Jul
22

Day 37) Collegiate Mountains to Gunnison

We used our pump for the first time this morning as there was no tap to fill up our water bottles. It was easy to use and the water tasted really good. The climb up the rest of the Cottonwood Pass was hard work. The road was very steep in places as it twisted and turned it’s way up. We had to stop several times for a rest to catch our breath and rest our legs. It was definitely taking us less time to recover than it was at the start of our trip. Back then we would stop for 10 minutes at a time and now we only needed a few minutes to feel ready to go again. It’s agony though when you start peddaling again! Your calf and thigh muscles burn for at least 30 seconds and my knees were really painful, rather than just a bit sore. As we wound up the final road we could see the top and all the cars parked to admire the view. We felt a little sad that this was our final big pass and that we were nearing the end of our journey. There was a time early on in the trip when we never thought we’d make it this far.

The view from the top was fantastic and we felt a real sense of achievement as this was the highest we had and would be on the trip. Lots of people who had driven to the top in their cars spoke to us with a mixture of disbelief and admiration that we had cycled up here with fully loaded bikes. When we thought about it it did seem like a massive feat that we had made it, but we had!

The route down the otherside was on a hard packed dirt road, with amazing views down into the valley and over the huge Taylor Reservoir. At first the dirt road was fun, but after a while my hands started to hurt from all the vibrations and the potholes caused the snap decks on the extra cycle to pop off on separate occasions! It was also threatening rain and this road would not be fun if it was wet. Thankfully the rain held off and we made it to the bottom in one piece and found the lovely Nugget Cafe to stop to refuel. This area was awesome, the views of the lake were amazing and there were families on quad bikes, loaded with cool boxes and picnics all over the place. We realised that there were proper quad bike trails all around the area – how fun! Why don’t we have places like this in the UK? Maybe there are and I’ve never seen them.

The ride to Gunnison was mostly downhill and we made good progress despite the on and off rain showers. We passed through lovely little clusters of houses before reaching the main road between Gunnison and Crested Bute, the latter being one of the best ski resorts in the world renowned for it’s steep terrain. We wouldn’t be visiting it on this trip though as we were heading for a motel in Gunnison for a break for Ryan’s birthday. On reaching Gunnison we checked into the Quality Inn, a bit pricier than our usual stops but it was a special occasion and Ryan’s sister Toni and her husband Richard were treating us both for our birthdays. Woo hoo! We had two huge beds, microwave, cable TV and unlimited coffee, as well a pool and hot buffet breakfast. What more could you want?

Total climb:

3028 feet

Passes climbed:

Cottonwood Pass – 12,126 feet

Summed up:

What a great detour, thanks for the tip Gary

Our free camping spot - no rain this morning

Our free camping spot - no rain this morning

A peaceful moment beside the river next to our camping spot

A peaceful moment beside the river next to our camping spot

Warning sign for the Cottonwood Pass!

Warning sign for the Cottonwood Pass!

Ryan making good progress up the pass through the trees

Ryan making good progress up the pass through the trees

Nearly there Carly

Nearly there Carly

We made it to the top!

We made it to the top!

The top of Cottonwood Pass

The top of Cottonwood Pass

The road we had just ridden up to the top of Cottonwood Pass

The road we had just ridden up to the top of Cottonwood Pass

Heading down the dirt road on the other side

Heading down the dirt road on the other side

A well deserved slice of pecan pie

A well deserved slice of pecan pie

Elevation Profile

Total Distance:

57.799 mi

Total Time Cycling:

6h 57m 24s

Jul
21

Day 36) Buffalo Springs Campground to near Collegiate Campground

With my bike running smoothly again we set off for Johnson Village, where we had hoped to get to yesterday. The road was rolling, more uphill than down and we were so glad we didn’t push on last night. When we finally made it to Johnson Village we realised that we hadn’t missed out on much. It was just a short wide street with a few rafting outfitters a petrol station and the odd cafe. We decided to press on to Buena Vista for lunch with a view to finding a Visitor Info Centre that could advise us on our route over the Cottonwood Pass.

Buena Vista was only a few miles down the road and was cute little town. We found the Visitor Centre, where we were advised that the Cottonwood pass was only paved on one side, the otherside was dirt (as we knew from Gary), the pass was slightly higher than the alternative Monarch Pass, but it was a shorter distance , more scenic and less busy with traffic. Over a delicous lunch in Jan’s Restaurant it was decided that we would go for the Cottonwood Pass. It was one last adventure before our journey neared it’s end. After lunch we spent a few hours in the park lying in the shade of a big tree and listening to our talking book about an English journalist on an historical trip to the Congo in the footsteps of the explorer Stanley.

