As pretty as our campsite was, the cold, windy weather made it hard to enjoy, so I was not sorry to pack up and head back down the mountain. Unfortunately, the road was as bad and as long as we remembered. With a few quick stops for pictures, it still took about 2 hours to reach the exit.

We headed for the nearby town of Nederlands for coffee and breakfast. We had driven through it a few days before and noticed it seemed to have quite a few cafes. We decided on Salto Coffee House. It was large and bright inside with a big patio with outdoor setting. Their sign offered coffee, tacos, and craft beer but they also had a small selection of breakfast sandwiches as well as baked goods. We ordered fried egg sandwiches, with bacon for Francis, tomato, and spinach for me.

We found a sunny table by an open window to enjoy our food and coffee and get some work done. The addition of a mildly spicy aioli made our sandwiches especially enjoyable. In no time, a couple of hours had gone by and it was time to move on.

In trying to solve the ever present problem of getting regular showers, we joined Planet Fitness while we were in Durham so we could use their facilities wherever we happened to be. There was a location in nearby Longmont so we made our way there. We do actually plan to use the workout equipment as well as the showers but we were pressed for time that day as we still needed to find a home for the next couple of nights.

After our showers, we set off once again into Roosevelt National Forest ( a different section this time) to find a campsite for the night. The location had been suggested to us at the ranger station in Boulder. The drive took us on the beautiful Peak to Peak Scenic Byway. Using the highlighted map we had been given, we were able to find a number of possible sites for the night. Sundays tend to be a little easier because people have gone home after the weekend.

We settled on a cozy site tucked in some trees. It had privacy, internet signal, and a pretty view of the mountains in the distance. It was overcast, cool, and foggy but the forecasted rain had not started yet. We had time to heat some soup for dinner and do a little exploring before it got too cold to stay outdoors.

The next day dawned rainy and cool and stayed that way all day. When we have days like this I am so thankful for the folks at Van Products out of Raleigh, North Carolina who converted the interior of our jeep for us. We might get a little touch of cabin fever but we can sit up and stretch out to read, work, and play games.