June 14, 2010
Day 47: Black Canyon to Sapinero
It rained from about 5-7 AM. 45F early in the morning. I got up at 7:40 and on the road at 9:15. The sky was densely overcast and the low clouds completely obscured the high mountains. The long descent back to US 50 was cold and damp.
I turned east on US 50, climbing 1400 feet to Cerro Summit. No rain, but the clouds were low.
In this area the Gunnison tunnel crosses under US 50. The 5.8 mile long tunnel was constructed in 1905-1909 to divert water from the Gunnison river to the arid Uncomphagre valley. At the time it was the world's longest irrigation tunnel. It transformed the Uncomphagre valley into a productive farming region. It was the second of 4 major water diversion schemes that I learned about during this tour.
After descending to Cimarron I turned on the side road to Morrow Point dam. The road follows the Cimarron river through a narrow canyon to the Gunnison river, just below Morrow Point dam. I took a long stop at the dam overlook. It has access to the river. This is one of 3 huge dams on the Gunnison river.
Unfortunately I didn't get to see the famous narrow-gauge steam train on the railroad trestle. The train has been removed for a 2-year renovation.
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Back on US 50 the road follows the Cimarron river upstream for a few miles, then climbs 1700 feet to Sapinero summit. The sky cleared somewhat, and I actually had sunshine for a while. That was nice change. This is my 3rd consecutive cloudy rainy day.
During the afternoon I met Nadia, a solo female bike tourist on a tour from Oklahoma to Tacoma, Washington. I didn't think to take her picture.
The short 400-foot descent from Sapinero summit is in a beautiful narrow gorge. This is a famously dangerous section of road. No paved shoulder, not even a gravel shoulder. The road barely fits in the canyon with the river. But it was only a couple of miles.
After another 300 foot climb the road begins a long descent to Blue Mesa reservoir. I didn't go all the way to the reservoir, though. I got a campsite at a commercial campground near the Blue Mesa Cutoff intersection. I'll go up that road tomorrow. The campsite was $15, plus $5 for a shower.
Today had a high temperature of 65F when the sun finally came out in late afternoon, but most of the day was much cooler. There was no more rain after the early morning showers. I had a tailwind all day, strong in the late afternoon.
I climbed two passes today, but the scenery wasn't spectacular. Possibly it would have been more spectacular if low clouds didn't obscure the view of high mountains. The weather is forecast to be better tomorrow.
Distance: 39 mi. (62.4 km)
Climbing: 3679 ft. (1115 m)
Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 2,150 miles (3,460 km)
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