Hopkins 4K for Cancer

July 4, 2006

Kremmling, CO
Grand Lake was a fantastic day off. This morning we woke up knowing that we only had 40-something flat miles to ride. With that in mind, we slept a little later than usual in the school gym and then headed off to various breakfast plans. Some riders got free pancakes at the local park, others had sprawling buffets. Joe, Erin, Chris, James and I (maybe there were some others too) went to the restaurant/bar where we spent almost all of yesterday with our eyes peeled to the plasma screen watching the Tour de France. We got there barely in time to see the last of whichever stage, ate our breakfast and left Grand Lake for Kremmling.

We all started out together, along with Raffi and Kaylin. After just a few miles it was clear that one group wanted to powerhouse it all the way to Kremmling in order to watch the World Cup. Kaylin and I enjoyed the incredible ride along the lake. I’ve also come to appreciate the beautiful cloud formations out west. Maybe it’s the way the sun hits the clouds or perhaps it’s just that I can see more sky than I can in NYC with the skyscrapers obstructing any views. But the clouds here really do appear more fluffy, whiter, crisper that in New York and I love them! I can’t help but take constant pictures of the clouds out here. Ok, enough about clouds. We rode through a canyon today, surrounded by red cliffs and then along the Colorado River and the railroad. Occasionally we glimpsed a man fishing down below.

We arrived in Kremmling some time around 1pm and attempted to go white water rafting, but we had already missed the organized trips. Instead we headed to the church and showered. We joined others at the local bar to watch the afternoon World Cup. While we were there, we met some shady, chain-smoking cowboys who called me a “wildcat.” We also met two young Germans, devastated over the futbol loss, who were biking cross country for fun, completely unsupported. After a little chit-chat, we walked back to the church.

The kind pastor, his wife and other members of the community gave us a delicious dinner and told us about the Kremmling fireworks which could be seen basically anywhere. Each year the fireworks take place off a cliff, and in the town square live bands play all night. Chris, James and I strolled through the square, saw a lot of fellows in cowboy hats, and then decided to watch the fireworks from some benches outside a furniture shop. It was a relaxing and pleasant ride today and a spectacular fireworks show to top it off. Thanks, Kremmling, for a great 4th of July!

-Nicole