We have really enjoyed our short stay in this small town on the other side of the mountains. Steamboat Springs is interesting in that there is no other town close to it within hundreds of miles.
In the morning, after breakfast, as I was sitting in the hotel library finishing yesterday's blog I had a chance to meet Todd the owner of the hotel (that he and his wife bought a year ago). He is originally from Pennsylvania and he loves living in Steamboat Springs although he did mention that now and then he needs to get out and feel a bigger city.
When we passed by, they were starting to gather at Meadows parking for Friday’s Autocross. Over 180 Ford Mustangs compete in this timed event.
Next stop was the Fish Creek Falls. Fish Creek runs from several small lakes in the Rabbit Ears Range of Colorado. I read that in the summertime, the road to Fish Creek Falls becomes often clogged in mid-afternoon with tourists wanting to see the 283-foot-tall (86 m) waterfall. We were lucky and rode the bike all the way to the parking lot without any traffic.
As you hike towards the fall, you can see the water flowing from it on your right and then all of a sudden you come around a corner and there they are, nearly 300 foot high in all their glory and the sight is "mouth opening". The falls were very strong as there is a lot of snow/ice still left on the mountains that with the heat of the day melts and starts its way down the mountain. It was very pleasant to just look at the falls and feel the cool breeze that emanated from the very cold water.
We did not want to leave this cool (in temperature and attitude) place but the road called and the next stop would be very special and we needed a lot of time so we hiked our way up the trail, mounted the bike and made our way south towards Idaho Springs, CO, where we would start the ride up Mount Evans Scenic Byway.
But before we got there we still had the Route 40 to do,
Followed by the Colorado State Highway 9, where we rode next to the Dillon Reservoir.
We had lunch at the Dam Brewery. Unfortunately, as I was riding I could not taste the Dam Good Beer but enjoyed a lot the Damn Good Burgers !
Also had the opportunity to do a quick tour of their micro brewery.
We then joined the Interstate 70, which is parallel to the old US Route 40. It is considered an engineering marvel as the route passes through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Glenwood Canyon, and the San Rafael Swell. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the Interstate Highway system with an elevation of 11,158 ft (3,401 m). I was mightily impressed with this interstate and by the surrounding mountains.
It did not take us long to get to Idaho Springs where we stopped and filled up and pointed South and started the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. The byway is 28 miles (45 km) in length and gains over 7,000 feet (2,100 m) of elevation. Achieving a final elevation of 14,130 feet (4,310 m), this is the highest paved road in North America.
The last 14 miles are inside a park and we paid $3 to enter. After paying we stopped and put on warmer clothing. Temperature where we were was 75F and the sign mentioned that with wind chill factor temperature would be 33F.
The views are breathtaking and the snow/ice presence made it even more special. In my opinion the most memorable ride we did during this trip.
Let the pictures do the talking ...
The lack of oxygen was very real and any movement brought out faster breathing and we eventually felt we had to leave as we were getting tired and light headed. No wonder we saw very minimal signs of life presence up at 14,000+ feet.
But we did see Big Horns Sheep and this time we did not need a zoom ;-) ...
On the way down we were on the "right" side of the mountain and the views were even more spectacular.
At one stage we did not see any cars in either direction and decided to stop and take a picture by the snow/ice.
When we arrived at the bottom of the 14 mile stretch, the trading post was still open so we bought a couple of things.
For me simple but effective and most important was a sticker that has already found its place onto the bike. We had been all the way up to 14,270 feet !
We rode the rest fifteen mies of the Scenic Byway to reach I-70 and a bit further on we left the I-70 and joined Route 6 from Idaho Springs to Golden. To best describe this road I will transcribe using someone else's words: "The 19 miles of US Route 6 between Golden, CO and Idaho Springs has got to be one of the most stunning stretches of the highway in the country. This area of the country is all about the scenery. I can tell you about attractions and shops, but the main attraction is rock, river, trees and sky in ever unfolding manifestations. Sometimes, I'd find myself catching my breath at the wall of evergreens coming at me at 50MPH. Other times, I'd sigh at the white-water creek coursing alongside the car. It was overwhelming, geologically speaking.".
I would like to add the crazy water rafters on a creek that is moving very fast and is very strong just parallel to the road and the even crazier free solo mountain climbers that were hanging high on the mountain for all of us to see as we rode/drove below.
By the time we got to the hotel we were spent. It had been a spectacular day's ride and we needed the rest so we stayed close to the hotel and went to eat at the World Famous Dark Horse. Although they are very well known for their burgers, since I had had burger for lunch I decided for the ribs which were succulent accompanied by another one of the Colorado microbrews (in this case a Porter).
Click HERE for all the pictures for Day 14
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