High elevation riding

 We started our ride Sunday in Fairplay, Colorado at 9,954' and 284 miles later finished our ride in Leadville, Colorado at 10,158'. We intentionally took the long way around to enjoy riding in the Rockies. As the crow flies, only 16 miles separates these two old mining towns.

We took CO 9 north out of Fairplay and soon started climbing up Hoosier Pass at 11,542'. Our approach from south to north is less steep and more sweeping turns compared to the north side which features hairpin turn switchbacks and 8% grades - tons of fun on the BMW!

We stopped at the summit for a photo since our address in Prescott, Arizona was Hoosier Pass!

As we continued north on CO 9, we passed numerous ski houses, signs that we were getting close to Breckenridge - both the town and the ski area. Like many towns in this area, Breckenridge was founded by miners during the 1859 Pike's Peak gold rush. Once the ski area opened in 1961, the town growth exploded and it's packed with tourists all year round.

Until we reached Breck we enjoyed little traffic and zooming along the road. All of that changed over the next few miles as we rode through tourist and ski area central - Frisco and Silverthorne,  - at times needing to ride east on I70 for a few miles. This is a gorgeous area but challenging for us to enjoy while riding in a sea of traffic. The one bright spot is the huge Dillon Reservoir  created in the 1960's to provide water for Denver and today filled with all types of water sport recreation.

We were thrilled to ride out of the traffic as we continued north on CO 9, taking the long way to our eventual destination of Leadville so that we could enjoy more Colorado riding. Our route took us along the Blue River, a 65 mile long tributary of the Colorado River that is dammed to form the Green Mountain Reservoir that was built between 1938 and 1943.

We crossed the Colorado River just before we reached Kremmling, and then turned north/east onto US40, riding past yet another reservoir - this time the Wolford Mountain Reservoir. 

US 40 goes into Steamboat Springs, and along the way we saw numerous signs advertising F.M. Light & Sons western clothing store, established in 1905 and continuing to sell western wear today.

Our route took us over two passes over the Continental Divide. First up was Muddy Pass, at 8,772' one of the lower passes on our trip. There aren't any hairpin switchbacks on either side of the pass, and then just a few miles down the road we rode up Rabbit Ears Pass at 9,426'. We could see the iconic rabbit ears rock formation long before we actually rode up the pass.

We made a quick detour into Steamboat Springs for lunch and then continued south on CO 131 through rolling hills and ranchland.

We then came upon the Colorado River again, this time riding along the river and watching several rafting groups before we crossed at State Bridge. It was getting hot and I kept imagining how cool it would feel to be rafting today.

After crossing the Colorado, we turned south on US 24 which took us into Leadville. Our route today was a large upside-down "U" shape, so now we were headed back into busy traffic as we rode through the ski towns of Beaver Creek and EagleVail. We finally left the traffic behind as we started climbing up Tennessee Pass, reaching 10,424'.

This stretch of US 24th is designed the US 10th Mountain Division Highway to honor this Army division that was the first to train in winter war, starting in 1942. This is also part of the Top of the Rockies scenic byway that over 75 miles connects several old mining towns, traveling through three national forests - all on a highway that is over 9,000' elevation.

One of my favorite parts of this route is the suspension bridge built in 1940 over the Eagle River.

This route has it all:  sweeping turns, tight hairpin switchbacks, huge stands of aspens, long views of the valley far below, and snow peaked mountains that rise over 14,000'.

We've ridden this route a few times, but this is our first time staying overnight in Leadville. It's Mike's birthday, and we're planning to celebrate in this still vibrant historic mining town.

Back on the bike after a weekend in Denver

We spent the weekend in Denver with our kids, using Lyft to get around instead of our motorcycle.

The first 40 miles today were on busy, congested, Monday-morning Denver traffic highways so we could get out of the city and on our way northwest. Today's destination is Thermopolis, Wyoming, the site of the world's largest mineral hot springs.

The real fun started when we turned onto US Route 40, riding what Butler Motorcycle Maps calls one of the most fun and difficult rides in the country.

Route 40 twists and turns up and over the Continental Divide through Berthoud Pass at 11,307'. The temperature dropped to 42 degrees at one point as we descended down the shady side of the pass.

This wasn't the only pass we climbed, or the only time we crossed the Continental Divide today. Route 40 continued on over Muddy Pass at 8,772' and Rabbit Ears Pass at 9,426', each time crossing the Continental Divide.

Along the way we saw numerous road signs advertising F.M. Light & Sons cowboy outfitters since 1905 in Steamboat, and then the actual store on the main street. The signs are a good reminder that this area was popular long before it became a tourist and ski destination.

Once we rode through the busy traffic in Steamboat Springs, we continued on Route 40 along the Yampa River, a mostly wide and shallow river that flows through the green countryside.

We crossed into Wyoming with wide-open views to the horizon, clear blue skies, and pronghorn antelope munching the grass along the side of the mostly open road with almost no traffic.

We continued on WY 287 North through Sweetwater Station, near where the Oregon/Mormon trail crossed the Sweetwater River during the Mormons westward migration from Illinois in 1846-47. This road is named after Shoshone Chief Washakie who was instrumental in signing important treaties and establishing this trade route.

We stopped at the scenic lookout on the top of the Beaver Rim Escarpment where trappers and traders met in the 1830's to exchange goods. We could see over the Wind River Basin to the Absaroke Mountain Range 120 miles away at the border of Montana and Wyoming.

We wound our way down the escarpment into the Wind River Valley and the Shoshone Reservation. Route 20 is the Wind River Scenic Byway, and scenic doesn't even come close to describing the twisting road that snakes along the river through the steep and rocky gorge.

The scenic byway ends at the town of Thermopolis, our stopping point for the night. It's the first time we've been on the motorcycle in Wyoming, and we loved the changing scenery and roads tailor-made for motorcycles.