My decision to stay at the Ladder Ranch will be one that I will always be thankful for looking back on this journey. I was able to be a fly on the wall, or on Charlie’s head, and get a sense of how a ranch operates that has 3,000 sheep, around 700 cows, 341 steers from Nebraska, and the numerous horses that help in daily operations. They have 25 to 30 ranch hands at any given time and currently four young adults from South Africa serving as interns. The three young lady interns are working with the sheep and the young man is the one responsible for the 341 steer from Nebraska that are currently grazing on the ranch from May to September.

Dinner was enchiladas and salad prepared by one of the granddaughters and it was eaten at the cook house with 12 of my newest friends. In addition to the interns and family, there was also a dad and son from Peru who ate with us since they stay in a small cabin just outside the cook house. Mostly all others that help are down at the sheep camp about a mile away. The ranch owns, leases and has 10-year permits from the BLM and USFS resulting in a ridiculous amount of land. I will never forget the experience I had at Ladder Ranch and feel privileged to have been welcomed into their lives.

I was on the road by 5:15 am and obviously missed the 7:00 am breakfast at the ranch. I was sent off by a cat that followed me down the driveway. Once on the road, it was nice to see their sheep and cattle in various fields as I headed on down the road.

As the sun came up, I started feeling some rain drops that eventually turned into a sprinkle followed by a light rain. It did not deter me from enjoying the aspen trees seen throughout the morning.

I was amazed several times on this part of the route to see some very large wealthy ranch homes and compounds. Now I know where some of the super rich hideout in Colorado. My favorite unique home was a modern spin on a barn with spectacular views.

It was not long until the climbing had resulted in reaching Columbine. Not much on top other than a really nice general store for the campground and cabin rentals.

I literally screamed down the hill from Columbine in the rain by letting some nice yells out as it was a little chilly on my bare naked legs. I was patient and did not put on the rain pants and it felt exhilarating, I guess.

How you going to name your ranch the Lazy Ass Ranch. Seriously?

I soon came to an intersection and met up with Pied, from Sisters, Oregon, and we had breakfast at a rather happening and busy corner store with a nice breakfast menu. The lady at the register said when it rains, the campers come in and get a warm breakfast. It was a flurry of activity and the breakfast burrito and the company of Pied was a nice break. Pied is a middle school teacher and will be stopping his journey soon in Salida, Colorado.

After breakfast, I pushed on to Steamboat Springs on a nice road with an even nicer descent. I made it to the Rabbit Ears Motel and gave War Dog a bath before taking him to the bike shop. I enjoyed walking through the town on the way back from the bike shop and enjoyed a pizza and a pint enroute at a nice eatery.

I will be taking a planned day off tomorrow to enjoy some of the hot springs. Time is flying by and everyday seems to always bring something special to the adventure.