Colorado Canyons, Mountains, Ruins, bikes, ice cream and bakeries.

In early August I had the pleasure of cycling in Southwest Colorado with a group of friends.  We started in Grand Junction.....

Colorado National Monument

What a way to start a bike trip! 35 mile ride through ‘Spectacular canyons cut deep into sandstone, and even granite–gneiss–schist, rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinion and juniper forests on the plateau’ (Wikipedia).  The initial climb from Grand Junction up Monument Rd to Rimrock drive was a wake-up call, as the elevation is 5000 ft., but the fabulous views along the way, and ride along Rimrock Drive is so fabulous that the climb seemed a small price to pay.  Here I am at the park entrance with Dennis - I have the blue bike.

A brief aside from the scenery – Dennis (another gear-head) and I noticed a Mazda Miata that rumbled by us a few times as we cruised along the rim.  (For those of you who aren't car buffs, Miatas don’t usually rumble, their sound is more like a purrr) This car sounded like a Corvette, and at one of the lookout points Dennis had a chance to chat with the driver.  It turns out that this particuar Miata does have a Corvette engine!  One of only a few that have been customized this way. Dennis and Paul got the details; LS3 Corvette mill with about 445 hp at the crank, 425 at rear wheels,  no overheating problems, with use of custom aluminum radiator, and maybe an extra fan or two, approx. $8k spent on suspension to keep the rubber side down.

Rimrock Drive descends into Fruita, where we had lunch.  I wandered along the sidewalk looking for ice cream (which I found) and encountered a subject for the next VeloRaptor Logo.  After lunch we boarded the vans for the drive down to Ouray where we spent the night.

Ouray to Telluride

Breakfast in Ourey the next morning was at the Roast and Toast Bakery http://roastandtoastouray.com/.  The baked goods were terrific, and they made a good cappuccino.  They were even so considerate as to take care of those who REALLY NEED COFFEE.

Rolling out of Ouray, we had a 10 mile cruise downhill through a pastoral valley to Ridgeway.

There we took a left turn and began a long climb up Route 62 to the Dallas Divide (elev. 9000 ft). 

Those of us at the back of the pack were greeted at the top of the climb with a splash of rain and a dash of hail. I had a few choice words for Mother Nature when the hail hit me a quarter mile from the summit.  Fortunately, we could see clear sky ahead, and the downhill was fantastic, fun, scenic, and plenty fast!  

After several exhilarating miles of DOWN, our route turned left onto Hwy 145, heading to Telluride.  A strong rainstorm had struck the previous night, and crews were busy clearing several mudslides that came across a 5 mile stretch of the highway.  Traffic was limited to one lane while they cleaned off the road, and we enjoyed pedaling through the canyon along the river that was red with mud, far behind the strings of cars.  It was then that we encountered the interminable climb into Telluride.  I mean the climb was bad enough, long and steep, and at elevation, but when you reach the top, there was NO ‘DOWN’ into Telluride.  Actually, there is a miniscule drop, then a gradual and rather irritating climb up into town.  Moreover, rain clouds caught and doused several of us as we slogged our way into Telluride.  Thankfully, our accommodations were at the luxurious Camel’s Garden Hotel, an excellent place to stay http://www.camelsgarden.com/. 

After a shower, change of clothes, and a drink at the bar, a few of us clambered aboard the free gondola to the Telluride Ski Resort Village. There we found a coffee shop and ice cream.  On the gondola ride back we were treated to a rainbow spanning the Telluride valley.

Telluride to Cortez

The next day we were back on our bikes - early - for our ride to Cortez. This was the longest day – 74 miles, and the route took us over Lizard Head Pass!  

I made it to the top! 

Actually, we all did!

After the pass came a long and much anticipated (50 mile) descent.  The first several miles did not disappoint, as the grade was substantial, and once again, we found that the road was under construction, and traffic was limited to one lane only. We sometimes had to wait, but then followed far behind the cars, essentially having the road to ourselves. Unfortunately, it didn’t last and all too soon we found ourselves riding 40 miles of very gradual downhill, INTO THE WIND.  Coasting was not an option, one had to pedal, and pedal, and then keep pedaling.  Let’s just say it was a grueling 40 miles.  We finally arrived in Cortez where we met our guides and the vans at a grassy park.  We lazed around a bit, with snacks and libations, then boarded the vans for the easy drive to Mesa Verde National Park. Our lodging was at the Far View Lodge, which is quite comfortable, and the restaurant is very good.   The lodge is aptly named, as we could easily see Shiprock 50 miles away.

Mesa Verde Ruins

Rest day off the bikes, fabulous tour of the Pueblo ruins at Mesa Verde. 

I especially want to mention our National Park guide David Night-Eagle.  His presentation was excellent and the finish, with him playing a piece on his handmade flute was spectacular!

   

It was interesting to contrast these ruins to the ruins on the Inca Trail, and at Machu-Picchu in Peru, which I saw in May.  They were contemporaneous cultures, and I'll leave the discriminating discussion to the experts, but will say that the Incas were the more advanced stone masons.

