Crazy guy, wants to ride back up and over the top. He didn't have any takers. John is doing group laundry. Lots of bike cleaning going on. I've spent the morning on this journal.

Had a great breakfast at Old Timers Cafe. Then I saw Jacinto off on his ride and went to the internet cafe for the computer. I don't drink coffee, so it was a bit of a problem as to what to order to justify using their computer. I ended up with a smoothie. They had three computers, so I did not feel guilty spending the entire morning on the computer. It was quite an annoying machine as it would freeze periodically and would have to be restarted. At least I didn't lose what I was working on.

Finally my butt couldn't stand sitting any longer, and my eyes were cross eyed from looking at the computer. It felt good to get the journal updated while everything was fresh in my mind - but it was time to see what the rest of the gang was doing.

We spent most of our time hanging out at Cabin #1 - where John, Fred, and Moni stayed. They did some bicycle maintenance. John scouted out good lodging for future visits. He thought this trip might be of interest to a club he frequently travels with - Bicycle Adventure Club. Ken made the trek to the grocery and neighboring bakery. He and Moni agreed that the bakery was top notch. Moni also passed on the hint that the bananas next to the front door at the grocery were very ripe - but if you go clear to the back of the store in the produce department, those bananas were just right.

Finally Jacinto showed back up. He had gotten rained on just after leaving town - but he wanted to see if he could climb the Slum the hard way so he kept going. He was quick to tell me he didn't use the granny gear on this pass, it wasn't that tough. But Jacinto did admit he used the granny on Kebler Pass. Up to the top, down the other side and started up the backside of Spring Creek. Jacinto could see he was approaching a black wall of rain and decided that should be enough climbing for the day, he didn't need to get wet again.

Kelvin's Slum group has always stayed at the Moose Lodge. We found the rooms to be less than satisfactory last summer. some motorcycle riders told us they stayed at the Town Square Cabins in the center of town. The location was great, but the cabins no better than the Moose. Perhaps worse. The cold water in our cabin turned on and off using a pair of channel lock pliers. John scouted out lodging for any future visits. The Alpine Village met his satisfaction. $85. for a two bedroom cabin. 719-564-6214 John said they were new and clean both inside and out. They are located on Silver Street, which is one block off of the main drag through town.

In Lake City the group seemed to congregate at John's cabin. Jacinto and I wandered over to see what dinner plans were. The cabins had a book with restaurant menus. Several choices were mentioned. John had stopped by an Italian restaurant that had homemade pasta. He had spent time living in Italy and appreciated a fine Italian meal. Off we went. I had the special garden veggies and pasta. Moni had some sort of bow pasta. She's a petite little thing, but it was quite fun during this trip to watch her put away large quantities of food. She quietly plowed through the large platter of pasta while we all chatted. We all finished our large portions, as a fact. John was happy with the quality of the pasta. I guess I'm a plebeian. I thought the pasta was good, but didn't have enough fine pasta eating experience to appreciate the homemadeness.

It will be interesting to see how the day goes tomorrow. Those two climbs are always tough. Maybe with a day off before the climb, they'll be easy. I went to bed full of pasta, but already thinking of my next meal. Stopping at the bakery for a tasty treat to eat on the road. See what cycling does to me? It's all just an excuse to eat!

Enjoy.

Heart

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