We rolled up to Breckenridge in the morning and spent a few hours getting Alyssa’s bike sorted at a shop. Maya the shop dog, with her incessant need to fetch sticks, was a welcome distraction. Alyssa got partially fixed up but realized she probably needed a new derailleur, so we set to work with our phones hunting down the right part and arranging for it to be shipped to the next bike shop on route in Salida. We’d done all that we could do, so we began the incredibly pleasant climb up Boreas Pass. This was a former rail line, so the grade was chill AF, the gravel was cruiser, and we passed several spectacular wildflower meadows. We were truly enthralled. The roll down the other side was similarly pleasant and we cruised all the way to route mile 1500, which of course necessitated a photo shoot. We continued on to Hartsel, which had a bit of a reputation with northbound cyclists we’d met- it was a weird place. We camped behind the town bar, grateful for an easy place to stay and the opportunity to fill our water (the bartender gave us free reign with the soda gun thing)