Day 24: Kremmling to Frisco, CO

September 11, 2024

Distance: 100km

Climbing: 1301m

We started extra early today so we could grab a breakfast at a diner. We both love traditional diner breakfasts but haven’t had many because our daily distance has usually put us past each town. Because of that It was dark in the morning and we had noticed the previous evening how early the sun set. We’re racing south as the days get shorter and the planet is moving faster than we are so each day we have a little less sunshine.

After our excellent breakfast we got on the road and had an ugly kilometre in the road before the route headed back onto the unpaved backroads. It was a lovely morning; a bit overcast but the road was nice and quiet and we cranked along at a good pace. On our way up the first steeper section a fellow coming down the hill stopped his car and offered us water bottles. We happily accepted and chatted a bit with “Ute Pass Steve” and his “Good Vibes” hoodie. He’s another trail angel who does this sort of thing and even leaves a cooler out like the one we had found a few days ago, although he said he stops after Labor Day as the season winds up.

Now you know where molybdenum comes from.

A sudden but brief rain shower had us scrambling for rain jackets but it ended quickly and we cranked up Ute Pass, past a molybdenum mine, to a nice spot for lunch. Always good to have more than half of the distance and climbing done by lunch.

We have healthy meals and unhealthy snacks.

The descent from Ute Pass was amazingly long and fast, but put us on a loud highway section. The shoulder was wide which was good, but it was deafening and unpleasant. I finally dug out some earplugs and they really helped. I thought we’d be on the highway all the way to the motel we booked in Frisco. However, on the outskirts of Silverthorne the route took us off the highway and on to a bike path network that took us 17km to the motel. And it looks like it will take us most of the way through Breckenridge tomorrow as well. The is was one of the most amazing bike paths i’ve seen as it was actually continuous, not just half-assed leaving you back in the road when it got difficult to build. There were a few sections that were a bit too exposed to the highway, but that’s a minor quibble relative to the accomplishment.

The beginning of 17km of paths to Frisco.

At least 25 kids were on some sort of outing. It was more kids than we’ve see all trip except maybe at the campground in Idaho.

The paths took us through car-heavy areas and we only encountered one set of lights.

A short section like this was the only head-scratcher given how protected/separated the rest of the path was. Jersey barriers would have completed this.

I could criticize the recreational focus of this path versus a transportation focus, and a few other minor things, but this is hands-down the best-implemented route I’ve seen to get you safely and pleasantly through an area with heavy car traffic. Denver is about an hour away and there are four major ski resorts that use Silverthorne, Frisco, and Breckenridge as their bases for lodging, shopping and nightlife.

With an early start and only 100km, we were in our motel around 3:30pm - probably our earliest finish. We took care of some chores and went for a walk to get some dinner and groceries. A brief wind and rain storm forced us into a restaurant where we took advantage of happy hour prices to have a reasonably priced dinner (just appies, no alcohol). We then walked to a grocery store and stocked up for tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s route includes the second highest pass we’ll cross on this route at about 3500m.

Today's ride: 100 km (62 miles)
Total: 2,762 km (1,715 miles)

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