These mountains were created as the continental plates slammed into each other, and then volcanic activity and glaciers carved the steep mountains and U-shaped canyons. The Ute people lived here for hundreds of years, and the Spanish were the first Europeans to explore this area, naming many of the mountains and rivers.
It's an absolutely gorgeous spot for motorcycle riders and we took full advantage of the opportunities literally in our back yard.
We started our trip heading northeast on US 160 from Pagosa Springs, riding once again over Wolf Creek Pass on the Continental Divide at 10,857'. On the eastern side of the pass we turned north onto CO 149 at South Fork, at the confluence of the South Fork and Rio Grande rivers.
South Fork is start of the 117 mile Silver Thread Scenic Byway and we thoroughly enjoyed winding our way along the Rio Grande river. We passed through Creede, which bears the distinction of being the town with the most people (257 in the 2020 Census) AND the county seat of Mineral County. It's hard to believe that in 1891 more than 10,000 people lived in Creede due to the silver mining boom.
Our first stop of the day was at Clear Creek Falls, where the water shoots over the plateau down the rocks of the 100' canyon. From the highway you have no idea that the canyon or the waterfall is just a few hundred feet away - so be sure to stop.
Not long after riding past the waterfall we started climbing up the first of two passes: Spring Creek Pass at 10,898' along the Continental Divide.
The 2-lane paved road winds and twists, complete with some U-shaped hairpin turns up Slumgullion Pass at 11,530'. Some of the climbs are 9% grade, and we had a lot of fun zooming along, looking at the mountain peaks in the distance.
Our second stop of the day was at Windy Point overlook where we could clearly see several high peaks of the Umcompahgre Wilderness only 15 miles away.
The highest peak (the pointy one that leans to the right) is Uncompahgre Peak, at 14,321'.
We could also see the Slumgullion Earthflow Natural Landmark that started 850 years ago when a huge chunk of rock, dirt and forest broke off and slid 4 miles down the side of the mountain.
The earth continues to move about 20' each year, and as we rode past the 'toe' of the earthflow, I wondered when it will slide over the highway.
CO 149 took us into Lake City, another town that grew during the mining years to 5000 people, and today is home to about 430. In 1978 the Lake City Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and the town is gorgeous. We stopped for lunch and then rode through the original downtown area, now home to galleries and shops.
We continued north on CO 149, riding through a gorge formed by the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River.
The landscape opened up as we rode through grasslands with far off views of more of the San Juan Mountains.
The Silver Thread Scenic Byway ends at Blue Mesa Reservoir, where CO 149 meets US 50.
The Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest body of water in Colorado, 20 miles in length with over 96 miles of shoreline. It's impressive to ride for miles along the lake, and we were surprised that there weren't more boats on the water on a beautiful Labor Day weekend.
We've ridden on US 50 several times over the last 10 years, and there is always construction. This year was one of the only times we didn't have to stop and wait for several minutes as the traffic was reduced to one-way only for a few miles - but there was a section that was loose gravel, always challenging on a motorcycle.
We finished the day in Montrose after riding 241 miles through the stunning San Juan Mountains, looking forward to another day as we continue our 2-day ride.
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