Denver to Frisco to Leadville to Gunnison, and First Ride!
We left Rudi's place around 0900 and headed west on I-70. If you have never made this drive, it is one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the Rockies. It passes through and around small former mining towns, huge cliffs, and winding rivers. We hit some rain, but for the most part it was sunny...at first.
First Ride!
On a bathroom break in the very scenic area of Lake Dillon, a local biker approached us having seen the truck, and struck up a conversation about local trails. He made a recommendation on a trail so we went one more exit down to the town of Frisco and parked at the trailhead. We started up an old logging road and climbed about 1500 ft in 5 miles. The higher we got, the colder and rainier it became so we turned back after about a mile of singletrack. The way back to the truck was the longest fastest scariest run I've ever made. Only one get-off, with only minor blood drawn.The temperature at the truck was about 10 degrees warmer than where we had been 15 minutes earlier.
The weather looking west from Leadville
We set off again and once past the front range we started to hit some bad weather. Rain showers moved in and many of the highest peaks were shrouded in clouds and fog. Weather in the mountains is impossible to predict, and changes every minute. We rode through a valley where we encountered rain, sunshine, rain, hail, and back to sunshine inside of 3 minutes. By the time we climbed to the town of Leadville, it was pouring rain.
We had planned on riding there, but decided our best bet was to move on and try to make Crested Butte, an awesome town known for the best mountain biking in Colorado. The way there was picturesque as usual, but long and winding. On the way up Monarch Pass we picked up a biker who had gotten caught far from his car in the cold rain. He was on his way up the long 16-mile climb to the parking lot at the pass and was exhausted. We made room for him in the truck and loaded his bike in the back. By the time we made it to Monarch Pass, fog (or clouds, not sure) srrounded us and it was cold rain. We dropped him off and continued on. We stopped just short in Gunnison, and decided to grab a cheap hotel to stay the night and keep dry. Tomorrow we'll head to Crested Butte for the 401 trail.
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Keep it clean people!