Note: Because, the town and cycling mecca of Durango, has numerous options when it comes to lodging.   And  also because,  this tour starts in Durango, Colorado and ends with a car shuttle back to Durango,  from Pagosa Springs– which is about an hour away. I have decided to not offer lodging for the night before, or the last  day of the  San Juan Mountain Pass Tour  Challenge.  And by doing so, the guests will have more independence, as  to where they choose   to stay the night before, and  even, whether   to  depart Durango, on  the final day. And get a head start on the way back home.

And as such…

The Rocky Mountain Cycling Challenge, is now a  5 days / 4 nights   bicycle tour.

Day one starts at 9:00 am , by meeting with the guests  at whichever motel the client stayed  in the night before. Then their  cycling and street clothes gets  loaded into the support vehicle, which is a small car.  Please remember to pack light, as room is limited in the support car. Bicycle tires are pumped up and off you go.

After that, you’ll l soon be on our way out of town. As we embark,  heading north up the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, which is also known as the Million Dollar Highway. And before you know it, you’ll be gaining elevation as you  re-tracing the route of the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. Which every Memorial Day Weekend, start out in Durango and travels  up to Silverton, Colorado. Two  notable  mountain passes that will be ridden over today,  before heading  down into Silverton. And they are:  Coal Bank Pass (10,660 ft)  and the Molas Pass (10,900).  Total  mileage for the day will be  50. Plus, an elevation  gain of  5,800 feet.

The second day begins with a climb up the Red Mountain Pass, which tops out at 11,018 feet. After that is  down hill into the town of Ouray. Which makes for a great lunch break, as it marks the  halfway point for the day. From there, it’s onto the town of Montrose, Colorado.  Total day mileage 62. Elevation gain 2,100.

Day one and two can be considered a warm up, as…

Day three involves  a century ride, plus a mile or so…  As the total mileage from Montrose to Lake City via Gunnison Canyon, is just over 100 miles. Highlights for the day include riding through the deep black canyon of the Gunnision, as well as the Blue Mesa lake.  Total day mileage 101. Elevation gain 7726. Yes 101 miles and 7,726 feet of climbing.

And now,  if day three wasn’t challenging enough for you, day four includes cycling up the steepest mountain pass in all of Colorado.  Which is the Slumgullion Pass, and  it’s constant 8 to 11% grades, that  tops out at 11,580 feet. From here,  all the rest of the mountain passes, in this bicycle tour  will seem easy.  More highlights of this day include pedaling through the old town of Creede, on your way to South Fork for the night. Total day mileage 74. Elevation gain 4,100.

Day 5., which is the final day, will   bring  a  final mountain pass:  Wolf Creek Pass. Wolf Creek Pass  also marks the spot of  the Continental divide at 10,850 feet. And,  whats most notable about this mountain pass, is it’s  steep descent on the backside–  which is a shame as you’ll miss a few  scenic panoramic views. But, don’t worry, as there are more panoramic views to come, as you approach the final town of Pagosa Springs– where the tour concludes.  Lunch can be had, and then it’s a car transfer back to Durango.   Total day mileage 49. Elevation gain 3,300.

Cost: $2070 (This is for a private bike tour for two people.) Non-cyclist are welcome to accompany.

What’s included in the price?

5 days / 4 nights of a full service  bicycle tour by C.K. Bicycle Tours.

Motels.

All breakfasts.

Snacks and cold drinks during the ride.

All ground transportation.

All luggage transfers.

An experienced mechanic and guide.

Support vehicle.

What’s not included in the price?

Airfare.

Travel and personal insurance.

Additional motel expenses (mini-bar, etc)

Lunches

Dinners

 Mileage:

Day 1: 50 miles.

Day 2: 62 miles.

Day 3: 101 miles.

Day 4: 74 miles.

Day 5: 49 miles.

Daily average: 67 miles.

Total miles: 403 miles.

Climb:

Day 1: 5,800 feet.

Day 2: 2,100 feet.

Day 3: 7,726 feet.

Day 4: 4,100 feet.

Day 5: 3,300 feet.

Daily average: 4,605 feet.

Total climb: 23,026 feet.

The Utes felt no threat from these people.  The explorers seemed most interested in traveling through the area and trading with their Indian friends, so the Ute people were usually cooperative.

Documented visits by the Spanish to the junction of the Uncompahgre and Tomiche rivers began in 1761, when an unknown Spanish explorer searching for gold followed the Old Ute Trail  — Old Spanish Trail—into the Delta County area.

Nothing is known of this explorer other than he passed through.

