238 Miles
Watching the news, it became apparent that a cold front was coming and the weather in central and southern Colorado was going to get wet. We decided that the prudent thing to do was head northwest and stay away from it. I had planned on a couple of days in either Durango or Telluride. The forecast was for snow but Moab’s forecast was 70ºF and sunshine.
When we left the hotel, we had a quick trip through town and headed up US 50 towards Salida. Just out of town I saw as sign for Skyline Drive. I heard about it lots but never seen it up close. I decide that it was worth a side trip. It was well worth it. Like Pikes Peak, it was thrilling and unnerving. It is a single lane road that runs across the top of a hogback
Given Skyline Drive is one-way, it dropped us back into Cañon City, so we had to head back through town and back on to US 50.
Ten miles out of town was the turn-off for Royal Gorge. We had been persuaded by a couple in the sports bar last night that we should go and take in the sights. They were an interesting pair. They lived in Cañon City and had never seen the ocean. I know Colorado is wonderful but you have to see other things.
I suggested to Mac and Martyn that we walk one way across the bridge and then take the cable car back as it was included in the entry price. They were having none of it. A walk across with eyes firmly fix on the far side was all they were up for.
I must admit that looking down from the bridge can be unsettling. I remember taking my son there twenty odd years ago and having to carry him off the bridge after he looked down through the slats of the bridge.
After the Royal Gorge, we got some beautiful roads and weather all the way through to Salida. Then the weather changed. It got greyed and colder and then started to rain. By the time we hit Monarch pass it was pouring down and the clouds descended down to our level.
Going over the top of the pass was miserable. Our helmets fogged up and were hard to see out of. I started to feel a little wet under my arms. When we stopped for coffee at the bottom of the pass, I found out I had not zipped out my underarm vents on the jacket. Live and learn (again). The rain stayed with us to Montrose, so the ride past Blue Mesa was pretty boring although the lake’s level is amazingly low.
We stopped for pie in Montrose, Mac wanted apple but they were out and settled for a berry pie of some sort. In Delta, we stopped for groceries and booze because we’d found an Airbnb tiny house out in the boonies by the Grand Mesa for the night. Cooking in the tiny house kitchen was a challenge but we had a good steak, oven chips (French fries), salad, and a nice bottle of wine. Given we’d ridden Pikes Peak the day before, we decided to watch Guy Martin’s Pike Peak Race.
