About 200 Miles
After a nice night of sleep at West Chicago Creek Campground, we headed out to Mt. Evans. The climb was very similar to Pikes Peak. When the tree disappears, the fun starts. There is a nice lake, Summit Lake, to stop and enjoy the view.
Unlike Pikes Peak, the parking lot at the top is paved. That was a nice feature. From the parking lot, you can hike up a bit to the very top.
And here is the very top
I've heard a lot about seeing mountain goats here. I saw a few going up. I saw one up close on the way down.
From Mt. Evans, we rode to Evergreen to gas up, then to DW's 285 Diner in Conifer for lunch. They have decent food. I ordered the Rubin Sandwich.
While in Conifer, we stopped at a grocery store to buy dinner and breakfast for the campsite. Speaking of our campground... we were planning to stay at Chalk Creek Campground but did not have the reservation. We took chance. And of course, we had no place to stay. An old man at another camping ground told us to try Brown Creek. So we did. It is a dispersed camping area in Pikes and San Isabel National Forest and in Salida Ranger District.
We rode around county road 270 and 272 to look for a good place to camp and we came to an agreement to stay in one site. It is a nice quiet site, all you hear is cows mooing nearby.
Here is my dinner. A quick dinner that requires no cooking. I like the simple and easy approach in such a situation as this. Just eat it out of the can cold. It's ultra simple! It's camping!!
After dinner, we rode around the forest a bit and went to bed when the sun went down. Ready for another day to ride!
Regret: I meant to visit St. Elmo General Store near Chalk Creek Campground. I completely forgot about it. Oh well, next time!
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