Finally all the storms pass and we awake to clear skies and warm sun. The ride out of Colorado Springs is up into the pines, a welcome change from the sagebrush and scrubby trees. All at once Louie puts on the brakes and hops off the bike. He comes back with a big blue radio! He turns it on and it works! He fastens it onto the Bob, turns up the volume, and we have music for our ride into Denver! This is a great improvement over Bec’s singing, which is mostly off key. Bec had resorted to singing "Home on the Range" after seeing bison and antelope running along side us. Louie always says that everything a person really needs can be found along side of the road.
After reaching the summit for the day, the winds are in our face slowing us considerably. We are looking forward to Franktown only to discover that it is nothing more than a few buildings at an intersection. When it had its glory days (around 1850’s), it was a safe haven from the Indians for weary travelers between Santa Fe and Denver. We corralled the tandem and trailer into a circle and took refuge in a local bar and grill, the only one in town. They had a sign that said they welcomed two wheels, four wheels, or no wheels so we felt at home.
Later that day, we stop at a Water Company to ask directions to a bike route that would take us to Cherry Creak State Park. Bec works for the Portland Water Bureau so they were very happy to help point us in the right direction after they found out we were all kin, so to speak. They came out to see the bike and wave goodbye. We found a bike shop to purchase directions to the bike trails that run all through the area, but decide to stay on the road and ride the trails in the morning.
Cherry Creak State Park is nice with laundry facilities and showers. The only thing it needs is bats because there are lots of mosquitoes. This is the first time we have to use chemical warfare to be able to walk around in peace. We walk to the reservoir and come across a fellow cyclist having trouble with his gearing. We chat and he give us directions on how to get out of the park and onto the Cherry Creak Bike Path that will lead us all the way downtown without having to ride on the busy streets.