A Taste of the Divide
I just
returned to the flatlands of Kansas after a few days of touring the Great
Divide Mountain Bike Route which led me on a course form Steamboat Springs,
Colorado down to Ute Pass. I had been planning this trip for the better part of
a year. I had been doing a fair amount of riding prior to the trip in
preparation for some of the distances. I had initially planned on riding from
Steamboat Springs to Lynx Pass on day one. This section would have encompassed
about forty miles about half of which would be on pavement. The remaining dirt
road would be mostly uphill. Day two would entail riding from Lynx Pass to Kremmling,
which would be another thirty five to forty miles of what was thought to be
mostly downhill to Radium and then uphill to Kremmling. Day three we were to
ride from Kremmling to a campground on the eastern side of Ute Pass during
which we would have traversed another thirty five or so miles. The plan was to
then go over Ute Pass and down in to Silverthorne which would have been about
another twenty three or so miles.
Our taste of
the divide started on Tuesday night in Denver with some friends whom we had not
seen in several years. Part of our planning included a couple of days to
acclimatize in preparation for the altitude in comparison to my normal riding
conditions in southeast Kansas. The night was well spent. Wednesday morning, we
then than loaded up in the van and headed up to Steamboat Springs. The drive
and views were wonderful. We had rented a condo at Steamboat Springs for two
days. Our trip was to include several components, one of which was a family
vacation including my lovely wife and our three daughters, ages nine, eleven
and thirteen. My son and I were to do the riding and meet the ladies of the
house at various spots throughout the trip.
So although we did ride equipped to camp, Kathy and the girls, along
with the van (affectionately dubbed the chuck wagon), met and at times picked
us up following sections of the ride at which time we would then drive to a
camp ground if needed.
View from the condo balcony at Steamboat Springs
On our
second day in Steamboat Springs, we decided to go on a five or so mile hike to
the north of town. After arriving at the trail head, we set out on foot to see
what we might discover. Not being familiar with the trail and attempting to
follow the instructions on the material in hand, we ended up taking the long
way around which made things a bit more challenging. However it was a great
walk and we did not get rained on given our late start. Our hike included
several notable discoveries.
As we continued down the trail the animal
noise began to get closer. I had never known bears to make a lot of noise and I
have also never known bears to stick around much when people area around so my
mind then went to that of a moose. As we slowly continued down our path, we
began to hear more than one groaning beast in the woods. As we were coming
around a corner, I noticed movement in the woods. As I focused my attention on
the area of the movement, I then noticed the brown face of a cow staring back
at me with the normal bewildered cow face that you so often see when riding
down country roads in Kansas. I had forgotten that there are a number of free
range areas in Colorado and this was one of them. Before long we were being followed
by a number of cows that had appeared from the woods along our isolated trail.
We continued our trek somewhat relieved, with cows in tow.
This creek made for a great lunch stop
Old barn along the trail
Bike (Salsa
Fargo)
Eureka Two Man
Tent
North Face
Sleeping Bag
Small Back
Pad
Extra
Clothing (1 pair of socks, 1
underwear, 1 shirt, 1 shorts, 1 long sleeve shirt, 1 rain gear)
First Needs
Water Filter
Three
Bottles of Water
Tool Kit (2
tubes, tire wrenches, Allen wrenches, star wrenches, multi-purpose tool, chain
lube)
Food (Trail
mix, dried fruit, power bars)
As far as
positioning goes, I strapped the tent across my handle bars. Tyler carried the
poles and the tent cover. I combined the tent and the back pad inside of a
water resistant bag and strapped it on the top of the rack on the back of the
bike. The tool kit was stored in the small frame back and all other items were
tucked away inside of the panniers on the back of the bike. Everything was
positioned well and secured tightly for the trip. In retrospect, I would have
been fine for a couple of overnight stays if we would have wanted to. If we
were going to be bike camping on our own, I would have added my penny stove, a
very small mess kit and a couple of dried meals. But as it was, those items
were not needed.
Once we had
loaded up the bikes we rode out headed south from Steamboat Springs. The
weather was perfectly cool. The ride from Steamboat was on pavement for several
miles. As we headed out, we passed a road rider that was taking a break just
outside of town. He caught and passed us pretty quickly as we continued south.
The early part of the day consisted of mostly rolling hills. These hills were a
good warm up for what was to come. We stopped a couple miles south of Steamboat
Springs to take a few pictures looking back at the town before it was finally
out of sight.
Continuing
our trek south, we missed our first turn which exited the road and added about
four miles to the days riding. When we realized it we had gone up the road
about two miles up hill so the two miles back was nice. Our road rider came up
behind us again at this point. He was flying. A pickup truck had just passed us
and he was keeping up and in fact almost passed it on the way by. It was
impressive. I cannot imagine a better training ground for a road racer than the
Colorado roads. The rider turned around after the truck sped off and came back
to join us on the ride. He asked us what we were doing and I told him that we
were riding a section of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route to Lynx Pass. He
said that he had a friend that had ridden to Lynx Pass the week before. He said
that it was a really nice ride but that his friend had advised him that it was
really “buggy” up there last week. Given all the rain that the state had
received this year I did not doubt it. He confirmed the turn off that was ahead
and then took off and disappeared in the distance.
