Three Passes and I Didn’t Sit One Exam!

Today started badly, but then got much better!

It is said “An army marches on its stomach”. The same goes for bikers sitting in the saddle all day – they need their breakfast! I was feeling tired last night so I went to bed early. I woke early and sorted my pictures from yesterday, wrote my words and posted on my blog. Satisfied, I packed and went downstairs for breakfast. It was 9.05am and I was hungry. I walked into the hotel’s restaurant to be told that breakfast finished at 9am. This was my 72nd day on the road and the first time I had missed breakfast. No, correct that, it was the first time a hotel had been stupid enough to finish breakfast so early!

This pissed me off greatly and I told the hotel manager exactly what I thought about this when I checked out. For the record, this was the same strange hotel, the Delaware, that I wrote about this morning while breakfast WAS being served. My advice – don’t stay there. Anywhere that disregards its customers like this deserves no custom whatsoever. The hotel is too weird - one guy told me this morning that if he had stayed there as a child, he would have been put off hotels for life!

I left the hotel in a bad mood and went and ate breakfast at the only other establishment that had food in the town of Leadville – the local gas station. Stale coffee and a cardboard fruit bar. Yuck. Now I was in a really bad mood.

I don’t know why, but I decided to ride away from Leadville via some back streets and bizarrely, I found an old railway engine hidden away on one of those back streets.... I used to watch steam trains when I was a boy. They passed near to the first house I lived in....





















Many times on this tour, I have seen something and turned around to go back and have a look. This morning I did my now well practiced U turn to take a closer look at a lot of snowmobiles for sale or rent. They were a striking colour (US = color).... I was pleased with this picture when I saw it this evening on my laptop....



















Soon, I was riding over my first pass of the day – the 11318 foot high Fremont Pass. Beyond the summit, I stopped at Clifton Creek Lake. It was beautiful as it shimmered in the sunlight. I talked to two guys on bikes – one BMW and a Yamaha and I didn’t get their names, but save to say, we stood there for a while exchanging road stories. I like doing that. It is very easy to talk to other bikers!....



















I needed to find a restroom (but I didn’t need to rest), or a bathroom would have done (no, I didn’t need a bath either), so I rode quickly north hoping to find a toilet. Why don’t Americans call it a toilet? Luckily I soon arrived at Copper Mountain and I found what I was looking for. Relieved, I went for a ride around this mountain resort and I was surprised to see a golf course this high up. My GPS / Sat Nav told me I was at 9737 feet so I tried to think of how playing at this elevation would help or hinder your game. No doubt, in the thinner air, you ball would travel further, but you would get more tired walking the distance of the course. I looked for golf buggies but didn’t see any....





















I wonder if this is one of the highest golf courses in the US. Somebody will no doubt tell me.... !

On reaching the city of Dillion, I rode on top of the rock and earth dam that held back the Dillon Reservoir and headed for Swan Mountain Road. This wasn’t very high, but had an overlook. The view wasn’t great but I did see this little girl trying to feed the chipmunks.... she was getting near to a steep drop....



















Nearby I saw this good sculpture of an eagle....





















Next was Loveland Pass at 11,990 feet and on the continental divide....



















Riding down Loveland Pass, on its northern side, the road goes down at a steep gradient and meets I-70. I stopped on a bend, right where I shouldn’t and snapped this picture of the Interstate below. It was like being in a plane looking down....





















Before I left the UK I read about the Georgetown Loop Railroad, so today, it was on my list of places to see. How about this for a scary railway bridge.... and no, my picture is not at an angle – the track was inclined like this!....



















This was the same train at the nearby Devils Gate Station. There is something very appealing about the power of steam trains....





















A few pictures of buildings in Georgetown.....

It is made of wood and is 143 years old!....





















This church was built just 7 years later....





















My third pass of the day was Berthoud Pass at 11315 feet. This was my favourite as it had wide sweeping bends... yippeeee!.......



























For tonight’s stop I called into the Winter park resort and got a small condo for the night in this building.... being out of the snow season, it was remarkably good value....



















