It was the realisation of a dream for the trip but also one from being a kid and idolising David Attenborough and watching wildlife on one religiously. We were still a little nervous of mum charging out of the bushes though, so decided to talk loudly for a few minutes to encourage her and cub to move away if they were just in the trees.

I wish I had got a photo now, but at the time, and with no idea where mother was, I had gone to reach for the camera, but had managed to tell myself that the correct thing to do was not to do anything threatening, back up slowly, and to have the bear spray handy if anything at all. Anyway he looked like some of these dudes, particularly the brown ones!

Well the rest of the day was pretty cool too but nothing could really match that, unless Maarten got mauled by a cougar or something (kidding Maarten!). After passing some incredible rock pillars and buttresses we arrived at the nowhereville of La Garita. The one stop shop, restaurant and gas station was shut. So we sat outside and ate bagels with chocolate spread (actually pretty good trail food, thanks to Colin for the tip) and some dried fruit from the lovely sideways people. We noticed the Wi-Fi for the shop was on though, so I checked my emails. The rack company are not sending my replacement until today, having not managed it on Saturday. This has kind of bummed me out. Having made it to del Norte first impressions of the town are not great, I think I would rather be back in the 'armpit of Wyoming'. And it looks like I'm going to have to spend a day and a half here at least.

The duct tape and zip ties combination on my rack has actually been amazing. I think I may have improved the design by adding a little bit of flex. However I don't trust it over a 150 miles into some isolated spots of New Mexico to the next post office on route where they could send the rack. Still despite all that I saw a bear!!!!

Photos: it's gross but we found the body of a huge squished snake out on the trail. I also had to slam on the brakes outside del Norte when a little baby rattler was lying on the two track trail right in front of me. We also found the mother load when it comes to my obsession with used ammunition lying around. And we saw a sign for the route, but it's a bit of a con as its a detour round the airport (a strip of grass with a few huts) in del Norte, that seems to take forever. Maybe a divide rider got their head chopped off by a plane or something though!