Illini 4000

View Original

Day 44

Hello world!Wow... Granby, CO... Day 4 4... A day will forever be remembered in I4K history. I have a biased opinion but I’m brutally honest that this is my favorite stayover of the entire trip.We climbed 5000+ feet of elevation today and reaching a max height of just over 11,000 feet. Can you even believe that??? Reaching the top of Berthoud Pass is the decent following it is probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in life.Side note: we are the first I4K team to reach 11,000+ feet of elevation. Cool huhMy cousin Jimmy seemed v nervous about us having to bike an extra 10 miles further just to get to them. I called him crazy because 10 miles is like nothin to us now (especially downhill).Their house in the woods looks like something from a magazine.... it is DIVINE! The exterior, the interior, the views. The perfect place to come back to after the best bike ride/route of your lifetime.Jenny is the queen of the kitchen. It was a summer night’s feast and had enough to food for leftovers (holler for good, extra eat during camping)!! On the real though... best Mac n Cheese in town. And no greater gift than having greens, hummus, pulled pork, cornbread (this list goes on for so long) at dinner.Cousin Kiernan (Jimmy’s sister) flew out to Denver and made a special appearance for the weekend and was part of the welcome crew into Granby!!! So unexpected and so appreciated! Catching up with cousins and just foolin around chit chattin about this that and the other thing is much needed. 10/10 recommend.BTW, we had some fantastic views. The house has glass windows and a nice porch looking out onto their land and out at Lake Granby. Me being the night owl that I am, I stayed up to look at the stars and o m g... speechless. You could even see the Milky Way. Something about looking st the sky and stars. It just makes me happy :)I feel bad bragging about this day, but it was something else and one that truly brought me to tears of joy.Also, i thought that because we were riding into our stayover with the Chrystal family, it was only fitting to dedicate the ride to my Aunt Patti who is a battler and survivor of breast cancer. Aunt Pat, you have the best attitude around. So funny and always crackin jokes, but on the other hand, always there to chat if ya need someone to listen.On the real... I couldn’t ask for a better family. Jimmy, Jenny, and Kiernan - thank you from the bottom of my heart.It’s been fun folks but it’s time to say g night.Marge