We arrived in Denver a day and a half early to stay with a friend, Kelly, and acclimatize our lungs to the lower concentration of oxygen that the Rocky Mountains of Colorado offers. She fed us well and took us on short hikes in her neighborhood with her dog which also served to whet our appetite for the great scenery to come.
A view of Dillon Reservoir from Dillon-Keystone bike path.
Upon arriving at the tour start point in Silverthorne, I finally got to meet Event Director Tammy Schurr. Tammy and I have been working together on the maps for this tour since it's inception as a Family Fun Tour in 2006 and most years since then but had never met in person over that span of time. Our meeting felt like rejoining an old friend after a long absence.
Me and Tammy.
After getting signed in, we set up our tents as rain began to fall on us in the field adjacent to the Silverthorne Recreation Center, our home for the next three nights. By dinner time, the rain subsided and we enjoyed a delicious meal from A Chef's Touch -- our wonderful caterer for the event, introduced ourselves, and had our first map meeting thus beginning a routine we would follow most evenings.
An example of the fine food we were served over the course of the week.
We rose to coffee and a hot breakfast the following morning before hitting the trail for our 18.9 mile out and back ride to Keystone. Many of us went just a bit beyond the turn-around point to find Keystone proper and a little more socializing.
Riding buddy John on Dillon-Keystone bike path.
After dinner it was announced a field trip was available via the van to a nearby brew pub, Dillon Dam Brewery, where we could sample the local pours. Sign us up! Both Elisabeth and I enjoyed an Irish Stout and were glad we were not driving or even riding back since alcohol at that elevation hit us a bit harder than usual.
The next morning dawned gray and wet. We would be riding in the rain -- as it turned out -- pretty much all day over the 34.2 miles. A bit disheartening for the second day of riding. We made it through with flying colors though. After a slightly chilling lunch in Kingdom Park, we headed out with our riding companion, John, into Breckenridge in search of lattes and a sweet treat. Clint's Bakery and Coffee fit the bill.
Our wet bikes in Breckenridge.
Our third day of riding featured the most challenging stretch of the tour, a climb over Vail Pass on a dedicated bike path. Elisabeth and I gave ourselves permission to stop as much as we wanted to on the way up. We were on vacation after all and we had all day.
Vail Pass bike path.
We paused to take pictures, catch our breath and generally take in everything around us. On one of these intermissions, a cyclist sailed by on his descent and announced, "You're almost there!" We looked at each other happily and remounted our bikes to begin again.
As we crested the top, Tammy was there to snap our photos and the team cheered us on for those last few pedal strokes to lunch. Smiles broke across our faces as we realized we'd made it and the rest of the day was mostly downhill.
Elisabeth (foreground) and I summitting Vail Pass!
On our layover day we enjoyed a raft trip on the Colorado River with 12 other participants from our group with Colorado Whitewater Rafting, LLC. We were afforded a view of Glenwood Canyon that would be slightly different than the one we would see from our bikes as well as a geology and history talk from Beau, our guide.
Then it was two more days with a total of 52.2 more miles of canyon scenery paralleling I-70 on much less travelled U.S. 6 and intermittent bike paths and an overnight in Gypsum at their recreation center. Our last evening together was filled with entertainment, awards, laughter and group pictures.
The 20-strong group that was Colorado Wildflowers & Rivers 2012.
Our support team. Thanks a million!
We concluded our tour at Glenwood Hot Springs with a soak and a couple of trips down their waterslide for good measure before shuttling back to Silverthorne where our luggage awaited us. Kelly picked us up and we went out to dinner, talking almost non-stop about our adventures on the tour.
Capturing a moment on the Eagle River.
I think it's safe to say we had a great time riding our bikes together and I look forward to sharing another tour in the future.
Photos 1-6 and 10 from jenn_bob's photostream on flickr.
Photos 7-9 from twowheeltammy's photostream on flickr.
--
GEOPOINTS BULLETIN is written by Jennifer 'Jenn' Milyko, an Adventure Cycling cartographer, and appears weekly, highlighting curious facts, figures, and persons from Adventure Cycling's Route Network with tips and hints for personal route creation thrown in for good measure. She also wants to remind you that map corrections and comments are always welcome via the online Map Correction Form.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/08/bike-respite-in-colorado.html
No comments:
Post a Comment