Frisco to Hartsel I so much enjoyed my day off in Frisco. What a nice little town, and the Frisco Lodge was a perfect location, and so relaxing. I walked around town a lot, ate a lot, and relaxed a lot. I felt great on my ride today! I left Frisco after 10–had a hard time tearing myself away! I rode very nice paved paths all the way to Breckenridge, and it was wonderful. There were quite a number of people on the path, and most seemed happy and enjoying the sunshine. Once again, I was filled with gratitude for being able to do things like this. Upon my arrival in Breckenridge, I stopped to explore the town a little. It was levels busier than Frisco, and quite a bit bigger as well. I did enjoy it, and was glad I stopped. I got a breakfast burrito and coffee and sat in the sun while I ate. I felt very blessed and content. Break over, I hit the road again to tackle the only pass of the day; Boreas pass topping out at over 11,000 feet. Turns out Boreas pass used to be a rail line that was converted to a road, so the grade was steady and not that steep, so it really was a pleasant climb. The paved road turned to smooth gravel, which reduced the car traffic significantly. The views from the road were spectacular! The skies were clear, the aspens were turning color, and the mountains stretched out to the horizon. I took many pictures, and the pace up the grade was just right to enjoy the views the entire way up the climb. The top of the climb was on the continental divide, and they had a nice sign there with the elevation: 11,482 feet. There was an old train depot there, and some displays about the history of the pass and the area. Nice. I lingered for a few minutes, enjoying the views, the sun and the air then started down the road. Again, the road was steady but not steep, so it was perfect for soaking in the views and feeling the wind in my face. I rolled all the way down to a wide, open valley with a small almost ghost town called Como. They are making an effort to rehab some of the town for tourism, and it looks like they may pull it off. There is a restored train depot, and they are rehabbing the old hotel now. I walked through a little train museum before hitting the road once again. I enjoyed the rolling peaceful gravel road and the miles rolled by easily. Thankfully, there was only about a mile of highway to navigate before I was back on gravel and secondary roads. I rolled into Hartsel about 6:30 knowing I needed to “check in” to the saloon for permission to pitch a tent in a flat area behind the saloon. Classy. There was one cyclist named Alex already there, and I got the scoop from him. I went into the saloon and had a really good cheeseburger. While I was eating, another cyclist came in and joined me so it was nice to have some company during dinner. After dinner, I pitched my tent by headlamp and then called home to check in. I was looking forward to my sleeping bag and cozy tent, so I turned in. The area behind the saloon was pretty noisy with traffic and drunk people voices, but again being half deaf has its advantages, and I slept well. It was a good day that felt easy in comparison to a lot of my previous days. Looking forward to the next one!