One of the latest I’d slept in but I didn’t rush to get up and let my body take the rest. I had a quick chat with Mum as I ate breakfast, which was nice. 

 

Once out on the road I caught up to Peter and we rode together for a bit. I didn’t realise he wasn’t behind me as I got to the top of the climb. I stopped at a store for a drink and waited for a bit but he didn’t appear so I pushed on. Then caught up with Zach and Kara and we rode together for an hour or so before I again pushed on. It was a really lovely section again through the Carson National Forest. 

 

Finally I caught up with Steve. I could tell he was angling to ride together the night before, so I did - even if the pace was quite a bit slower than my natural pace. But we chatted about the various adventures he’d done and all was fine. We stuck together even with the pace slowing further as the altitude kept increasing. We were aiming for some campgrounds at the top of the climb but he said he was done for the day so we found a flattish spot in the trees just off route and set up camp. The sun came out late evening and it turned out to be a very lovely spot. 

 

The main theme of the day appeared to be navigating the politics of riding with people/in groups. Sometimes it’s easy and you naturally just come together and then pass on. However it had to be a conscious decision to stay with Steve as I didn’t want to appear rude by just riding off. I think for tomorrow I’ll just stick to my own pace.