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ROLL YOUR OWN TO GUNNISON
Grab your calendar and highlight the week of August 20th for a Colorado adventure you won't soon forget. The first MTF Western Mountain Ride will be held Thursday through Saturday in Gunnison. Join old friends and meet new ones for some tire-kicking, tale-swapping, and great riding. Thanks to Dan Huber (MapMaker) expect exhilarating rough road rides for dirt lovers as well as day ride routes guaranteed to keep Flower Sniffers' cameras clicking. Crested Butte, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the headwaters of the Rio Grande, Ouray and the Million Dollar Highway are just a few of the nearby attractions.
Make the Western Mountain Ride the centerpiece of a Rocky Mountain tour this summer.
Getting there will be at least half the fun. From every direction, awesome roads cross high mountain passes, twist through rocky canyons and follow sparkling streams to Gunnison.
How about a few days criss-crossing the Continental Divide on the way? Begin the week with a night in Estes Park, surrounded by Rocky Mountain National Park and Roosevelt National Forest. Enjoy spectacular mountain scenery and wildlife with an early morning start on Trail Ridge Road and US 34 across the Continental Divide at Milner Pass and on to Grand Lake and US 40. Turn east and you'll cross Berthoud Pass on the way to I-70. Or you can head west to either Kremmling or Steamboat Springs, and then south to I-70 near Eagle. Scenic Trough Road follows the Colorado River canyon from Kremmling to State Bridge. The hard-packed dirt surface is easy riding, but avoid it in the rain.
Be sure to stop in Vail, the world-class ski resort on I-70. Walk the historic alpine village and ride the gondola to the mountain top for an incredible Rocky Mountain panorama. From Vail, take US 24 south through Minturn and over Tennessee Pass to the historic mining town of Leadville. At 10,152 feet above sea level it is the highest incorporated city in the continental United States. Follow the Arkansas River south toward Buena Vista and US 50 at Salida. On the way, a turn onto CO 82 at Twin Lakes and the 20 mile ride to the 12,095 foot summit of Independence Pass in the shadow of Mount Elbert, Colorado's highest, is one you won't forget. After picture-taking, backtrack to US 24 or cross the Divide for a visit to Aspen. Continuing south to US 50, Poncha Springs is where you'll find Grimo's Italian Restaurant, highly-recommended and one of the best. From there, head west for 60 miles, across Monarch Pass, and we'll be waiting for you.
Been there, done that? How about starting out in the 4 Corners area with a day or two in Durango to start the week? Spend some time in the historic downtown district and be sure to take the 46 mile narrow gauge steam train ride to Silverton. Mesa Verde National Park, site of the cliff dwellings and the mystery of the vanished Anasazi civilization is a must-see and only 35 miles west on US 160. From Durango, take US 550 north into the San Juan Mountains. After experiencing the famous Million Dollar Highway north of Silverton relax with a well-earned soak in one of Ouray's natural hot springs.
Telluride is "just around the corner" (40 miles on CO 62 & 145) and well worth an overnight stay. Just west of Ridgway on 62, the magnificent Sneffels Range to the south is one of the most-photographed sites in the Rockies. Telluride is a National Historic Landmark with Victorian-era architecture nestled in a box canyon surrounded by 13,000 foot peaks. Enjoy excellent restaurants, pubs and galleries, but don't expect to find strip malls, outlet stores or fast food chains.
Head back to 550 and north to Montrose. The entrance to spectacular Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is only eight miles east of Montrose on US 50. The canyon, one mile deep at its deepest point, and 1,150 feet across at its narrowest, was carved out over millions of years by the Gunnison River. Continue east on 50 through the Curecanti National Recreation Area for the scenic ride to Gunnison.
What are some of your favorite Colorado roads? Share them with us on the forum. Here's a Colorado DOT site with more scenic and historic byways: http://www.coloradobyways.org/Main.cfm
For more information and to sign up for the Western Mountain Ride and other MTF events for 2006, go to www.mctourer.com
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