Once we were all back together in our camp site for the night, we cleaned up and got things going for cooking our dinner. A mix of chicken, hamburgers (no bun please) and steak was deliciously prepared by master chef Doug on the coolest of camp stoves. Despite the scorching heat of the day, Rick was intent on making a camp fire, and burning up a wood pallet we (Doug) picked up along the way in. Once the fire burned down and with a full stomach, even I was drawn to the fire via some magical and irresistible attraction that is a camp fire. We got our hydration packs and personal kits ready for the next day as to save time in the morning. Too tired to setup my own tent, I bunked with Mark, the victim if a wrist injury, who without hesitation independently and with one arm setup his family sized tent, and welcomed me in for the night. Under clear skies with a cool breeze developing, we rested up for Day 2 and who knows what that would bring.
The night was peaceful and we arose at 5am in order to get going before the heat as best we could. Scrambled eggs, bacon, a quick cup of coffee, vitamin regimen, water, sunscreen, and let’s go! It was to be me, Mike, and Chris riding the AM leg of Day 2. Despite my troubles with the heat on the previous day, I was confident that I was recovered well enough to continue the ride. It was to be a relatively easy day with under 3,000′ of climbing spread out over 45 miles. It was cool and comfortable as we headed out, the three of us. We had to stop for a short mechanical on the bike Chris was riding as his front rotor was rubbing. We fixed it as best we could and moved on making great time. The team in the RV has some navigational issues so we skipped the original lunch break point and kept riding on until we got into contact with them. 33 mile later we met up and broke for lunch. Feeling good, Doug joined us and we got back onto the bikes after some solid foods, for the remaining 13 miles to the Dewey Bridge, where we would camp for the nigh along the Colorado, and rest up for the beast that was Day 3.