Durango

After touring the ruins at Mesa Verde we drove to Durango and had the a few hours to kill before dinner. The highlights of the afternoon were mainly culinary.  First was ice cream at the Cream Bean Berry http://creambeanberry.com/site/.  This place makes excellent ice cream in a variety of flavors, some unusual like dill and basil.  While I tried these eclectic flavors, I went for an old standby – coffee.

On the way down Main Street, back to the hotel, I came across Jean Pierre Bakery and Wine Bar. http://www.jeanpierrebakery.com/.  As I was going in, I overheard a young woman on her way out remark to her friend that this place had the best croissants she had ever tasted.

  

Naturally, I had to taste the wares, and I must say the young woman was right, this place makes excellent croissant, rivaling any that I have had in Europe.  In particular, I tried the almond croissant, which was nice and light, with just the right amount of filling.  They also do strawberry, blueberry and a few other variations, some savory as well as sweet.  Their offerings also include fancy pastries.  I ended up going back there twice more, taking fellow cyclists along on each visit.

Wednesday night several of us had dinner at a New Mexican restaurant near the hotel called Gazpacho that was recommended by our guides at Mesa Verde.  http://www.gazpachodurango.com/. The place did not disappoint. I had the Green Chili Stew, a thick stew with pork, zucchini, yellow squash and corn with flavors similar to pesole.  Moreover, I still recall Kathy’s eyes getting real big as the food arrived for David, John and Rob who were seated behind me. I can only say that the entrees were BIG, like Super Burritos on steroids.  Apparently, they were delicious as well, as all three plates ended up clean.

The following day started with a great bike ride to Vallecito Reservoir. This was an out and back ride (47 miles) through the pastoral countryside outside Durango.

 Lunch was at the marina.

This part of Colorado is fairly bike friendly, Rob racing some locals in a roundabout!

We returned to the hotel, and again had a few hours of free time before dinner.  The hotel was at one end of town, and a few chairs and tables were set outside with a view across the river, highway and railroad tracks to a green mountain side.  A few of us sat out and watched rafters floating downstream, and were treated to an amazing spectacle of 3 dogs running up and down the steep mountain side, perhaps tearing after a rabbit or just getting some exercise.  Whatever the case, these dogs were showing amazing speed and endurance, as the hillside was long and steep.
We also managed another visit to the ice cream shop during the afternoon.  The sidewalks on main street have some large planters, and along the way we encountered a sphinx moth hovering/feeding on flowers.  These moths are about the same size and fly a lot like hummingbirds. None of us had seen a sphinx moth before and a long discussion ensued regarding this unusual creature.  We could see the antennae, and the legs, making us think it an insect, but from certain angles, and the way it hovered with wing fluttering so rapidly and a beak like tongue, it sure looked like a hummingbird.  One give-a-way was that we were quite close ‘hovering’ around the creature ourselves, and it seemed to be unaware of our presence.  Here is a picture of a sphinx moth,

and here you can see one hovering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87E1bz-Rg2k.

After resolving the great moth mystery, I still had a few minutes to kill, and paid a visit to the free Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. A steam powered train runs regularly from Durango to Silverton, and the museum has a twin to the steam engine, and an interesting history of the railroad.   Dinner was at Ken and Sue’s http://www.kenandsues.com/, and it was excellent.  This restaurant is rated tops in Durango, and the reputation is well deserved. 

Returning to the hotel we passed one of the small theaters in town. It is locally owned and was playing ‘Hillary’s World’ a right wing propaganda piece about the world will probably end if Hillary is elected.   Steve G. went in to get more info on the film, and turns out, that was the last night it was playing, so the young lady staffing the place pulled down the poster for the movie and gave it to Steve.  She seemed glad to get the poster out of the place, but was very professional and didn’t let on as to her personal views.

Ride then Drive.

7 am on our last day, and we were on our bikes for a 30 mile ride along the Animas River.  We rode from our hotel out to the bridge where Hwy 250 crosses the Animas.  It is a beautiful spot, where the river has cut a through the bedrock, forming small gorge, with shear sides about 20 ft high, overlooking big dark pools of greenish water.  Turns out, this cliff is where Butch and Sundance jumped to escape Indian tracker "Lord Baltimore" and relentless lawman Joe Lefors in the movie ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ – one of my all -time favorite movies.  (My friend Paul learned this bit of trivia by talking to a lady cyclist that had also stopped on the bridge).

We got back to the hotel, grabbed another coffee and croissant at the Jean Pierre bakery, then showered, loaded up the vans, and headed for Salt Lake City (6+ hours) and our flight to Oakland. 

************************************************

Acknowledgments:  Black Sheep Adventures tour agency provided great accommodations and support, and I want to thanks our guides, Ryan and Jenn, for shepherding us along in great style on this trip.  https://www.blacksheepadventures.com/.