Stardate 2015.203

2015 Ride the Rockies and Cottonwood Pass

Day Six of Ride the Rockies will be a 102-mile ride with only one pass to cross - Cottonwood. The catch? The west side of Cottonwood Pass is dirt, gravel, usually pot-holed and saturated in places with dust inhibitor. It'll be a hoot! The above pic is the northerly view from the summit of Cottonwood Pass.



The pass is quite scenic and surrounded by mountains. Rising to the northwest, the Three Apostles are popular with climbers, especially Ice Mountain, the Middle Apostle. I took the above shot while "lizarding" around the west side a bit. We had pedaled up the east side early to secure a good vantage point for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. As a result, we had to wait awhile. At this point, the riders had not even left Gunnison.



The Apostles have been known to be on the shy side.



Cottonwood Pass is on the crest of the Sawatch Range, 12,126-feet above two seas. Yes, the pass sits on the Continental Divide.





The east side is paved, has seasonal moods and provides a fun descent through numerous sharp turns that continue to pop up well below treeline.



Cottonwood Pass is a popular climb with cyclists. It's occasionally crossed by Ride the Rockies, and often used as part of a Stage in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. In the above pic, we were several hours away from the expected summit time of the peloton. Being monsoon season in the high country, the weather went south several hours later.



Winter comes early here, and the pass usually is closed during the snow months. The above photo was taken in late September.



In the above pic, the view is toward the west side of the pass on a frosty fall afternoon. The pic was taken from below the final switchback before the narrow traverse to the summit.

Until next time...

...Adios

Stardate 2015.192

The Countdown Begins

On March 6th, Snowcatcher and I were informed we had survived the Ride the Rockies entrance lottery. How about that? Kuule Beanz, eh! This will be Snowcatcher's 6th and my 5th time to ride this event. It also is the event's 30th anniversary. It's a good route and should be a hoot. Besides, it gives me blog fodder down the road.



Thus, our first official training ride was Saturday, March 7th. We had planned to climb Deer Creek Canyon. However, traffic was a mess, and a bit rude. I had a "hinky" not to continue up the canyon. When I mentioned this to Snowcatcher, she had the same feeling. Instead, we climbed a stiff access road to a nearby subdivision and Deer Creek Canyon Mountain Park. We ended up with a nice little 26-mile ride.



This segment of road is not long; but, the road is twisty and very steep. Snowcatcher may be seen grinding up the incline.



Yeah, that's her stylin'! She made it look easy.



We took a breather at Deer Creek Canyon Mountain Park.



There are nice rock formations scattered about. We're actually in the vicinity of a huge hogback that runs parallel to a large part of the state's Front Range. The geologic strata tips up steep and proud; it's quite picturesque in places.



A nice little descent complimented our neighborhood sneak.



Being a Lizard, hailing from the land of sandstone (literally), I appreciate as much sandstone as I can find. Seriously. There are some fairly colorful seams exposed here and there.

That's it for today. Lots more to come; stay tuned.

Adios

Stardate 2015.178

For Kelly

I unexpectedly lost my brother five years ago, March 5th. He left behind a wife and son. I didn't plan it this way, but I ended up skiing on the 5th anniversary of his death. This was quite fitting since he was my primary skiing partner throughout our childhood and early adulthood. We've made thousands of turns together.



The above pic was taken while getting dressed at Copper Mountain Ski Area, Colorado. There was a brilliant blue sky, some wind and about 25 Fahrenheits jumping about. Perfect! I skied hard, skipping lunch, just as my brother and I did years ago! I skied until my legs mutinied and ultimately gave out.



I like Copper Mountain Ski Area. They make sure they cater to all aspects of alpine skiing: beginner, expert, freestyle, even 45-degree extreme skiers.



I was planning to play in Copper's back bowls. However, while leaping from lower chairlifts to the upper chairlifts, I made some turns on easier ground to get my legs under me. This may be an age thing because Kelly and I would have been straight to the back bowls.



From high on the West Ridge at 12,300 feet, the views weren't too bad either. Touching the sky at 13,950 feet, Pacific Peak is the 61st highest summit in Colorado. It calls the Tenmile - Mosquito Range home.



To the left of Pacific Peak, Crystal Peak climbs to 13,852 feet and ranks at number 82.



The drop into Copper Bowl from the West Ridge (double black diamond extreme terrain rating) is spectacular.



Looking back up at the steep drop into Copper Bowl from the West Ridge, all you see is steep and sky. Although it appears flat, there's still some steep skiing before the end of the run.



There was avalanche mitigation throughout the morning. I could hear and see the ski patrol shelling wind-laden snow across the bowl from me. Post-avalanche blasting, skiers are given the go-ahead to ski the couloir.



Above is a wide-angle view of Copper Bowl. It's not as sweet and tamed as it looks.



A feather cloud forms over the top of Drift Peak (13,900 feet, unranked) and slowly drifts toward Fletcher Mountain (13,951 feet, rank 59). Drift is unranked because there is not 300-plus feet of elevation difference along its saddle with Fletcher Mountain.



Above is a zoom-in on the snow cat that deposits skiers in upper Copper Bowl. Skiers can then "hoof-it" along the ridge to access the southern couloirs. Notice the massive cornice forming on the ridge in the upper right.



Skiers enjoy choppy snow in Union Bowl while Pacific Peak rises in the background.



As the 3 o'clock hour approached, my legs spent, I called it a day. A fine one at that! I stopped for one last photo on the way home. I shot 14,267-foot Torreys Peak from the Bakerville Exit along I-70. Torreys is a nice climb, ranking number 11 in the state.



Kelly
1963-2010

Adios!