September 25, 2021
Taylor Park - Crested Butte
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Today was the second part of the ride I've been anticipating for so long. I've wanted to ride both sides of Cottonwood Pass ever since it was paved.
I was awake before the alarm. The heater in my cabin hasn't been turned on and it was nippy this morning! I turned on two burners of the gas stove for some heat. Jim and Genny had a heater that worked. I took my yogurt and banana over to their cabin. We ate just enough to get 23 downhill miles to Almont, where we would have second breakfast.
Genny and I were out the door at 9 AM. It was quite cold at 9,500 feet. Genny stopped a few miles down the road for over mitts. We were chilly in the shaded canyon. I think this was the most beautiful day for colors. Especially colors down by the road.
Yesterday we bicycled over two cattle guards. Today we rode over four. Plus, we saw a flashing sign warning of cows in the road. There was another large sign saying to watch out for vehicles stopped in the roadway because of wildlife. We didn't see any wildlife at all. We saw many fishermen in the river. There were also potties every few miles on this side of the pass. I presume for the fishermen. As if man and fish can't all pee in the same water . . . you didn't hear me say that.
Jim waited for us at a pullout. He said Almont was mile 23, not mile 20. We wanted to get there in plenty of time before the restaurant closed at noon. It seems like odd hours, but they are open for breakfast until noon, then reopen at 3 PM for lunch .
I think that climbing from Buena Vista is the best direction for riding this pass because it has a shoulder the entire distance. This side does not have a shoulder at all, perhaps 6". As for difficulty of climbing, we did see a sign warning of an 8% descent, but Genny and I both agreed there was no such grade.
Five miles before Almont we saw Harmel's Ranch Resort, which looked well tended and had a restaurant. Our stay at Taylor Trading Post was perfectly placed and we were happy to be there. The cabins are quite rustic and definitely need deep cleaning. If you are fastidious, it might be worth riding the extra 15 downhill miles to Harmel's. Or even as far as Almont. A friend highly recommends the cabins at Almont.
I was ready for breakfast when we arrived. We ate at Almont Resort, which looked empty. Service took forever, there was a couple leaving when we arrived and then one other couple seated. There was one waitress. Coffee did not come near often enough for Genny's liking and the waitress brought Jim the wrong meal. He ate it anyway. The food was good, once it arrived. We had to ask for the check and made sure to pay cash to save a little time. We still had 14 uphill miles to pedal!
It was like riding a different ride for the second half, with more open areas, fields, cattle, horses, old homestead buildings. The shoulder was huge the entire distance from Almont, probably 6-8 feet. Colors here were also dazzling. I think we've hit the dates perfectly for this tour. Certainly, we couldn't ask for better weather. There was frost on the car this morning, but that is to be expected in late September at elevation!
The only bad thing I could say about the day is the expected southern tailwind didn't materialize. Instead we had a demoralizing 10-15 mph headwind most of the final ten miles. Genny said Jim was probably sitting out front of the motel, wondering where we were! We made a few photos stops, but mostly plugged along.
This trip we are at the Old Town Inn. Bicycles are welcome in the rooms. Of course! It is well located to walk downtown. The price is good for Crested Butte. Plus, they have fresh baked cookies every afternoon!
There is a hostel in town, that is not hostel-ish in quality. It is a few blocks from the main area and doesn't accommodate bicycles well. When we stayed there, bicycles had to go outside until official closing time, then they could come in the lobby only, and had to go back out first thing in the morning. The accommodations were excellent, far more upscale than I expected for a hostel.
The last time we stayed at the hostel was with Jerry Harp (Harpo). We had hiked from Aspen to Crested Butte, which is only 13 miles as the crow flies. Harpo had the idea of shipping a fresh set of clothes to himself to minimize the weight in his backpack. Harpo confirmed the box's arrival by phone. The problem was, when he arrived, the box could not be found. They never did find it, ever. Those clothes were permanently gone. So much for the idea. Harpo did get a souvenir Crested Butte t-shirt to wear.
Jim and Genny have been downtown, scouting out dinner. They also found fudge again! I've already eaten the piece they kindly brought me back. They said most restaurants close at 5 PM, which seems early for a tourist town on a Saturday night.
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3 years ago
Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 304 miles (489 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
I've already routed out a couple of options for next fall. One is longer and goes through Gunnison instead of over dirt Kebler. But, I'm thinking that probably a seven day tour would be more appropriate from the stand point of having luck with the weather. I've thought several times this tour how miserable I would have been to be riding XXX road in the rain/snow.
This has indeed been a memorable/perfect trip from many standpoints. There were several days I think you would have enjoyed. You definitely would like Frisco and Crested Butte and all of the lovelies to look at - especially CB.
Kelly
3 years ago