Colorado BDR 2023 - Day 4 | Overheating Bike & Waterfall Camp
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Woke up early, packed out and hit the trail by 8am. One protein bar each and some electrolytes to sustain us.
We headed for Buena vista, about an hour and a half ride from camp. Coffee was the first mission, and we fulfilled our caffeine cravings at an upscale shop called Midland. Spent some time sorting photos, journaling trip details, and making our grocery shopping list.
A quick stop for our food items, fuel, and a bottle of engine oil let out requirements for our stop in town.
Is that water or cow urine?
Another protein bar and we got back on the route. We took paved roads over cottonwood pass, a scenic two lane highway of amazing switch backs. Once back on dirt, we had our biggest water crossing yet. Rode through a bit fast and ended up more wet than expected! Cows grazing around us and in the stream we crossed left us wondering about the liquid we’d just covered ourselves in.
Some water must’ve shorted a circuit on the KTM that Josh is riding. By the time we got to the top of Cumberland pass the bike was almost overheating. We sat for 15 minutes and enjoyed the view while the bike cooled. Our decent into the town of Pitkin was uneventful and incredibly scenic. Ice cream, water and some Pitkin branded shirts were acquired.
More bike trouble for Josh
Within 15 minutes of leaving town and heading up the mountain the KTM was overheating again. We broke out the tool kit and started looking for issues. A blow fuse was one of the issues, or perhaps a symptom, but for now that got us back on the road with no more overheating.
The landscape changed from mountainous to hill country. We rode miles of wide flowing gravel roads, passing picturesque ranches and villages.
Waterfall camp
Our destination for the day was a secluded camp site nestled below a lake with a waterfall and flowing streams surrounding our little peninsula of a campsite.
Some soap and a few minutes under the natural shower of the waterfall were incredibly refreshing. Dinner was a mixture of potatoes, onions and sausage which we seasoned and wrapped in foil to be cooked on hot coals. Maybe it was the setting, or our appetite from the day’s adventures, but the food tasted incredible.
We sat under a clear sky full of stars and listed to the sounds of our camp fire and the waterfall nearby.
What a rewarding hobby this is. I wish I could bring every friend of mine on an adventure like this.
