Colorado Rocky Mountains

 We're back in Colorado, starting in Craig and ending the day in Gunnison. This means high elevations over mountain passes and crossing the Continental Divide while enjoying curving, sweeping roads.

We started riding east on US 40 from Craig, riding into the sun through fields and rolling hills. We turned south onto Routt County 27 which is such a fun motorcycle road - hardly any straight sections and all twists and curves.

We turned onto Colorado 131S, another winding and curving road.

We rode along the Colorado River and crossed the river at one point, watching brightly colored boats filled with people enjoying a beautiful day on the water.

Colorado 131 came to an end and we had two options: take I-70 east for 12 miles, or follow US 6 east. We chose US 6 and enjoyed riding through the heavily populated Eagle/Vail and Avon area without battling semi trucks and traffic on the interstate.

US6 ends at US 24 just west of Minturn, and we started climbing up Tennessee Pass toward Leadville. 

A railroad was built here in 1881 to support the mining operations, and mining continues to be important today. This is also the part of the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway, passing the training area for the 10th Mountain Division during WWII as they prepared for warfare in the Alps. The 2-lane paved road twists and turns with brief interludes of fairly straight roads with amazing high alpine vistas.

We encountered more traffic than any other day during this trip, slowing to a crawl up the mountain behind a long line of cars and trucks hauling oversized loads over the 10,424' Tennessee Pass and then on through Leadville, at 10,119' the highest incorporated town in the United States. We continued on US 24 descending from Leadville toward Buena Vista.

This is part of the Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway,  57 mile paved route that parallels the Continental Divide at the foot of the Sawatch Mountain Range, the highest concentration of 14,000' or higher peaks in the country.

We hoped to stop for lunch in Buena Vista, but it was packed with tourists so we continued on US 285S alongside the Arkansas River to Poncha Springs. 

We stopped for lunch at the Hunger Shack in Poncha Springs before continuing on US 50 west over Monarch Pass, at 11,312' on the Continental Divide.

Spruce beetles have killed huge numbers of mature trees in the Rockies in Colorado, and we rode past areas where the Watershed Health Project is removing dead trees to reduce the fuel load for wildfires.

We continued winding down Monarch Pass on US 50, riding through the irrigated valley to Gunnison, our stop for the night. We're looking forward to pizza and locally brewed beer to celebrate a gorgeous ride through the heart of the Rockies in Colorado.

Colorado mountains and rivers

 We started the first of a 3-day motorcycle trip today, riding east from Pagosa Springs on US 160E, riding over Wolf Creek Pass in the San Juan mountains over the Continental Divide. We rode this route in reverse last Sunday, so check out that post for photos of the twists and turns up and over the mountains.

Once in Del Norte we turned north on CO112, riding through the San Luis Valley, one of the largest high altitude (about 8,000') valleys in the world and home to ranches and farming.

It's the end of July, but riding at this altitude the temperature is comfortable in the mid to high 70's. When we reached Saguache (derived from a Ute word that means sand dunes, referencing the nearby Great Sand Dunes National Park) we turned onto US 285, continuing to head north through the San Luis Valley.

We rode over Poncha Pass, at just 9,010' one of the lowest passes in Colorado. Winding down the north side of Poncha Pass we came into Poncha Springs, and stopped at the Flamingo food truck for lunch just as it started to rain. This is a do not miss stop - delicious food and friendly people. Luckily there is an indoor place to eat, and by the time we finished lunch the rain stopped.

We turned east on US 50 to ride through Bighorn Sheep Canyon along the Arkansas River. This was our first time riding the BMW through this area, and the twisting road along steep rocky cliffs and clear water was a ton of fun - even though we didn't see any sheep.

Just past Parkdale we left the Arkansas River and turned north on CO 9 and climbed out of the river valley into South Park, one of three high altitude basins in Colorado. 

We rode 280 miles today, twisting over mountain passes and through river valleys, ending up on a straight road at over 9,000' elevation with views of snowy Rocky Mountain peaks in the distance. Our stop tonight is in Fairplay, founded in 1859 as part of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. You can still pan for gold in the Middle Fork of the South Platte River that runs through town. We've ridden through Fairplay several times, and this will be our first time staying here.

Tomorrow our route will take us over more mountain passes through the heart of the Rockies. We're looking forward to it!