Day 12 - 7/26: Culp Creek to Diamond Lake - Wow

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure. 

- Joseph Campbell

Wow... this was quite a day. Todd's ribs felt considerably better thanks to the rest. Heading out from our campsite we rode farther and farther back into the woods on US forest roads. These are tiny, paved roads that twist and turn through the woods. This one eventually began to climb up.

And up. And up. And up. We probably climbed for 90 minutes. The pitch was relentless; the scenery was breathtaking. No guard rails out there -- just big big drops. In our typical no GPS fashion we had little idea that we were going to end up climbing 3,000 feet. But we did it!

And then we descended for at least 40 minutes. Half way down I saw a baby bear in the road ahead of me. It saw me, stood up with it’s big ears up and then ran. At the exact same time, the first vehicles to pass us all day come right up to me with their music blaring -- two Harley Davidson riders listening to Bon Jovi's "Steel Horse"! How surreal that was.

We coasted by some beautiful streams and nature areas. Gorgeous water and wild lands. No people. The road dumped us out near Steamboat on route 138 and we found an amazing restaurant at the Steamboat Inn, where we had beautiful omelets and endless coffee. We even got a third omelet for free that was a mistake. Good thing we ate up because the hardest part of the day was yet to come!

The 40 mile trip up to Diamond lake started innocently enough, cruising along the Steamboat Creek (great fly fishing waters apparently). But at mile 20 the heat kicked in, the road opened up, and the serious climbing began. We climbed steadily for 20 miles over 3,000 feet (the second time that day). At mile 10 or so I was climbing this hill nice and steady when I experienced some heat exhaustion pretty suddenly. I was well hydrated, but my cooling system just short-circuited and I couldn’t stop shaking or catch my breath. I have experienced this before. It is similar to hypothermia where you start taking clothes off even though you are freezing. With heat exhaustion you can’t think straight enough to do the things you need to do. I finally was able to stumble off my bike and lay down in the shade. That’s all it takes to feel better. But...the last 10 miles were the slowest miles of my riding life.

I am famous for my horse to the barn excitement, so my spirits and energy rose considerably as we entered Diamond Lake area. We stopped at a small service station where the kind older gentleman who ran it told us of the unpublicized hiker-biker campsite right on the lake. YES!

The tiny sign that indicated our campsite.

We pedaled the last 5 miles lightly and coasted into the cute little camping area that had a bathroom, five sites and lake waters to bathe in. We were so excited to be there and to enjoy such goodness.