56 miles to Granby. We are now in the Arapaho National Forest in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Because of the forecast for more wind moving against us today we decided to get an early start. We met some fellow cyclists for breakfast at 6am and were on the road by 7am. We had 32 miles to get to the top of our climb today but it went better than we expected. We stopped at mile 22 in the town of Rand for a break with water and snacks. The "town" of Rand only had 4 or 5 houses but somehow had a store selling gifts and home decor. I can't imagine how they make it. From there it was another 10 miles to the top of our climb, crossing the Continental Divide again, this time at an elevation of 9683 feet. On the way up to the top, the hills were covered with Aspen trees, evergreens, and flowering meadows. The way down the other side of the divide was a different story. Last year there was a terrible fire here and we passed through 15 miles (at least) of fire destroyed forest. It was quite a site to see all the destruction. Now with no vegetation on the hillsides there is a great risk of mudslides with every rainstorm. In fact, the road we were on was closed a few days prior because of a mudslide.
We had a good dinner tonight which included a lot of carbs - preparing for our biggest climb tomorrow.
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