In 1765, Governor Cachupin of New Mexico sent Don Juan Rivera to explore the unknown northern lands of the Spanish territory. His route wound through southwestern Colorado, skirting the western edge of the San Juan and Elk Mountains, down into the Uncompahgre River Valley.

He followed the river to its junction with the Tomiche (now the Gunnison River) were he camped at a shallow ford in a grassy valley near the present site of Delta, Colorado.

Here, on a cottonwood tree, Rivera carved his initials, a cross, and the date. The detour he made around the formidable mountain ranges undoubtedly saved him much discomfort and hardship, but it also kept him from finding gold…the second objective of his trip.

Years later, another party of Spanish explorer reached the same ford and the same grassy spot. This group was led by Mora and Sandoval who were exploring under private rather than governmental patronage.  The journalist for this party mentioned Rivera’s inscription at the ford.

On July 4, 1776, saw two Spanish priests heading an expedition of twelve out of Santa Fe for the Western Slope of Colorado. They were Fathers Silvestre Valdez de Escalante and Francisco Anthanasia Dominquez.  Their party was sponsored by Father Junipero Serro, founder of the Californian missions. The priest sought a shorter route to those missions and searched along the way for places to establish more missions. They traveled up the Uncompahgre and across the flats of present-day Peach Valley from Olathe and crossed the Gunnison River between the sites of Delta and Austin before climbing Grand Mesa. They never saw the canyons to the west which now carry their names.

Linda

http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

“A Distant Time”

As a full-time teacher and, when I can find the time, a casual photographer, I constantly juggle family, job and outside interests. Travel and photography are my chance to unwind and be a little creative while experiencing a different place from my everyday routine. I do not always succeed with combining both but, I am more committed once I leave the comfort of my home. One trip that would best exemplify this was the one I took to Ouray, CO, the “swiss alps of the west”.

As usual I have to escape the east coast via the dreaded airport, and in my case that means Philadelphia International. As most people know, this first step can be a crap shoot with delays, weather and just an overall gloomy vibe that surrounds you. I often cross my fingers, and anything else I can find, to bring out the “nice travel gods”. By the time I make it to the Denver airport, which also includes a transfer to another plane, I find my gate and follow stairs that lead down, and by down I mean way ‘basement like’ down. I had never transferred this far to another plane until then. I found myself tracking what seemed like an unending maze of ropes and  passages until I found the exit door. I opened it and froze for the moment as I saw the tarmac. Half expecting sirens to explode and 10 TSA agents to tackle me… hey that would have probably been exciting except that my travel plans would have ended. To my utter surprise, a very cheerful attendant pointed to the plane… can we all say “now thats a small plane”. It turned out this was where my adventure began and hopefully did not end… on a twin prop plane that literally flew straight up and then down to yet another first…. one of the smallest airports I have ever been to.

The town of Ouray is wedged between mountains on all sides, one road in and one out, and let me tell you it is a really dynamic road which is called the “million dollar highway”. There are no guard rails just beautiful vistas on all sides and I was there to breathe it all in, if I could just keep my eyes on the road! My group would be taking large 4×4’s into the San Juan Mountains for the next five days. I traveled in awe thinking what kind of people it took to carve out these twisting roads just to reach their mines deep in the hills. What seemed isolating for early settlers, just beamed with beauty. The calm stillness in the air and the grandeur of the mountains still yet to climb, left one breathless… and in my case, it was compounded by the altitude. The out lying areas were of a time long past, with their decaying buildings and overgrown mines, but the wildflowers and snow-covered mountaintops just welcomed you with open arms, and encouraged the clicking of shutters.

All my travels seemed to end on a note of both joy and a little sadness. The happiness came from being immersed in a place which I saw with new eyes. A place, that on the surface seemed to be withering and almost swallowed up by the elements, I found beauty in the old wheels and homes that were left behind, chronicling life from another era. The sadness I felt was in knowing my adventure had ended. What was still left was the meeting and sharing with like-minded artists and viewers… rekindling memories of my experience with photographs that captured moments that were both aging yet ageless.

You are looking at a ranch just out of Ridgeway, Colorado, with a snowstorm in the San Juan Mountains.

See you Monday, January 5, 2009!

Linda and Terry

Grand Mesa, the largest flat top mountain in the world, to the north of us

Green Mountain

Ragged Mountains

Paonia Mountains, with the Saddle Mountain in the foreground

Gunnison Mountain Range

San Juan Mountain Range

And to the west of us is the Uncompahgre Plateau, 25 Mesa, which I have shown you in other posts.  There you go, north, east, south and west, around our little farm.