Stardate 2015.515

Day Seven RtR

Westcliffe

After 7 days of riding 464 miles, our Ride the Rockies tour came to an end in delightfully quaint Westcliffe, Colorado – population 568 (2010 U.S. Census). 568 souls is not a typo. This would be Westcliffe's first time hosting RtR. The area is home to a diverse group of people including ranchers, farmers, artisans and Amish. By early afternoon, our riding carnival and support crews had exploded the population of Westcliffe by a factor of 5. The residents put on the finest post-ride celebration I have ever seen. The food court had a variety of offerings, and I believe everything was home cooked. The Amish, in particular, raised veggies specifically for this event. Moreover, the Amish home-churned 200 gallons of ice cream – no small feat. Westcliffe has upped the bar. The finish line celebration was nothing short of grand, and in a spectacular setting. Thank you, Westcliffe!

Westcliffe sits at an elevation of 7,867 feet. The town is located in the Wet Mountain Valley. To the west of Wet Mountain Valley rise the cloud-piercing Sangre de Cristo Mountains, home to ten 14,000-foot peaks. The Sangres are a long, narrow, linear range beginning south of Salida, Colorado, and ending in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In Spanish, Sangre de Cristo means Blood of Christ. To the east of Wet Mountain Valley rise the Wet Mountains and Hardscrabble Pass.


Snowcatcher and I left Cañon City very early to try and beat the heat before the stiff climb up to Hardscrabble Pass. At the first water stop in Florence, we enjoyed a rising sun and hotcakes.



The still sleeping town of Florence also is home to the Alcatraz of the Rockies – Supermax.



I think the Florence Train Depot still is in use.



After a grueling 15-mile climb from Wetmore to Hardscrabble Pass, the drop into Wet Mountain Valley is only a handful of pedal strokes away. The Sangre de Cristo Range dominates the view.



Ubiquitous bovine are grazing away in cow heaven.



As I write this, there is a climber attempting to break the speed record for climbing all of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks. The current record of 10 days, 20 hours and 26 minutes, has stood for 14 years. He is hoping to be amongst the above peaks tomorrow, July 2nd.



The drop into Silver Cliff and Westcliffe is fast, enjoyable and scenic.



By mid-afternoon, the celebration began to thin. Many riders had flights to catch in Denver, while others took buses back to Grand Junction to fetch vehicles. The celebration grounds, however, continued to have more than met the eye. Enter any of the tents and you would be immediately wide-eyed, especially in the food tent, which was packed well into the afternoon.



Thanks again, Westcliffe. You were awesome!

Stats:
47.9 miles
4:01:46 ride time (add 0.5 hour for water breaks)
4,000 feet of elevation gain in 26 miles

Thanks for reading. This was my 5th Ride the Rockies and probably the second most difficult. My most difficult year was 2010 when the route included the Grand Mesa and a handful of passes in the San Juan Mountains. The 2010 route was almost 80 miles longer as well. Nonetheless, this year was no walk-in-the-park by any means. Westcliffe was awesome! I hope to see the residents there more often.

Blog up next? Probably the MS-150.

Adios

Stardate 2015.512

Day Six RtR

Oven-Baked

I kind of thought Day Six would be an easy 66-mile cruise down the snowmelt-swollen Arkansas River from Salida to Cañon City. We also had a short side-trip up to the Royal Gorge Bridge. Little did I know what awaited us.





Our traveling carnival filed out of Salida as the sun was warming 14,229-foot Mount Shavano, the 17th highest peak in Colorado. It's hard to see, but if you look closely at the two peaks in the upper left of the larger photo, you can make out the Angel of Shavano spreading her wings below Shavano's summit. She has been reclusive in recent years due to drought. It's nice to see her again. The Angel of Shavano has been brightened in the smaller photo.



After a scary 45-mile ride down a major highway with minimal shoulder, we turned south and began the picturesque climb to the south rim of the Royal Gorge. It started easy enough. Then, at about 50 miles, we met The Wall head-on. We riders got spanked, very hard, over a two-mile stretch of eroding cart path! Some riders climbed it non-stop, while us mortals inched along with an occasional stop. Many people pushed. Riders were murdered for small portions of shaded real estate. The Wall was a whopper. Even the strongest riders were humbled. Any sort of rider brashness was vaporized. The torture was synchronized with the sun just as it crept into the 90-degree range. I still have nightmares!



After our sweat bath, we got to play on the bridge...



...and it was a long way down to the Arkansas River.



Snowcatcher's home flag, and my favorite symbol, was flyin' high above the gorge.



As we descended from the Royal Gorge, we could see a steep road cut in the distance. As we approached we were whispering, "nah, they wouldn't, would they?"

"Why, yes, they would!"

Letting go one final sigh, I started up the narrow, one-way, 15-percent grade. Digging in, the climb wasn't too bad. The steep grade relented a half-mile later, and the narrow jaunt across the top of a hogback became quite scenic. Don't tell anyone, but I enjoyed Skyline Drive more than touristy Royal Gorge.