When the weather had cooled a little we got on our bikes again and headed for the Cottonwood Pass, hoping to reach a campsite before the rain started. Near the bottom of the pass was the cottonwood Hot Springs and it was very tempting to stop, but we pressed on and made it about 10 miles up the pass before stopping to camp. The primitive National Forest Campground wanted $16 for us to camp, so we carried on a mile up the road and found a flat, clear area beside the river to camp. We had seem lots and tents and trailers in pull-ins like this on the way up. We managed to put up the tent and cook some macaroni just in time before the heavens opened. We were snuggled up in our tent with dinner when we heard a car pull in a a group of 5 trying to erect there huge tent in the rain, We felt sorry for them, but not enough to get out of out tent and help!

Total climb:

2693 feet

Summed up:

Great luck with the rain

Pumping water at Buffalo Springs

Pumping water at Buffalo Springs

First view of the Mountain range we were about to climb

First view of the Mountain range we were about to climb

This one\'s for you Les & Osc

This one's for you Les & Osc

An old abandoned Drive through movie theatre

An old abandoned Drive through movie theatre

A fun sign

A fun sign

Cooking in the rain

Cooking in the rain

A nice dinner of Mac & Cheese, although it looks like spew!

A nice dinner of Mac & Cheese, although it looks like spew!

Elevation Profile

Total Distance:

37.399 mi

Total Time Cycling:

5h 11m 46s

Jul
20

Day 35) Breckenridge to Buffalo Springs Campground

Our oatmeal breakfast was tasty, with apple in the oatmeal and slices of mango on the side. The couple eating breakfast with us were from Colorado Springs and the guy was a championship cyclist (in a Velodrome) and had won a world title at an event in Manchester. He was originally from Guatemala, but now lived in Colorado Springs where the U.S. Olympic Training Centre is. We used the wireless internet in the cozy lounge of the Fireside Inn to have a look at the route given to us last night by Gary. Eventually we decided to stick with our original route over the Hoosier Pass as this is the highest pass on the Transamerica. We had been anticipating it for a while and many of the other cyclists we had met along the way had mentioned it, so we felt it wouldn’t be right to miss it out. Once we got to Johnson Village we would decided whether to follow the route over the Monarch Pass or head over the Cottonwood Pass to rejoin the Transamerica at Gunnison. We caught a bit of the Tour de France of the TV before we left, with the cyclists flying through the streets. Oh the pleasures of being unloaded (and in tip top physical condition). We could certainly appreciate the benefits of staying in motels the whole trip and we wouldn’t need the tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats etc, etc….

We were sad to leave Breckenridge and also slightly dreading the Hoosier Pass! However, the climb wasn’t as bad as we anticipated. My bike was playing up a bit, like the chain or the gears were slipping. It was really annoying. Breathing was a little difficult at this altitude and we needed to stop a few times but we made it to the top and felt very proud. This was the highest we had been. The view over the otherside was fabulous and we sailed down towards Alma with huge grins on our faces. When we reached Alma there was a folk festival in full swing. Oh dear, I can see another Breckenridge happening! We’ll never get to Durango! We sat in the sun and enjoyed some lunch ( a footlong Subway sandwich purchased this morning in Breckenridge AND a barbecued beef sandwich and ribbon chips from a stall!) whilst listening to the bands. It was a great atmosphere, with loads of families, dogs and kids playing in the adjacent river. We had a quick look at the stalls and then managed to carry on our journey. We didn’t get very far though as the next town of Fairplay came upon us pretty quickly. There was a restored mining town called South Park City on the edge of town, which looked really amazing. Then we made it as far as the ice cream parlour, before stopping for another break. We really weren’t in the mood for cycling today!

As we left Fairplay we had a strong headwind and my chain was still slipping so we decided to stop at the Buffalo Springs, a primitive National Forest campground. There were only 2 other trailers there, a bit different to a weekend in Frisco! Not many miles covered today, but we weren’t pushed for time anymore. Ryan spent a bit of time on my bike and realised that 2 of the chain links were really stiff, I guess from the good cleaning they got yesterday. After a bit of manipulation he managed to work the links loose and my bike was in working order again.

Total climb:

2641 feet

Passes climbed:

Hoosier Pass – 11,539 feet

Summed up:

The climb we were dreading for days really wasn’t too bad! Even if we were feeling incredibly lazy!

