July 14, 2025

Limon to Frisco, CO

Got up at 5 AM EST this morning and had breakfast, folded clothes that were hand-washed last night, and sifted through all the crap I’ve dragged from Georgia. Note to self: learn to pack lighter.

Next up was finalizing a strategy for where to camp this week. I’d done some research beforehand using Claude.AI to identify spots in Colorado to camp. The requirements were:

1. Must have a good library as I’ll be working remotely 3 days this week
2. Should be near dispersed or first-come, first-serve campsites
3. Should be near the mountains (in Colorado, that has to be prioritized!)
4. Is not so popular as to be overrun with tourists

Where to?

I’d originally thought Steamboat Springs would be good. I loved the area by Buena Vista that I’d stayed at last trip – but their library was closed for renovations and I wanted to do something different. I ended up targeting the town of Silverthorne, which seemed central to lots of good riding, was near I-70 for my retrieval of Aaron in Denver Friday, and had a good library and appealing downtown.

I geared up and left the Limon, CO hotel for Silverthorne by way of Castle Rock. Forecast looks clear for the week. I left a five-dollar tip for the rundown hotel person who’s going to clean this room – thinking of my two girls cleaning hotel rooms this summer in Yellowstone. What a discouraging job that must be.

What a treat to finally get off the freeway.

Guanella Pass to Georgetown, CO

Had a lovely ride via Guanella Pass and dropped down into Georgetown, CO, which happens to be the first town I came to and overnighted in on my first bike trip to Colorado six years ago. This was one of many eerie deja vu experiences this week. You get a suspicion you’ve been somewhere, then full certainty as landmarks come back to you.

Pine Cove Campground

A treat to run through the Eisenhower tunnel and drop into Silverthorne. I stopped by the National Forest Service office and got a recommendation to try Pine Cove Campground outside Frisco (6-8 miles from Silverthorne.) The campground is little more than a paved parking lot, albeit with lovely views. I struck up conversation with Phil and Lisa from somewhere in California who graciously let me set up a tent on the back of their lot (all other lots being full and I’m too tired to hunt for anything better.)

I took my water bladder down to the lake with my wash cloth, filled it with water, and ended up giving myself some kind of bath on the boat loading ramp. There were no people around, but what a disgraceful and demoralizing state to be in. My clothing that I’d hand-washed in Limon was still in a bag as I hadn’t had a chance to dry it, so that evening I laid everything out on the picnic table to dry. Perhaps this gives you a better understanding of my state of mind that day.

This evening marked the low point of the entire trip for me. The current camp spot was awful, yet I was unsure what other options existed. I could be a squatter here and be guaranteed a spot when Phil and Lisa leave tomorrow. But there are no showers or running water and everyone else here is in RVs. I’m down to my last half-liter of water in my Nalgene and I’m exhausted. Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a work day and sometime before Friday I need to find a better spot before Aaron arrives. Time to sleep and figure out a solution in the morning.

Stats

• Highlight: Rediscovery of Georgetown, CO, Guanella Pass, threat of rain but no rain
• Miles: ~280
• Hours: 14
• Cost: $60

Map