17 @ Rifle to Steamboad Springs

Blasted out of the room, filled up fuel from the Kum & Go and headed north. Went for awhile then turned on 5. An innocuous number but turned out to be a good valley ride with nice curves. It was quite a commercial ride as oil and gas companies were doing their most to extract what they can from the valley! Overlooking that, the ride was nice and scenic. Before long we were back on a major road which took us into to the town of Craig. Now before I tell you too much about Craig it was a little like the Eagles song Hotel California which goes you can check in anytime you like but you can never leave! Well that's how we found Craig!

Pulled up to see the cowboy and Indian museum which was fascinating. Spoke to some guy who came up to introduce himself, Airtubes up his nose, bottle on his back and got chatting politics, gun laws and so on. Didn't know at that stage that it was his gun collection upstairs. Extensive beyond belief! That was our first level of local conversation. Looking at the display, took lots of pix but had more conversation with other visitors. Downstairs another curator, who had intervened a few times through out the visitation wanted a chat. Shortly after, another visiting dude was drawn into conversation. Yes he has maybe 300 guns, only one on his hip but he was prepared to chat about all of that and more! Gotta go. Please!

Where can we get a good coffee....Starbucks? Mmm. Got biked up, rode 50 m saw a coffee shop/ book store so stopped there. The coffee was, as happens in the usa, drunk. But the conversation about life and politics was interesting. But we want to leave. Still hungry, Went down the road, yep 50m, theme happening here and in a restaurant ordered a sub. Well that went well, like it took an hour. Nice but we wanna leave! More conversation!
Finally being able to check out we took not the direct road to Steamboat Springs, but via Oak Creek, via the coal mines nope not optional and arrived an hour or so later. Rabbit Ears motel, what we wanted! What a load of bunnies. Towns was ok, room faced the river. Across the road was the hot springs and with rented togs, for $2 each which was not size dependant, so we immersed ourselves in hot bubbling water! It was darkish as not to worry the locals too much! Bubbles, Ahhh! End of the day!