The Fireside Inn, Breckenridge

The Fireside Inn, Breckenridge

Hoosier daddy!

Hoosier daddy!

The view a short way down Hoosier Pass

The view a short way down Hoosier Pass

Alma Festival in the Clouds

Alma Festival in the Clouds

South Park City

South Park City

We\'ve actually been to South Park!

We've actually been to South Park!

An interesting soda dispenser

An interesting soda dispenser

Drug dealing through a soda dispenser!

Drug dealing through a soda dispenser!

The 10th rest of the day!

The 10th rest of the day!

Our first hummingbird spot

Our first hummingbird spot

Campsite for the night

Campsite for the night

Elevation Profile

Total Distance:

36.970 mi

Total Time Cycling:

6h 02m 49s

Jul
19

Day 34) Frisco to Breckenridge

Last night we had seen an advert on the TV for a kayaking park that had been built along the river on the outskirts of town, with rocks under the water to create static waves. We decided to check it out on the way out of town. Unfortunately the water level was too low for the park to be in use, but you could see that it would be cool when the water level was higher. There is so much to do around here if you love the outdoors and we saw about 10 cars in the car park unloading bikes from the roof to set off on a day of mountain biking.

It was all uphill to Breckenridge, but along another bike path so it was great fun. There were so many other cyclists out; lyrca-clad serious cyclists, groups of friends, couples, families, it was great to see so many people making the most of the sunshine on a Saturday morning. When we pulled up in Breckenridge the first people we saw were fellow cyclists Jim and Bob! We thought they would have been way ahead of us by now! They were staying in the hotel next to us in Frisco and were taking a day off today. They found Breckenridge a bit too busy and commercialised, but informed us that there was a beer festival on in town. That sounded like fun. We said our goodbyes and set off to explore Breckenridge.

Ryan had ordered an extension to raise his handlebars from REI and had it sent to Breckenridge Post Office, so that was our first stop. The main street looked awesome, so cute and bustling. Thankfully Ryan’s parcel had arrived and we went to the bike shop for them to help us fit it as Ryan’s cables would need to be lengthened and we didn’t have any cable cutters. The bike shop was great and they sorted Ryan’s bike and put my chain in their washer for a degrease.

We got some lunch at Giampietro Pizzeria as recommended by the bike shop guy. It was a great recommendation and we shared a huge calzone with Mozzerella, Ricotta and pepperoni. It was de-li-cious! We were enjoying Breckenridge so much that we decided we had to stay! So we checked ourselves into the most affordable accommodation in town (there wasn’t a campsite) – a dorm room at the Fireside Inn. It was still $30 each, but it was in a great location and the English owners, Nicky and Andrew, give a free breakfast to cyclists on the Transamerica. They included this for us even though we weren’t going the whole way.

After a quick shower we dashed down to the Beer Festival. Unfortunately all the beer tasting cups had sold out, so we got a beer in a plastic cup from a local bar and just enjoyed the band and the atmosphere. The Breckenridge Brewery gave is some free beer vouchers to use in their pub later. Afterwards we took a look around the shops and Ryan managed to find some new sunglasses as his had been taped together with Duck Tape for the last few days! Later we came across a free talk by a well published photographer with a gallery and store in Breckenridge and then we stopped at the gallery of Gary Soles. His photographic work was awesome and Ryan in particular was amazed at the beauty of his scenes and quality of the printing. It turned out that Gary was looking after the gallery that night and we had a good chat with him about his work and our cycle trip. He spent ages trying to think of better routes for us to take to Durango and drew us a map on 3 sheets of paper which he taped together. Gary said the route we were going to take was on busy roads and wasn’t that scenic. We now needed to check online and see if the routes would work for us.

We had a huge plate of Nachos and some local beer in the Breckenridge Brewery before retiring to our 4-bed dorm room where one of our room mates was a snorer – we got our earplugs out!

Total climb:

1006 feet

Summed up:

An enjoyable day all round!

Carly enjoying the bike path

Carly enjoying the bike path

Ryan enjoying the pizza!

Ryan enjoying the pizza!

The people enjoying the beer festival!

The people enjoying the beer festival!

Carly enjoying the beer!

Carly enjoying the beer!

Ryan about to enjoy his nacho\'s!

Ryan about to enjoy his nacho's!

Carly enjoying her beer at Breckenridge Brew Pub!

Carly enjoying her beer at Breckenridge Brew Pub!

The Main Street in Breckenridge

The Main Street in Breckenridge

Elevation Profile

Total Distance:

13.306 mi

Total Time Cycling:

1h 56m 38s