I've been waiting for you...

Jim and I left Silverthorn late after doing many chores. Bike repairs, mail pick ups, big breakfast.... Target! shopping. WOW a Target. We breezed through Breckenridge and Frisco on the prescribed bike trail; water stops, restrooms, chocolate shops, ... it was surreal. Then we turned left onto a dirt road and re-entered our real world....and started climbing over one of the tallest passes on the ride... Boreas Pass. About half way up a woman was riding toward me and I jokingly told her she was going the wrong way. She stopped, looked at me and said "Are you Tracy?" This has happened several times on this trip. Someone even stopped me and said they had read my blog the night before and quoted some of the stuff from the Richmond Peak Pass story. (I am the only woman left in the rear of the race so it is not hard to guess my name, and the racers look different than the people touring so we are distinguishable....) So this woman happened to be Jill Homer, the record holder for the Tour Divide (until this year). We talked briefly but a storm was approaching so we did not dally. She told us we were the red lantern of the ride and to keep it up and that people were cheering us on. That made me feel good. We pressed on into the storm, spent a few brief moments on the peak and headed down into the town of Como. The local bed and breakfast in Como was closed so we were hoping for a picnic shelter, an over hang, something to shield us from the rain. When we got to town the lights at the bed and breakfast were on so we turned toward the place and thought we would try our luck. The place looked abandoned from the outside. Paint peeling, weeds growing up, chairs and mowers scattered around. I walked into the breezeway and pushed on the door, it creaked open and I peered in. Inside there was a man sitting on a bench in front of a big screen T.V. watching the "Tour" and he was holding an iPad on his lap." Hello Tracy", he said softly in an  English accent.. "I have been waiting for you". (I heard singing in my head, "Welcome to the Hotel California...") "There's two of us", I said. "I know", he reported. He had been watching our balloons and had opened for our arrival. He poured us a beer and made us food and rented us a room for the night which included a full breakfast in the morning. He was an interesting guy.... why he was in Como renovating an old train stop hotel is still a mystery....we asked and he said it was a long story. If you ever want to get away to a fascinating place, Como is only an hour from Denver. David is a splendid host and the old hotel and it's history is captivating.