Fall Ride 10/2-10/4 2004 Slideshow
The tourists had left the area and returned to their respective home states. Bow and muzzle-loader seasons were over. Combined rifle didn't start till Oct 9. Snow was on the mountain tops, but the forecast was for good weather; nippy, but no snow. The time was ripe for a fall ride.
MikeT and JimI arrived early Sat, and after a quick hello, we were off to Shirley Site to unload the bikes. The first day's ride was to be among the mines near Round Mtn, Whale Hill, and Bonanza. We would look for some left-behind gold nuggets and other treasures.
<--It was a bit chilly until we got up to Round Mtn, then it warmed a bit.
Although we didn't actually ride over Whale Hill-->, we
got pretty close. You can just see the snow-topped Sangres in
the distance, peaking over Whale Hill.
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JimI bailed on Sat evening, so that left MikeT and me to carry
the colors on Sunday. We rode up Poncha Cr Rd, then rode the Crest
Tr to the Agate Cr turnoff. The views were spectacular. The trails
were snow free, and slightly tacky from recent moisture.
We rode Agate Cr Tr, Lime Cr Tr, then some lazy riding on old
2-tracks lined with Aspen trees. We took a short lunch break at
Sargents, then boogied up Long Branch Tr to the Continental Divide
Tr.
We didn't see a soul while riding the Cont Div Tr all the way
back to Marshall Pass. It was almost eerie being the only ones
on the trails. The finish down Aspen-lined Poncha Cr Rd was great.
Mt Ouray still doesn't have much snow.
On Monday, MikeT and I decided to ride the hills northeast of
Salida, and so, after a late breakfast, we started riding from
my driveway. Amsoil, anyone?
We rode FR173 up to the hills, then headed for Aspen Ridge
to enjoy the views of the Upper Arkansas River Valley and the
14ers in the distance. Along the way, we stopped and gawked at
the cabins and mines that are scattered throughout the area.
During one rest stop, we saw the most fantastic sight I've
ever seen in the woods. Several Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep appeared
on some rocks in the hills above where we were stopped. We watched
as they stopped to look at us, then descended over the back side
of the rock and into a steep canyon. I barely managed to keep
my composure enough to take a few pictures.
So the 2004 Fall Ride finally came to a close. There were no injuries and no equipment failures. The scenery and weather were fantastic. We really didn't find any gold, but we did find some pretty quartz and some small iron pyrite crystals.
It doesn't get any better than this - until tomorrow ;-)
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