Category: Colorado 2013

“Come ride me!” OR How I love coal miners: Trinidad to Monument Lake

Friday August 16, 2013, 39 miles (62 km) – Total so far: 4,079 miles (6,565 km)

Early in the morning in August 2011, a gentle earthquake shook awake the residents of Trinidad and people living upstream in the Purgatoire River valley. Eleven more temblors would shake the area in the next 24 hours, the strongest registering magnitude 5.3. The largest quake was felt up to 200 miles away and was the strongest earthquake in Colorado since 1973. Interestingly, a similar swarm of earthquakes, registering 2.8 to 4.6, had shaken the same area in 2001. Read more →

Two passes and a whole lot of sneezing: Monument Lake to Fort Garland

Saturday August 17, 2013, 64 miles (103 km) – Total so far: 4,144 miles (6,668 km)

I crawl out of the tent at first light.

Damn – the wind that’s been battering the tent since 3am is from the northwest. You know, of course, that is the direction I’m riding.

Then I look at the bike. The rear tire looks a little low. A squeeze of the spongy tire confirms my fears. Read more →

The Great Sand Dunes, UFOs and hippies: Fort Garland to Hooper Pool

Sunday August 18, 2013, 62 miles (99 km) – Total so far: 4,205 miles (6,768 km)

Our early morning ride is nearly flat as we skirt the edge of the San Luis Valley. Off to the north and east, though, the peaks tower high above us. The scale is grand. There are four 14,000 foot peaks up there – Ellingwood Point, Little Bear Peak, Mt Blanca and Mt Lindsay – anchoring the southern edge of this part of the Sangre de Cristos.

As we head north on Highway 150, we encounter new pavement, a very slight incline and a 16-mile honour guard of sunflowers. Aah, I don’t want to be anywhere else but right here, right now. Read more →

Hiking with Mom on the N. Crestone Trail: Hooper Pool to Moffat

Monday August 19, 2013, 20 miles (32 km) – Total so far: 4,225 miles (6,800 km)

I pack in the dark. The bike is loaded and ready to go at first light. While I’ve been packing, I’ve been listening to the morning conversations of all of the birds in the adjoining wildlife refuge. It is a fairly noisy and chaotic conversation, but it exudes life and vibrancy. Good stuff.

I head up to the showerhouse. I’ve been very impressed by the facilities here, but I’m anxious to get out of here before I inadvertently stumble into another Craigslist Casual Encounters advertisement. Read more →

Heading north again: Salida to Leadville

Wednesday August 21, 2013, 60 miles (96 km) – Total so far: 4,285 miles (6,896 km)

My mom gets up to see me off. She doesn’t say anything about the wind, but I can see her looking at the aspen trees across the street, gently bending towards us with the wind.

I say, “Of course, it’s a headwind. I don’t expect anything else these days. It’s supposed to be 5-10 mph out of the NW, turning light and variable.”

My mom gives me a half-grin and a hug. And then it’s off I go against the wind. Again. Read more →

A little uphill and a lot of down: Leadville to Silverthorne

Thursday August 22, 2013, 38 miles (62 km) – Total so far: 4,324 miles (6,958 km)

Highway 91 out of Leadville does a sneaky little descent to the river before it very gently begins climbing up the river valley. The road surface is excellent; the shoulder is excellent, too. They repaved the entire road to Copper Mountain just a couple years ago when the huge mine at the pass summit reopened. If all roads in Colorado were like this one, it would be a very pleasant place to ride. Read more →

Hanging out on the I-70 corridor: August 23-26

Friday August 23, 2013, 14 miles (23 km) – Total so far: 4,338 miles (6,981 km)

My tour is drawing to a close. I’m trying not to think about it. I just want to keep going and going. Over the days that I’m hanging out here in the heart of Colorado’s ski resorts, I try to squeeze all I can out of the days. They are numbered now.

I also enjoy having a motel room – I don’t foresee bike tours in the future having this much luxury, since I’ve given away the budding career that allowed me to have a pretty big budget for this ride. I guess it’s good that I really enjoy, and actually prefer, camping! Read more →

Last night on the road: Silverthorne to Twin Lakes

Tuesday August 27, 2013, 61 miles (98 km) – Total so far: 4,398 miles (7,079 km)

All good things come to an end. Or so the saying goes.

I can’t believe this is ending. I can clearly remember that rainy first day on the road like it was yesterday. But today will be a day of ‘lasts’. My last pass. My last night camping. My last night on the road. Read more →

Celebrations in the park: Twin Lakes to Salida

Wednesday August 28, 2013, 54 miles (86 km) – Total so far: 4,452 miles (7,165 km)

The sun wafts through the trees, gently waking me from a peaceful sleep. The air is cool. The birds chirp and sing a happy melody. I lie in my sleeping bag and ease into the day, the quiet of the morning washing a sense of well-being over me.

Well, that’s what I’d like to write. I’d like to describe the perfect morning for the perfect last day on the road. But life is not like that. Read more →