Once we made
it back to our missed exit, we headed south again until reaching Highway 131
which we road on for about a quarter mile then continued our trek to the south
which brought us to Catamount Lake. The view of the lake was spectacular and
the mountain backdrop was incredibly beautiful. We ran in to another rider out
for a morning ride, who had stopped to watch a deer with two little ones in a
field of tall grass just south of the lake. He said that he had been up to Lynx
Pass in years past and it was some great riding. He had been up in Steamboat on
business so he was headed back but he wished us well. One thing I have really
learned to enjoy about bike riding is the community nature that exists between
riders. I very rarely come across a rider that is not willing to share their
experiences on the road or help out when needed.
Catamount Reservoir to the south of Steamboat Springs
Creek on the way Stage Coach Lake
The road
eventually wound to the west and began some consistent, albeit not extremely
long, climbs. It rose above the river and a number of other creeks where we
could see a few fly fishermen enjoying a great morning in search of brown and
brook trout. Eventually the ride brought us to Stagecoach Lake. Stagecoach Lake is an 820 acre reservoir that
is surrounded by mountains. The trail around the lake was incredible with some
really good single track directly next to the lake. It was not technical and
very smooth and rolling. The trail made for a great ride for a couple of miles.
The lake and
area also has a great history beginning with the Ute and Snoshone Tribes using
the area for hunting, gathering and making stone tools. French trappers and
traders began using the valley in the 1700’s and paved the way for mining and
cattle and sheep ranching which continues today. The park was also a stop on a
Stagecoach Line running from Toponas to Steamboat Springs. The stagecoach Line
went our out of service in 1907 (information provided by Colorado Parks and
Wildlife).
At
Stagecoach Lake we were at approximately 22 miles into our planned 40 or so
mile day. When we left the lake we began the climb up to Lynx Pass. Having done
the majority of my riding in Kansas recently, I had somehow forgotten how long
some of the climbs in Colorado can be. Since the ride, I have looked at the
elevation chart and realized that we had in fact been riding uphill since we
left Steamboat Springs. This however became very noticeable as we continued on
from Stagecoach Lake to Lynx Pass. In Kansas when we come across up hills
sections either on pavement or gravel, the hills tend to be rolling and
generally no more than a couple of miles long. There is are also a number of
places in between even on longer uphill sections where it levels out or the
climb lets up a little to rest. In mountains you are either going up or down.
And from a time perspective you are always going up much longer that you are
going down. In eighteen mile stretch from Stagecoach Lake to Lynx Pass you are
primarily going up. Fortunately the beauty of the surroundings provides a great
backdrop for slow riding.
Somewhere
between Stagecoach Lake and Lynx Pass, I was passed by another rider who was
from Minnesota. Neil told me that he was riding from the Colorado section of
the trail from the northern border to the southern border with New Mexico. He
said that he wanted to eventually do the entire route from Canada to Mexico but
could only get a couple of weeks off this year to do the section that we were
on. We talked bikes, riding, and distances. We also talked of things we had
seen and people we had met along the way so far. Again I discovered another
friendly ride to share some time on the ride with. Best of luck Neil and
hopefully your ride was completed safely.
The road up to Lynx Pass
After riding up hill for over twenty miles,
a little walk did our legs and lungs some good
After
climbing approximately two thousand feet in altitude over approximately thirty
seven miles of riding, I finally came to the conclusion that there was no shame
in walking the last two miles to camp. If there was any shame in pushing my
bike up the last steep two miles to the top of Lynx Pass I really didn’t much
care. So much of bike riding is mental and my mental had melted in the sun so I
turned the remainder of the uphill into a leisurely stroll. Truth be told there
was nothing leisurely about it. It was a pain in the neck, back, legs, feet,
posterior and other places. As we crested the top of Lynx Pass, we hopped back
on the bikes to ride to the campground which was just on the other side. It was
nice to see the girls and Kathy waving as we rolled in to the campground after
a long day of riding. In total, we had ridden somewhere around forty miles and
gained 3485 feet of altitude. Not bad for a couple of flatlanders. It was early
afternoon as we set up camp and got dinner ready as a family.
A look back just before the top of Lynx Pass
After
resting in the tent we arose the next morning to a beautiful day for riding.
Truthfully I thought about packing it up and just doing a driving campground
tour for a couple of days after the last couple of mile walk up to Lynx Pass.
But I would have felt very defeated if we had not at least ridden to Radium
which according to the map was predominately downhill. I did learn however that
you must be careful not to assume that just because a map indicates that you
may be losing altitude, that it does not mean you are always going downhill. In
fact the ride down to the Colorado River ended up being filled with numerous up
and downs which were both thrilling and daunting.
As I said earlier there is no level ground in
the mountains. You are either going up or down, sometimes at a very rapid pace.
