Dave was very nice and invited me to come over to his house where I met his roommates Irvin and Katy. I called Phil to let him know where I was and he asked, "is it warm?" I said,"yeah and you can take a shower!" so despite the excitement of the bike race he had stumbled upon he rode back eight miles to stay as well.
We spent a hilarious evening of trying to do an almost impossible puzzle of a goat in a boat. Katy had gathered supplies of Dale's pale ale and firewood. We had a roaring fire and pizza procured by Irvin and all were content. Dave manages the SkiHaus right by the lift in Vail Village. Irvin and Katy are both school teachers. Flying Peekaboo is a French Berger Picard and the smartest little dog.
In the morning Phil got a late start but cycled off to cross the pass. I had decided my aching knees needed more rest so I only rode the eight miles to Vail before wimping out. I parked my bike in the Ski Haus and wandered around the fancy ski village in the off season. When Dave closed up shop we got on the bus and formulated a dinner plan and bought groceries.
I cooked twice baked potatoes and grilled asparagus while Dave cooked salmon on Cedar planks. Irvin and Katy were very excited about dinner and it turned out beautifully gourmet. It was fun to cook in a real kitchen again, and the least I could do for my hosts that let me stay two nights.
The yesterday started out lazily with some coffee and a walk with Peekaboo and Dave. The Eagle river is beautiful this time of year with the changing leaves of the aspens. It was perfect timing and the right stranger to holler at for directions, as Dave took very good care of me. I am blessed with being able to recognize the good and kind people. I have great faith in a benevolent universe and am incredibly grateful for it.
We rode the bus back to Vail and retrieved my bike and I rode a couple miles to a good hitchhiking spot. I set my bike up on the kickstand and started eating an apple, two bites in a guy stopped. He was only going to Frisco so I thanked him for the offer and decided to wait some more. I continued eating the apple, half way through the apple I started to regret not taking the ride and then I was trying to figure out what to do with the core when Zach stopped. We loaded my bike in his suburban and zoomed off over the continental divide and through Eisenhower tunnel.
He was a nice guy to talk to, and very encouraging. He said he had showed up to Steamboat Springs with five bucks in his pocket, a steadfast will and faith... And now he was on his way to Denver to buy himself a white leather couch. All hope is not lost. Haha.
He dropped me off right downtown, avoiding what he considered ghetto. I rode three miles to my friend Nick's (aka kickstand) house. Yesterday was the least amount of riding I have done since the dead of winter, and my knees still hurt, especially the left one that's all scarred up.
I knocked on the door, not thinking anyone was home then got my dinner out that Dave had sent with me. I was cutting sharp cheddar, paired with basil picked out of Nick's yard on triscuits. Mark, the roommate came out and I spun around with a "Hi! How are you!?" and he looked very scared, and then I realized I was holding my knife. I quickly explained I was eating dinner, and he was even more confused. Nick had forgotten to tell his roommate a girl and a bike were showing up.
Eventually after calling Nick to assuage his fears I wasn't a criminal that was going to steal the flat screen with my cargo bike he let me in. I hung out with Nick's nice old dog Nesta till he came home. I quickly made up some chicken and fresh vegetable burritos for us. Nick knows I can cook and has a plan for me to make a huge amount of pesto to be frozen from his basil patch to earn my keep. All the sudden I am cooking a lot again!
After dinner we went for a walk and ran into Molly the manic but fun neighbor who took us to a house party hosted by an artist named Patrick. I enjoyed the jam session they had going on with guitars, drums and a mandolin.
Today, I woke up to the smell of the French toast Nick was making. I had an amazing morning of lazing around by myself on the couch and rode over to the studio 6 coffee house. The coffee house has been open for only two days and I happily chatted with the owners and their daughter.
The coffee house is in a perfect location, it opens into an inner courtyard surrounded by a warren of artist's studios. I have talked to a lot of interesting artists and seen some very cool art just sitting here.
Now I have to go find Phil and figure out what we are going to do tonight. Go hangout outside the Presidential Debate? Or just watch it on tv? Hmmm. I think I know what Phil wants to do, and I will go with him. It is pretty funny to me but I was refreshed to be away from Phil for two days and now on the third I miss him terribly. I wish I don't have to ride alone the rest of the way to Texas.
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