I went for a walk and soon realised this was a popular place for mountain biking. I liked this couples outfits....



























I rode the chair lift to the top....



















This mountain biker made me laugh. It was like he was saying something like “Shit, I left the oven on”.....



















This guy was going very quick over the rocks..... ok, maybe riding a motorbike isn’t quite as dangerous as this....





















It is remarkable how quickly these mountain bikers ride on such rough surfaces. No wonder they wear all that protection....





















A few shots from the top of the mountain....

































































I got back to the condo and took off my boots. After wearing them for 72 days in a row, they are beginning to get a life of their own. Here they are going out for the evening....





















I might need to buy some more boots, or at least leave these outside when I take them off!

I just re-read this blog post and realised there are no pictures of motorbikes. Note to self – take bike pictures tomorrow........

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The Independence of Aspen

Of course I had heard of Aspen and despite the fact that it truly is world famous, I didn’t see one sign proclaiming it so.

Almost all the way from Glenwood Springs to Aspen, I and a gaggle of other vehicles all drove at the speed limit, carefully observing all the laws of the road. This sudden observance of the law by all was caused by the local Sheriff, driving in the left lane at exactly the speed limit and not one person dared to overtake in the right lane. Not that I personally wanted to go any faster today – it was a pleasant ride with plenty to look at along the way.

I had seen on the map there was a long and winding road (wasn’t that a song?) that started immediately before I was to reach Aspen called Castle Creek Road that heads almost due south. It wasn’t on my route but I decided to give it a try anyway.

I smiled as I saw this sign....



But wait a minute, did that mean the road was twisty, or suffered from high wind? One would be good, the other not! I didn’t need to have worried for within a minute or so, I knew what message the sign was meant to give. Twisty! Rising slowly, the road starts at 7,900 feet (2410m) near Aspen up to just under 10,000 feet (3000m) before the road runs out 12 miles later. It was a fun ride, shared with no cars but quite a few cyclists whom I take my hat off to – that was a long rising road and their fitness was not in question. I turned around and rode back and at one stage I had a hard job to keep pace with a Kamikaze cyclist who was riding so fast down the mountain that he must have had a really good reason to get there that quickly. I pondered this for a while - a mistress or lunch was my conclusion. It was fascinating to see him lean over into the bends and I was amazed his marrow tyres (US = tires) gave so much grip. Eventually I found a straight piece of road and got passed him, probably only arriving in Aspen just before he did. I didn’t see his mistress, but I did look for somewhere to eat.

I didn’t know what to expect of Aspen. I had stopped on the way at the nearby Snowmass Ski Resort and took an instant dislike to it. The place was not at all welcoming and I couldn’t do as I usually prefer and ride around first to get a feel of the place before parking, as the only option they give you is to park some distance away and get a bus into the centre or park in a multi-storey car park first and then walk. I chose to do neither and decided Snowmass was not for me.

So, I rode into the nearby Aspen hoping it would be the same. I need not have worried for it was a grid of small tree lined streets, with a lot of people around, welcoming shops and restaurants and the best thing of all, loads of dedicated and free motorcycle parking bays. Cars had to pay to park. Smiles. Bobskoot would like this!

I took my camera for a walk and was rewarded with some nice pictures of the centre of the place....





















































I liked Aspen. I had lunch there (a delicious Salmon burger) and afterwards I strolled around the pedestrianised centre. It seemed a happy place with kids playing, people sitting outside and eating and generally it felt very relaxed. I liked this water-feature....













































And I laughed when I saw this really cool chopper styled bicycle with it’s ape hanger bars....



















The next corner I turned I saw this wonderful Chevy Corvette. Drool.....



















I love the front grille....



















I put my camera away and got back on my bike and headed out of Aspen, eagerly anticipating Independence Pass which was just up the road.

I was disappointed.

The road up to the pass looked fantastic on the map. It looked like mile upon mile of sweeping bends rising to 12,000 feet. I could imagine the joy of riding such a road with great views, but it wasn’t like that. The road was very narrow, often just one lane to be shared in both directions and the view was non-existent, spoiled by tightly spaced trees. Sure, it was a good ride, but not the great one I had anticipated.

