Rocky Muontian Ride

[Norm]

I'd like to think all those who gave me advise on riding the Colorado
Rockies. I started in Aurora worked my way through
Deckers onto Woodland park for a night then to Buena Vista and over
Cottonwood Pass and into Crested Butte for a couple nights then down through
Gunnison to Lake City and over Cinnamon Pass to Silverton up through Ouray
and around to Telluride then down to and through Cortez and into Mesa Verde
for a couple of nights and finally into Durango where I got my flight back
to Philadelphia. This was just a breakdown of my tour. I stayed in more
places than I mentioned. I was out for 14 days. I rode some 600 + miles in
11 or 12 days. I camped half of the time and stayed in motels the other
half. The weather was perfect. The people were nice. The route I mapped out
seemed to give me more down hills than up, this was a blessing. The hills
were long and I never did get used to the climbing but I survived. The
scenery was my motivation it was second to none. With each breathless ride
up a pass came a wonderful glide down through a beautifully scenic valley.
The ride from Silverton to Ouray was especially challenging and
breathtaking. Thanks!

[R15757]

Norm wrote:

<<
I'd like to think all those who gave me advise on riding the Colorado
Rockies. I started in Aurora worked my way through
Deckers onto Woodland park for a night...>>

In one day? Ouch.

<<...then to Buena Vista and over
Cottonwood Pass and into Crested Butte for a couple nights ...>>

Sweet.

<<....then down through
Gunnison to Lake City and over Cinnamon Pass to Silverton...>>

Yeah! That's a dirt road and Cinnamon is a huge pass.
Was there snow up there?

<<... up through Ouray
and around to Telluride then down to and through Cortez and into Mesa Verde
for a couple of nights and finally into Durango where I got my flight back
to Philadelphia. This was just a breakdown of my tour. I stayed in more
places than I mentioned. I was out for 14 days. I rode some 600 + miles in
11 or 12 days. I camped half of the time and stayed in motels the other
half. The weather was perfect. The people were nice. The route I mapped out
seemed to give me more down hills than up, this was a blessing. The hills
were long and I never did get used to the climbing but I survived. The
scenery was my motivation it was second to none. With each breathless ride
up a pass came a wonderful glide down through a beautifully scenic valley.
The ride from Silverton to Ouray was especially challenging and
breathtaking. ...>>

Red Mountain Pass is the coolest most ridiculous
section of paved road in the lower 48.

<<...Thanks!>>

Thank you for enjoying this state and
your bicycle the way they were meant to
be enjoyed.

Robert

[Chuck Anderson]

Norm,

Thanks for posting this follow up. Glad to hear you made it up and over
Cottonwood Pass. (Did you happen to notice the Cottonwood Hot Springs
Inn - 5 miles west of "Bueny?"). That is one of my favorite passes (and
the Inn is my favorite place to soak in hot pools). I'm guessing you 'd
seen this before, but if not:
http://www.cycletourist.com/Scenes/Cottonwood_Pass.html

>.... then to Buena Vista and over Cottonwood Pass and into Crested Butte for a couple nights
>
I also have to ask; ..."in one day? Crested Butte is one of the last (if
not the last) holdout mountain towns - not becoming overrun by Hollywood
$$$.

>I was out for 14 days. I rode some 600 + miles in 11 or 12 days. I camped half of the time and stayed in motels the other half. The weather was perfect. The people were nice. The route I mapped out
>seemed to give me more down hills than up, this was a blessing.
>
Uhhhmmmmm ..... [scratching head] ....... could that even be possible? ô¿Ô¬
I think you just got the hang of climbing. (Be patient, .... think about
something else - or become absorbed in the scenery!).

What comes down, must have gotten up there somehow.

>The hills were long and I never did get used to the climbing but I survived. The
>scenery was my motivation it was second to none. With each breathless ride
>up a pass came a wonderful glide down through a beautifully scenic valley.
>
>
As I thought.

>The ride from Silverton to Ouray was especially challenging and
>breathtaking. Thanks!
>
>
Never ridden there. I'll have to sometime.

Glad you enjoyed yourself. Did you take pictures? Are you gonna be able
to "publish" any? If you need web space to do so, let me know.)

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Integrity is obvious.
The lack of it is common.
*****************************