Day 36

Real forest
Last night confirmed what I dreaded- my brand new REI tent has a leak. Okay well maybe it isn't a leak, maybe it is something like condensation or whatever, but having the foot of my sleeping bag soaking wet is not okay. I also need to return my back paniers, because they had a rip after the first day. I was hoping that it wouldn't get much bigger, but in a week or two, they are going to split. Then I will have a real problem. It was raining when I usually get up, so I decided to just sleep/lay there until it at least wasn't as bad. It finally stopped a little after 10 and I was able to pack up. I was complaining in my head because everything was wet so I just wanted the sun to come out to dry everything. The funny thing is, it did. Only for a bit, but still. It was a nice change from the constant gloom of the past few days. There were a lot of uphills and downhills, but at least none were dirt. I eventually got to a sign that said something about a detour, so I looked on my phone and sure enough, the road into the town I was heading to was closed. I could see that there were different ways to get there though, so I didn't worry. Until I got to the sign that said bicycles were not recommended, ride at your own risk. Great. I had the chance to get out of the mountains early, but it was basically too late now. I kept going, and thought the sign was exaggerating. The shoulders were great- a little bumpy and worn at times but I had plenty of room. About halfway through, however, the shoulders completely disappeared and I had to ride on the white line. Oh... This must have been what the sign was talking about. It didn't last long though. I had shoulder, then lost it again, then got it back again. I finally got to see some good views- far-off mountains, waterfalls, and interesting cliff faces. Getting into Estes Park was the best though- it was all downhill, with lots of curves. I looked back and saw that I had a couple cars behind me. The front car was too afraid to pass me. I was actually only going  a bit slower than the speed limit, so I decided to just peddle really hard. I think it helped, but I could tell I was frustrating some people. The view made it would it though- I could see so far- it was great to finally have a nice day. I got food in Estes Park, then headed out of the mountains. It was a quick journey. I knew I had a big day building up, since I had been in the mountains for so long. Even though I started two hours late, I still got a 70+ miles day in. I was hoping to camp just inside the mountains, but I made too good of time. I finally did find a place- I took a random trail by the side of the road. It was a steep mud cliff to get down to, but I wa able to set up my tent under some trees. It's gonna suck tomorrow morning because I'm gonna have to take everything up individually probably. Oh well. Good night!