CO BDR 4 (fail)

Ready to go play...the world had other thoughts! Headed towards Buena Vista to play around for a day, then find a campsite before hitting section 4 of the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR) the next day. Ended up mostly on pavement, but found a little dirt, a lake, and a place to get some pinstripes on Sawatch.

I found one more trail to run, but had an unfortunate incident. A small ditch at the entry to the parking lot at the trailhead was difficult to see. Enough so that there had previously been a signpost with reflectors to mark this ditch, but somebody broke it off and it left a spike sticking up that was difficult to see...but my back tire found it!

So, late on a Saturday afternoon (5:30PM before I got back to BV), there was no hope of a repair. Decided to not do the BDR the following day without a spare, so debated heading straight home...but thought at least one night under the stars would be nice if I could find a place that didn't require putting my tires at risk. Came across a couple people that looked stuck in some mud on a little side road. They managed to get themselves out, but mentioned a camping area up the road...so I followed along and they invited me into their camping area (it was actually 3 marked campsites, they had 2 so there was plenty of room, but it was also very nice of them). Steve had an F-250 with a large toy hauler (a few quads) and Stephen (yep, Steve and Stephen) had a nice Land Cruiser that he had been working on as a nice off-road and camping rig for him and his family.

Also, this was during Stanley Cup playoffs, so I was happy that with my cell signal booster I could get just enough of a signal to watch most of the game. Just because we camp, doesn't mean we have to be cut off from EVERYTHING.

Even though the initial plan was to head out on the BDR after this first camp night, it was time to head home and get the flat repaired (ended up replaced due to the puncture being too close to the sidewall). It was still a very nice weekend, meeting some new people, and finding a camping area with easy access if I'm passing through the area and want a quick place to stop. The BDR isn't going anywhere, and I'm sure there will be future trips to explore it.