I did stop at the summit....





















The views looking down were pretty good....







































I did see this couple on their Road King. I laughed at the dog in the bag on the back....





















On the way back down the mountain the other side of the pass, I stopped at Twin Lakes for a picture....



























I stopped for the night in Leadville, a small un-distinguished town that I heard once had 60,000 people living there and In the late 1800s, Leadville was the second most populous city in Colorado, after Denver. At 10,200 feet it is the highest incorporated city in the United States.

Now a shadow of its former grandeur, I did manage to find somewhere to stay and I ate at the only place in town that served food after 6pm.

The hotel is, err, odd. The Delaware
Hotel is a sort of a cross between a hotel and a museum, that sells mainly old furniture and clothes. I walked into the lobby to see row upon row of racks of clothes for sale and I wondered if I had gone into the wrong doorway. After quickly looking around I saw a sign pointing to the well hidden hotel registration desk and checked in. A very unusual place indeed!.....

The hotel sign....



























The lobby....





















An upstairs corridor....





















I did manage to find a great saloon though. Built in 1879, the Silver Dollar Saloon is a real piece of history. It looks as if it has hardly changed over the years.... (except the cars parked outside the fron)....



























Here is the back room....





















The barman told me the mirror behind the bar was still the original, now 131 years old – remarkable!

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The Wrong Road, Glenwood Springs and Ghostly Golfers....

Now I feel silly.

A few posts ago I mentioned I had been riding on I-70 and I thought this was the Million Dollar Highway, but silly me, it isn’t! Okay, I am a foreigner in a land full of roads, so if I get the occasional one wrong, then that’s ok!

Anyway, I did ride on I-70 that runs east-west through Colorado. I only did a short section either side of Glenwood Springs and considering it is an Interstate, I liked this one. I had read somewhere during my route planning that this section was impressive, so I rode it. I even un-necessarily rode passed Glenwood Springs just to see what it was like, turned around and came back again. I took a few shots of this road with my point and shoot camera as I rode along, so the pictures are not good, plus it was cloudy....




























































































Arriving in Glenwood Springs, I found the Chamber of Commerce and asked about where to stay – I was directed to the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, which has the spring and hot pools as part of its complex. The hot springs has quite a history with people using it as a pool since 1880 and even before that by the Ute Indians....




















I went and sampled it’s delights , which were, well delightful. The main “rejuvenating pool” is maintained at 104F / 40C and smells of sulphur. I am really sceptical about alternative medicines and the same goes for things like hot springs, but I have to say, I did feel better after being in their a while. My back has been playing up for the past few days and I am sure the water did it some good.

Walking around the city of Glenwood I saw this dog sitting in the entrance to a shoe shop. He looked splendid as if he was guarding the doorway. I do like Labradors and this one was no exception. They just look so happy as you walk up to them to give them a stroke. Look carefully at the picture and see the door-stops to the shop....


























I went to see a chiropractor to see if the pain in my back could be made to go away. I felt a bit pummelled after the session, but I think it did some good. I asked the chiropractor, Anna, if she thought the hot pools actually did any good medically and she was convinced they do. She used them a lot when she first moved to Glenwood Springs. Anna had a her dog with her at work, something I think is a great idea. Anna likes blue-grass music and goes to concerts often and she enjoys singing. After being told that her dog, Kayla, joins in with the singing, I had to get the two of them to show me. Luckily I had my camera with me.... here are the two of them singing....


























I saw this .... I wonder if you can tell what it is....

















This is a bigger picture....




















That is some rust!

I went for a walk after dark and took my camera. Here are the springs at night. I was quite pleased with this picture....


















Next door to the springs is a mini-golf place that is illuminated and open at night. I took this picture of some ghostly golfers....


















Glenwood Springs seems like a fun town with lots to do locally. I imagine one could easily spend a week here and keep busy every day.

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