From snow to Koko

The top of the hill on my backyard ski after the 4 foot snow on April 18th. Seems so far away right now as I look outside at the clouds, rain, and green grass popping up everywhere. It's been a wet April and beginning of May, thankfully, as I was starting to stress about the fire danger with the hundreds of beetle-killed lodgepoles around the ranch as well as the newly topped-trees that cracked under the stress of that huge snowfall. Instead of putting another nail in the coffin for the lodgepoles, it appears to have affected significantly more ponderosas and douglas firs a bit lower in elevation than us (heavier and/or more snow a bit down hill...?). We had maybe one tree get topped from the storm. Moving from snow to bike at this time of year...

...the Hunter is ready for Kokopelli.

Pete and his rig at the Amtrak station this morning. As you can see, he uses a much different rig than either TK's (pic below) or mine. Check the flat pedals and full pannier bags! He's the most experienced out of all us for touring so has some great insights on what works and doesn't. He likes the full panniers as they keep the weight lower on the bike and lower the center of gravity allowing it to handle more normally.

So anyway, I leave the house tomorrow at 4:30AM to get to the Denver bus by 6. Then the train leaves Union Station at 8am. I'm expecting to be riding to Boulder in the snow tomorrow morning -- they're calling for a couple of inches tonight up here. From snow to the desert Koko. They told me to get there an hour early to pack up my bike in one of the bike boxes they supply at the station (you can purchase the box and get it loaded for only $20 total each way!). The weather is looking good, some rain there today and tonight to pat down the dust, and then a slight chance of T-storms with 70s during the day...that is perfect.

Maybe a post in Fruita tomorrow, and one from Moab a few days later...otherwise, we'll see you in a week!