Colorado has a banana belt. It includes a large portion of the Arkansas River drainage, even at 9,000-foot elevations. Cañon City is the lower end of the belt. Like many higher regions of the southwest, the landscape is that of a piñon/juniper ecosystem. On this day, the Cañon City slice of the banana belt was pushing triple-digits. I like the area. The region reminds me of New Mexico. Perhaps there's some south-of-the-state-line enchantment taking place.



Cholla cactus (I think this was Cylindropuntia kleiniae) was in bloom along Skyline Drive. Did you know there are roughly 35 species of cholla?



Skyline Drive is Cañon City's version of the Great Wall of China. I might have to sneak back down there with Snowcatcher to park sometime for a romantic evening reminiscent of the '70s. ;) Snowcatcher would like to ride this baby when she's fresh and the mercury isn't so bold.



After a cold, wet and snowy spring, the mountains got the go-ahead to release their stored water. The Arkansas River was near bank-full.



Cañon City put on a pretty good post-ride meal next to the raging river. However, the large Oreo Blizzard I had upon arrival in Cañon City even was better – thanks DQ! I must say, the DQ employees more than earned their pay on this day.

Stats:
66.4 miles
4:36:08 ride time (add 2.0 hours for water stops and the Royal Gorge)

One more day of this traveling road show. See ya in Westcliffe!

Adios

Stardate 2015.112

2015 Ride The Rockies Route

What can I say; the 2015 route is a beaut. I don't think it will top the 2010 route, but it will be close. It does contain several awesome climbs. The Grand Mesa will be a whopper. Don't let the sub-11,000-foot summit fool you. This climb hurts. Cottonwood Pass is a whopper too. Its summit sits above 12,000 feet. Yes, air molecules have a lot more space in which to dodge each breath you take.


Day One will be a short, stiff climb, followed by a cruise over the top of the Colorado National Monument. A jaw-dropping landmark adjacent to my home town, the Monument has seen my wheels countless times. Being biased, it is one of the best rides in the state - pure and simple. Another 20+ miles can be added to this 45-mile loop by riding the farmland north of Fruita and Grand Junction. The Alphabet, as it's called, is the zig-zag linking of the east/west roads that happen to be lettered instead of numbered (north/south roads are numbered).



The start of Day Two will will twist and turn through the numerous vineyards and orchards of East Orchard Mesa and Palisade. After a short ride up Plateau Canyon, the road ramps up significantly, just below the town of Mesa, then the hurt begins. Huff, Huff, Huff... I guaranty it, no matter how fit you think you are! After a fast descent, 98 miles later, you'll limp into Hotchkiss.



Hotchkiss is a delight. This is a small ranching, farming and coal mining town. Some orchards and vineyards exist as well. It's rural Colorado at its finest. It's a picture of what the majority of Colorado was not too long ago. I miss living this lifestyle. Hotchkiss also is a gateway into the West Elk Mountains. It's easy to let yourself disappear in these mountains.



Day Three will be a 78-mile ride to another favorite town, Gunnison. In fact, we've thought of retiring in this town. It still has a wild and wooly air to it.



Day Four is yet another of my favorite towns, Crested Butte. There are two options for this day, a scenic 27-mile all-pavement route along the Gunnison, East and Slate Rivers; or, a very, very scenic, 35-mile, pavement-and-gravel ride up Ohio Creek to Ohio Pass (10,033 ft). From Ohio Pass, the route drops down to Kebler Pass (9,980 ft), then continues its drop into Crested Butte. Except for some hide-a-ways in the San Juan Mountains, this is about as good as it gets!



Day Five will be another distance jewel. The 102-mile route leaves Crested Butte for Salida. The only thing in the way is a twisty, gravelly, pot-holed road up to Cottonwood Pass, which rises a measly 12,126-feet above the sea. This will be a leave-early-and-hope-to-beat-the-thunderstorms-over-Cottonwood-Pass day. Cottonwood Pass to Salida is downhill for the most part.



An easy 66-mile jaunt down scenic Arkansas River Canyon to the Royal Gorge is in store for Day Six. The tour will cross the Royal Gorge Bridge and into Cañon City for the evening. Cañon City is another small authentic Colorado town. In fact, part of our afternoon will be visiting quilt/yarn stores.



The last day bids farewell to Cañon City and heads southwest into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It'll be a tough climb back up to Westcliffe via Hardscrabble Pass. If you drop off the left side of the above ridge, scamper to the bottom, and head northeast several miles, then head north, you'll find Westcliffe. The above photo is of the summit of Humboldt Peak, touching the sky at 14,064 feet. There's also a marmot stylin' for a photo. Humboldt is the 38th highest Peak in Colorado.

Thanks for reading!
All photos, except Crested Butte, courtesy of Snowcatcher - thank you!

Adios