Into the wild

The following is from my official journal entry for bike and build.

Today we ventured forth from our rest and relaxation at the lovely resort town of Steamboat Springs. I do declare that the hot springs there were one of the most relaxing parts of my trip thus far. After a invigorating mourning stretch, I rolled out with my fellows. Over the course of the day the beautiful mountains gradually faded away into rolling hills. We followed the Yampa river, its beauty inspiring us as we cycled alongside. The ride was a smooth one for us. Despite a small number of flat tires suffered by my comrades, we managed to make good time, and arrived in good order for our luncheon. After a scrumptious few bites from our generous stores of provisions, several of my pals and I went forth into the town we were stationed in for our midday rest, a lovely little town called Craig. While a handful of my compatriots went to a local coffee shop to enjoy some refreshments generously donated by the proprietor, my close friend Athena and I decided to look into the local museum, highlighting various points of western history, including a rousing exhibit on firearms and gunfights of the old west. When we returned, we learned that some of our chums had met the leader of the local government. One of our own leaders, a Mr. J. then directed us to the settlement’s local fourth estate, a small newspaper. We informed by some of our friend’s that their organization wished for an interview about our organization, a request with which we were all too happy to oblige them. Afterwards, the customary photographs were taken, and then we said our farewells before setting back off on our interstate odyssey. I spent the rest of the day riding in the company of my dear friend Athena, and a lovely time was had. Towards the end of our ride, a good number of our party stopped at the Yampa river for a swim, and we seeing them, decided to join in their merriment. The current was quite strong, though I managed to walk, with a good deal of difficulty, to the other side of the river. Upon drying, we set off for the rest of the day’s journey. The place where we halted for the day was a small hamlet called Maybell. Due to the small size of the community, we were obliged on this instance to make camp instead of relying on the hospitality of local religious institutions. The conditions were not optimal, and we encountered severe winds and dark clouds on the horizon, threatening a storm of considerable proportions. Thankfully we cyclists are made of tougher stuff than most, and we managed to pitch tents, secure our belongings, and start a campfire for the purpose of heat and s’mores. We had quite a restful evening, and many found it quite diverting to be camping for the first time this summer. We had decided to hold our weekly town hall meeting early, so as to have more time the following day to spend fraternizing with the other Bike and Build group we are scheduled to rendezvous with on the morrow. Unfortunately, heavy winds became so detrimental to our efforts to hold said meeting that it was voted on that we would postpone the remaining segments to a later day. Several of the tents were almost lost to the heavy winds, however, thanks to the valiant efforts of our girls and boys, we managed to hold the line and secure the camp, utilizing our heavy baggage to anchor the tents in place. Later, we gathered around the fire, and a jolly good time was had by all. We are all in good spirits, and at this point in time we are a well-oiled machine, capable of taking on whatever this magnificent land deems to throw at us.

These events were faithfully reported to you by Colonel Connor Herrick O’Brien.