We were glad we didn’t get kicked out of Flint Creek campground for using an unmarked space. We used Brent’s filter pump to fill our water bottles before climbing the hill. A local pointed us to a breakfast restaurant called “Seven Gables” in Georgetown Lake. In the winter this is a popular place for snowmobiling but the news in town is “Discovery is open, are you guys going?”. That’s when they open up the local ski slopes to mountain bikers. We politely explain our bikes wouldn’t handle that well.
I got my first flat today. I was partially relieved to figure out it was an “inside job” in that the rim tape exposed the spoke hole which cut the tube (not the beefy tire that let itself be punctured).
The town of Anaconda was easy to spot from the 500+ ft tall dormant smokestack ( closed in the 1980s after decades of copper mining). We stocked up with food at the Safeway to be safe. We marveled at all the brick buildings in town probably built during the town’s heyday.
For lunch, we sat on rocks and cooled our feet while eating.
The climb to 6,600 feet rewarded us with sweeping views of the divide and snow capped peaks of 10,000 ft.
When we rode into the campground, Kurt and his family welcomed us with some cold beers. We must have overwhelmed his little kids because I heard one of them say “Daddy, there’s so many of them”. We were amazed and appreciative when he came back and gave us more beers. Thanks Kurt! At dusk, we became a feast for the miscuitos. I had to escape them by retreating to my tent.
Bob’s well built fire provided plenty of heat to melt our leftover marshmallows and re-melted chocolate for s’mores .
We rode 53 miles.