I had talked to the camp host the night before and told them what we were
doing. They shared the ominous news that they had just spoken with some bike
riders that were doing the route going north from Mexico. They had shared the
news that the section from the Colorado River to Lynx Pass was the most
difficult of the ride so far. From my perspective, this was good news since we
were going the opposite direction.
A good morning to some antelope just outside of camp
We headed
out going downhill for a couple of miles until crossing highway 134. The first
section of the day’s ride was beautiful. We passed a field where we could see
several antelope grazing making the mountain scenery even more spectacular.
Once we crossed the highway, we entered a section of rolling hills that
eventually dropped to a creek that we had to cross. Prior to the creek, we came
across the old Rock Creek Station which was an old Wells Fargo stop in to the
1880’s.
The next
several miles that lie ahead were filled with numerous climbs and drops. The
drops were great. The climbs were steep. Some of the drops were very fast and
at times a bit slippery for the bikes. Not due to the recent rains but rather
the loose surface of rock, gravel and dirt. I must admit that it was quite
exhilarating. Tyler was about taken out by a cow in the road and I fish tailed
several times throughout the day.
During one
downhill section, we had just reached the bottom and while moving at a pretty
quick pace, I saw what looked like a badger in the road ahead of me. The color
however was off and something did not look quite right. Tyler was up ahead and
as he passed the critter, it ran back in to the tall grass on the south side of
the dirt road we were on. As I passed, it had spun around in the tall grass and
was looking at me straight on. It was a brown in color creature with a square
nose and mouth. There were not stripes on the nose but there was a sort of bow
across the top of the eyes. Along with the color and the general appearance I
believe that it was a wolverine cub. I know that there are not many wolverines
in Colorado, albeit that they are apparently making their way back in from the
north. But given the appearance, I would almost guarantee that is what it was.
I thought about stopping for a picture but given its small size I figured that
the mother might be around somewhere and wanted nothing to do with the risks of
stopping to take a picture so I rode off and will always wonder I suppose.
Tyler said he also believed it to have been a wolverine. Whatever it was, it
was a great highlight to the ride.
On the edge of the abyss
As we
continued on our trek to the Colorado River, the hills began to get more and
more extreme. When reaching the bottom of several downhill sections, we would
spend a little time hoofing it up the hill in front of us. Some of the hills
were steep enough to make it difficult to push a bike up. At one point, Tyler
raced down a hill in order to catch a Jeep that had passed us just to speak
with the driver who confirmed our route.
Tyler said the Jeep chase was fast and fun. I caught up with them before
we headed on. They passed us again and we caught them when they had stopped at
the top of the last big downhill before reaching the river.
A look from the to before the downhill
to the Colorado River
The kids playing in the creek next to camp
Tyler and I
awoke around day break on the last day of the ride. We were thinking the same
thing. After sleeping pretty well the warmth of our sleeping bags made it very
tempting to stay put in the tent. I would have felt like the trip was not
complete without a ride over Ute Pass, so I got up stepped out of the tent to
the shadow of the mountains at sunrise.
It is always
when you are not looking for things in the wilderness that the things you have
looked for previously seemingly appear from nowhere. As I stood enjoying the morning
air, I looked over my left shoulder and saw what at first appeared to a dark
spot against the landscape at about forty yards on the opposite side of the
camp that I did not remember being there the night before. As I looked at it
more closely, the dark spot then began to move very slowly and take on the form
of a large moose just on the other side of the camp. I had seen moose in
Colorado before, but never this close. It was as my wife said later, a majestic
experience.
I whispered
to Tyler, who was still in the tent, that there was a moose in camp and to get
the girls up while I kept an eye on it. Kathy and the girls arrived from their
tent a few moments later while the moose was still standing there. The moose
seemed as curious about us as we were about him. Our presence did not frighten
him and he continued to walk along the base of the mountain on the other side
of camp. After several minutes, the moose turned around and trotted off into
the forest. What great way to start the day.
Couldn't quite get the camera to focus on our camp host
After about
two miles of riding, the tree line broke and there was a river that ran
parallel to the road we were on. In the middle of the river was a rock bar
where to my surprise, stood another large moose with a huge rack. There were
some bushes on the rock bar that the moose apparently favored for breakfast
which we had momentarily interrupted. He looked at us and continued his snack
while we watched in amazement. He was only thirty to forty yards away and
totally unconcerned. He continued eating for awhile and then slowly walked back
towards the opposite river bank. The bank was an easy six to eight feet in
height and he walked up it with no problem. He then strolled gently out of
sight in to the woods. I was definitely glad that we had decided to ride out
rather than sleep in. They say the early bird catches the worm. I guess the
same thing is true for moose.
Another moose along the way
The top came
faster than I thought it would as I found Tyler parked on the side of the road
just before cresting the pass. We took a little break and shot a few pictures
at the tip before beginning the ride down the other side.
At the top of Ute Pass
The downhill finished out with a long straight
decline that put us out right on Highway 9 that heads south into Silverthorne.
Kathy and the girls picked us up at a spot somewhere in between along a river
that ran under the highway. Moose, elk, deer and a great downhill made for a
spectacular conclusion to three days of riding in Colorado. I can’t wait to do
it again.
Enjoy the
ride
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