Day 16: Frisco to Leadville. Fremont pass.

July 18, 2018

Today has a big climb but the distance is short. It should be fun. On the road at 8 AM, pedaling west on Frisco Main Street.

Just before Main Street connects to I-70 I turned left onto the bike trail which quickly enters the narrow canyon of Ten Mile creek. The canyon has a few relics of Frisco's mining heritage.

It was cold in the dense shade of cliffs. My hands and feet were cold for a few minutes. The temperature warmed rapidly when the trail turned south into the sun.

The trail has frequent views of Ten Mile creek below. After riding through desert it's a welcome contrast.

I-70 is across the creek, higher and far enough away that the noise was minimal.

I-70 is on the other side of the creek. Audible but not loud.

Near Wheeler Junction the canyon widens and the trail passes near many wetlands. The landscape is positively lush compared to the deserts a few days ago.

Slopes of the Copper Mountain ski resort are visible.

I took a short stop at the store in Wheeler Junction, near the Copper Mountain ski area. The only store between Frisco and Leadville.

The trail continues a mile past Wheeler Junction, then connects to CO 91. The trail had been gradual upstream but CO 91 begins to climb in earnest. The first 2 miles has no shoulder but the remaining miles to Leadville do have a shoulder.

Part way up on the left is an amazing lake. The road is on the dam that forms the lake. Glaciated looking mountains rise very steeply above the lake. Next to the lake is a trailhead with a large and full parking lot, a major gateway to the Continental Divide Trail.

During the climb I passed many road gates for the Climax Molybdenum mine. It's a huge operation but the mine doesn't seem to generate much traffic on the highway. Long distance trucks avoid narrow winding routes like this.

The landscape is very green. I'm high in the Rocky mountains. So high that treeline is not far above me.

A small fraction of the Climax Molybdenum mine near Fremont Pass.

Climbing to Fremont Pass isn't extraordinarily difficult when starting at 9100 feet elevation in Frisco. The grade is 6% or less. I got to the summit at 12:35 PM. Fremont Pass is the highest elevation of this tour but I pedaled 3 higher passes in Colorado during my Sacramento to Loveland tour.

Highest point of the tour and 3rd Continental Divide crossing of the tour.

Fremont Pass is named after the famous but controversial explorer/soldier/politician John Fremont (1813-1890). The 1930 monument prominently mentions that Fremont Pass is the western boundary of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase.

The 1930 monument says this is the western boundary of the Louisiana Purchase.

Fremont Pass is the 3rd Continental Divide crossing of this tour. Water on the east side flows down the Blue and Colorado rivers to the Pacific ocean. Water on the west side flows down the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers to the Atlantic ocean. Yes, water on the east side flows to the Pacific and water on the west side flows to the Atlantic. The Continental Divide is a very meandering line.

There was once a mining town at Fremont Pass. The town of Climax was 1200 feet higher than Leadville, next to the main Climax Molybdenum mill. The town was abandoned in the 1960's. Some of the houses were moved to Leadville. Now the town site is a mining museum.

The Climax town site is now an outdoor mining museum.

Across the highway is the Climax Molybdenum mill. A huge building fed by huge power lines. Like most mines it has had ups and downs. It once produced 3/4 of the world's supply of molybdenum. Later it shut down for 17 years. The mine reopened in 2012. I wonder how many chromoly bike frames have molybdenum from this mine?

Climax Molybdenum once produced 3/4 of the world's supply of molybdenum.

The descent to Leadville was glorious but only half as big as the climb to Fremont Pass. All downhill except for one small hill on the edge of town.

Descending from Fremont Pass to Leadville.

It was fun to see the tiny Arkansas river near its headwaters. Here it's about 8 feet wide and 6 inches deep.

I've never followed the Arkansas river for any distance but this was my 4th time to cross the river. The river is very different in each of the 4 places.

Near 11,000 feet elevation the Arkansas river is only 8 feet (2.5 m) wide.

In 2010 I saw it as a major alpine river farther downstream in Colorado.

Arkansas river in Johnson Village, Colorado. 8000 feet elevation.

In 2015 I saw it nearly pumped dry in western Kansas.

Arkansas river near Syracuse, Kansas. 3000 feet elevation.

In 2014 I saw it much farther downstream in Arkansas where it's half a mile wide. The Arkansas river flows southeast to the Mississippi river which flows south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Arkansas river in Ozark, Arkansas. 400 feet elevation.

It's humbling to visualize the relentless flow of water from the Continental Divide to a distant ocean.

On the edge of Leadville I stopped for a late lunch at a Mexican food truck. Jacinto came by while I waited 28 minutes for my burrito. At least the mid-day weather was nice. Mostly cloudy and 70F. 97F desert heat is now a distant memory.

After lunch I continued a few blocks to the historic part of town. Leadville is a sprawling town. Population 2759 but it seems bigger. It was obviously a very prosperous mining town in the late 1800's. It's still a mining town today but tourism probably employs more people.

Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America at 10,152 feet (3076 m) elevation. Across the mountain to the east, the village of Alma is a bit higher but is not an incorporated city.

Good bike lanes on US 24 in Leadville, Colorado.

Leadville's main street has a spectacular collection of historic buildings. The surrounding blocks have many interesting Victorian homes. It's a very charming town to visit but the elevation is daunting to many out-of-shape visitors. It's not a problem for me because I have been acclimatizing to gradually higher elevations for two weeks!

Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America.

Leadville is prosperous but is not a hideaway for the ultra-rich like Aspen and Telluride. I like it.

Tonight I stay at the highest hotel in North America. Delaware Hotel, built in 1886. My twin bed single room cost $113. Not bad.

Tonight's home is Delaware hotel, the highest hotel in North America. Built in 1886.

The room is twice the size of a twin bed room I rented at Athabasca Hotel in Jasper, Alberta. And this room has a private bath and no bar noise. No A/C, fridge or microwave, but plenty of Victorian style. The hotel has no elevator. The room has a warning sign about functioning at high elevation, with a phone number for an on-call doctor.

Not surprisingly, my bike isn't allowed in the historic hotel. I stored my bike in a small outside storage locker that is mostly used for snow shovels. So I had to remove everything I need until morning. I seldom need to do that.

I arrived at 2:30. Took a nap from 3:30 to 5:30, then walked to the Mexican restaurant to have dinner with Kelly and Jacinto. I enjoyed exploring Leadville. Most of the town is historic buildings.

Before this tour I knew about Leadville but had never visited. It's a truly special destination for touring cyclists, giving bragging rights for pedaling to the highest city on the continent.

Distance: 31.6 mi. (50.6 km)
Ascent/Descent: +2464/-1413 ft. (+747/-428 m)
Average Speed: 7.4 mph (11.8 km/h)

Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 632 miles (1,017 km)

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