07 May 2017

Stardate 2017.348


Juniper Pass


Juniper Pass — Where's the Juniper?

I took a road ride from Bergen Park to Juniper Pass via State Highway 103. Bergen Park is a stone's throw west from the Denver Metro area at an elevation of 7,791 feet. Juniper Pass sits at 11,140 feet elevation; a bit high for juniper, I believe. It was a bluebird day - warm even at 11,000 feet. The elevation gain for the ride is 3,349 feet over 15.1 miles.

There was a fair amount of sand on the road, causing the descent to be a bit slower than usual. Nonetheless, it is a well-earned descent. Moreover, this pass is the first major ascent in the Triple Bypass, an event I've ridden numerous times. The first photo is the start of Highway 103, just outside of Evergreen, Colorado.




My obligatory bike in the middle of the road shot.




Squaw Pass sign indicates you're more than halfway. In common English, you know the cat's in the bag. Although there's yet another 1,333 feet of elevation gain.




The Front Range comes into view.






Grays Peak (14,270 ft, rank #10) and Torreys Peak (14,267 ft, rank #12 ) come into view as well.




As the pass approaches, so does 14,264-foot Mount Evans, the 15th highest peak in Colorado.




This road used to be fairly weathered. Now, it's baby-butt smooth asphalt.




That's it for now. Thanks for reading.

Adios
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