I woke up to a text from Hap. He was having a coffee and asked if I wanted to join him. I wanted to explore the town some more, so I jumped up and took off to meet him. We chatted for thirty minutes before he had to get packed up for their next concert in Eagle, CO.
After we split, it was time to explore the town since I decided I would not be continuing on today due to the forecast. I had another host lined up in Breckenridge, where I would be heading before embarking on the Colorado Trail. My host there was very accommodating and said delaying my arrival was no issue. This gave me plenty of time to visit four other bakeries in Salida.
I recommend The Biker and Baker, Sweeties, and Red Hen Bakery. The Biker and Baker and Sweeties are right on top of each other. At The Biker and Baker, I got a cinnamon roll, as I always do given the option. Their cinnamon roll was an experience. It came with literally, and I mean literally, 3/4th of an inch of frosting everywhere. That appeared to be the minimum as it became a full inch in some places. I really don’t like when cinnamon rolls are dominated by frosting, but I had to experience this one.
To my surprise, the frosting was more in between a frosting and whipped cream. It was a butter frosting, and while it was chalk full of calories I’m sure, it didn’t detract from the cinnamon roll as much as I expected. If I hadn’t already been to 4 bakeries by the time I got there, I would have certainly ordered more of their pastries as the rest of them looked really good too.
After my bakery expedition, I returned home. While I was gone, Claudia had hit the road again despite the storm. Texting me later, she would end up riding 115 miles that day despite being rained and hailed on. I was happily inside and resting for the rest of the day…
The next day, Susan and Chris would decide to brave the weather as well. The forecast called for rain again, so I stayed put hoping to be able to wait out the weather. The next day was exactly the same with no change in weather. I decided to wait one last day before I hit the road no matter what the forecast said.
During this time, I mostly vegetated on the couch catching up on TV shows and videos that I had not previously had the time to do. But I couldn’t just sit in one place forever, so I decided that the third night would be my last. I packed up all my gear and prepared to leave early in the morning to avoid the rain coming tomorrow afternoon...
Claudia still holds a grudge for me distracting Paul, my first Warmshowers host, and him not realizing she had reached out to him that evening to see if he had room back in California.