Hi all - thanks for coming back to the site! It's been tough for Chase to find the time to draft a post to keep you updated, but as his girlfriend and CMM (chief mutt manager), I wanted to share some of his videos and photos since his departure on June 10 from Banff.
As of today, July 4, Chase is about 50 miles outside of Salida, Colorado, and has completed some amazing climbs (that he has loved) to over 11,000 feet in elevation. This morning he said it was a pretty gentle but constant climb - but he was kicking its ass!
My takeaways from our recent conversations include that:
He's grateful to have been part of the "three amigos". He has ridden the 1,770+ miles so far with two other riders - Philip Heald and Kevin Shenk - and the mutual support and camaraderie have been unexpected, fun and awesome. He's also bumped into some ATL friends out there who have joined the ride or bought a round - both exciting!
Food continues to be a focus. At first, he packed too much and at times too little - but like Goldilocks (and everyone can agree Chase has great hair!), I think he's figured out the right balance. You may see a Cinnamon Roll the size of a small child's head in the pics below. I'm pretty sure he ate it all.
When it rains, the mud becomes "peanut butter" and that sucks to try to ride through.
The scenery and wildlife have been amazing, including the wild horses, a grizzly and her two cubs and more. He is out of bear country (thank goodness), and gave his bear spray to riders headed northbound.
The weather conditions have been challenging, especially through the Wyoming Basin, which I understand was no joke (you will see his lack of a smile below).
He'll have a ton more to share, but I thought I would tell you what I know and let the images and videos do the real talking! (Apologies in advance that they may not be in the right order, but the facial hair/beard growth helps a bit to chronicle the time :-))
