Stardate 2017.507

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!
A Snowcatcher Photo


PLAY'N HOOKY
Ride the Rockies is Snowcatcher's gig! She got me into it — I've done 6 now — and it's something you need to check out if you're a cyclist. I think you'll find yourself wanting more. Sadly, orthopedic conditions sidelined Snowcatcher from this year's ride. However, she did SaG (Support and Gear) and escort me around host communities and lodging, which was nice.

Day 4 of the Tour had been a huge day. It tossed me 84 miles of mountain riding over three passes. Much of the route was above 9,000 feet in elevation. Consequently, Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft), Molas Pass (10,910 ft), and Red Mountain Pass (11,018 ft) took their toll on my aging legs. I just wanted to enjoy the awesome B&B Snowcatcher secured for us in advance. The following pic is looking south from our B&B toward the Sneffels Range, San Juan Mountains, Colorado. As a side note, I grew up about 1.5 hours to the north of here, and the locale made me a tad homesick.



Day 5 was a short "rest ride" along a scary, high-use roadway (State Highway 550). So we played hooky instead and journeyed to one of our favorite areas — the East, Middle, and West Forks of the Cimarron River. Twelve years ago I proposed to Snowcatcher high in the Middle Fork Basin, and as they say, "the rest is history."

Following are more pics from the area. All three basins were still snowed in. They should open up for access in early July. The Cimarron Forks begin high in the Uncompahgre Wilderness Area. This area initially was called the Big Blue Wilderness, which I liked much better. Uncompahgre, loosely translated, means dirty water. Oh well... Enjoy!

The next pic is from Owl Creek Pass (11,120 ft) and the access road to lower West Fork Cimarron.




Precipice Peak (13,144 ft, rank 529) is framed in the background. My marriage proposal occurred on its backside, high up the Middle Fork of the Cimarron.




Snow temporarily marked the end of the West Fork road. There's still jeep road before reaching a trailhead.




The airy summit of Chimney Rock rises to 11,781 feet.




Numerous volcanic rock formations line the West Fork. The volcanism in this area is often beyond spectacular.




A member of the Lily family — Veratrum tenuipetalum
Also known as False Hellebore, Skunk Cabbage, and Corn Lily; it will average 4 feet in height.




The East Fork Cimarron is on the left, and the Middle Fork is on the right.




I love how dandelions enhance high Montane meadows. Do you?




That's it for a while. Thanks for reading.

Adios

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 2015.501

Day Five RtR

Where's the Air

Day Five was the lengthiest day of the tour. It also was the highest day elevation-wise. The day yielded 102 miles of riding, including a lung-searing climb to 12,126-foot Cottonwood Pass. Success depended upon an individual's ability to process available air. I like to be high (not that kind of high) and mentally, for me, Day Five's 4,000-plus feet of elevation gain over 38 miles didn't quite match the difficulty of Day Two's 5,000-plus feet over 20 miles.

The tour organizer likes to throw in nice little climbs toward the end of the ride. This day was no exception. After a wonderfully long descent from 12,126 feet, we were rewarded with a nice little climb of 6 or 7 miles from the Town of Buena Vista to Mount Princeton Hot Springs. That pretty much finished my legs for the day. Thankfully, the remaining 20 miles to Salida were downhill.



Predicting a long day, Snowcatcher, as well as numerous other riders, wisely left early. However, with morning temps in the upper 30s, I was quick to break camp and swiftly get on the road myself. After a fast 17-mile descent to Almont, we turned east, heading up morning-shadowed Taylor Canyon. I was 30 miles into the ride before I stashed my jacket. At about mile 37, beautiful Taylor Park came into view, the peaks of the Sawatch Range awash in radiant morning light. Snowcatcher and I crossed paths here, which was a genuine treat.



I like riding dirt, especially high altitude dirt. I was facing about 13 miles of dirt to the summit of Cottonwood Pass. My wonderful other half knows I like to push myself, so she sent me on my way.



In time, I pedaled into the sub-alpine and took it all in.



As I approached the alpine, Cottonwood Pass played the usual tease game of looking closer than it actually was.




I never tire of the haunting siren of the Three Apostles. Ice Mountain (Middle Apostle) reigns at 13,951 feet, ranking 60th highest in the state. West Apostle rises to 13,568 feet and checks in as 210th highest. North Apostle touches the clouds at 13,860 feet, the 79th tallest peak in Colorado. The bottom photo is for comparison and was shot late August 2011.



Glancing back to the west, the distant Elk Mountains reach for the sky.



Now enter cowbells and people chanting up, up, up, to prod that last little burst of energy onto the pass.



The paved east side of Cottonwood Pass is a fast descent into Cottonwood Creek and down to Buena Vista. I should have videoed the descent because it is a bowlful of awesomeness. Awesomeness is a word, is it not? I don't see a red squiggly.



I reached Mount Princeton Hot Springs about 82 miles into the ride. At this point, I had the cat by the tail.

Stats:
102 miles
6:51:50 ride time (Add about 1 hour for water stops.)
4,500-plus feet of elevation gain

See y'all on on Day Six!

Adios

Stardate 2015.499

Day Four RtR

Crested Butte

The ride to Crested Butte on Day Four was a nice contrast to the wet of the previous day. Originally, there were two options for this day. One option was the normal highway ride from Gunnison to Crested Butte. The second option was the Dirty 30. The Dirty 30 would travel up scenic Ohio Creek, climb and cross Ohio Pass, which is still a dirt road, then drop to Kebler Pass, before the final drop into Crested Butte. Ohio Pass is beautiful, however the powers that be nixed the optional route due to lingering snow and soggy conditions resulting from heavy spring rains.

The day turned out to be a rest day. I think I rolled into Crested Butte around 9 in the morning. Snowcatcher and I spent the day lounging around. Crested Butte proper is a historic mining town. There also exists a ski village a mile or so above old town at the ski area.



The southern terminus of the Elk Mountain Range is shown above. Teocalli Mountain touches the sky at 13,208 feet (state rank # 478) while 14,265 foot Castle Peak (state rank # 12) rises even higher behind Teocalli. I've summited Castle Peak several times, and it's a very scenic hike.



On the east side of town, Mount Crested Butte rises to 12,162 feet.



The little town's population just grew by 3,000.



Guess who?



Rising in the background is the Ruby Range. It's a sub-range of the Elk Range. The West Elk Range rises southwest of the Ruby Range.



'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe...



I took this shot because I want the old red Ford F250 sitting on the grass. The mountains rising in the background aren’t half-bad either.

Our next stop will take us 12,000 feet into the sky.

Adios