Tour of the San Juan Mountains 2007

Tour of the San Juans Mountains September 2007

Visiting the high rockies on a bicycle is a great thing. The variety of experiences made possible by the Mountain Bike are unique and not duplicated by any other means of travel. It is not necessarily an easy or comfortable way to travel but the experiences outweigh the discomforts

The attached pictures are good, easy to view and tell a lot of the story. One set of and really the best of pictures were taken by Mike Curiak who was on part of the tour with me.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mike.curiak/Ooo?authkey=EV67wyjKmVU&pli=1 these are taken by and posted by Mike Curiak

http://picasaweb.google.com/mootsrider/TourOfSanJuanSelections taken by Lee Blackwell's camera

The first part of the trip started in Ouray CO. We rode up Engineer Pass and then descended on Bear Creek. Mike had come up with the plan. The thing he did not say, was the last several miles of trail there would be tremendous exposure and the trail is carved into the side of the canyon .To his credit he saved it as a surprise for Gary Dye and I who had not seen the trail before. The precipitous exposure was beautiful to behold and at the same time scintillating, thinking of the result of a plunge into the abyss. The trail then came into a section of rock which was like shards of glass. The rocks rang under the wheels like a xylophone as we rolled over them.

After this 5 hour ride we loaded our bikes and went to the other side of the valley to begin the real tour. Mike and I had our camping gear and enough food to go for several days with the goal being to get to Durango via a convoluted scenic mountain route. The balance of the day was spent climbing Imogene Pass. At dark we camped. Gary Dye had been along for the day so turned around and rode back down to his car in Ouray.

Next morning summated Imogene. Mike had mapped an old road closed long ago which went to a big old mine on Ptarmigan Lake. Then we cut around on the contour on what seemed to be a hundred year old trail. Little used now but evidence suggests that before modern highways this was the way to Silverton. You can almost hear the voices of those earlier travelers on a road like that. Here we are our high tech bikes going for a tour, where as they traveled with minerals on their mind and perhaps just survival. What a difference a hundred years can make.

On this contour to Black Bear Road I did nearly slip into a steep gully. The trip across had it's moments of difficulty. Upon reaching the jeep road called Black Bear we climbed back to 12,000 plus ft. and then had a great coast down to the Bridal Veil Falls power house. This elegant house sits above Telluride on the sheer wall of rock which makes Telluride dramatic in location. The water from Bridal Veil Basin spills in a free fall like bridal veil of white against that dark rock. At the house we turned uphill once again. Way down at 9500 ft. it seemed downright tropical in the afternoon sun as we began climbing into the basin above with the goal of summiting Oscars pass.

The trip into the basin was pleasant enough. In spite of our GPS data and a map we still had a few route finding difficulties. In the late afternoon we were at the summit of the long abandoned road over Oscar's Pass. One look over the other side, it was clear there would be no traffic to bother us. It was the steepest, most rock strewn road I can ever recall. Golden tumbles of rock in the setting sun with commanding view of the town of Ophir below and Ophir pass.

At sunset we had returned to lower elevation of 10,000 ft and the relative comfort of that elevation. I was ready to set camp, eat, and call it a day. Mike on the other hand had yet to switch on his LED light and desired to ride on into the night on to the next valley over yonder. I gave him leave and was willing to say, "great riding with you pardner see you on the next one". Mike decided not to go on but did seem disappointed. So we camped and I slept like a baby.

Next morning big grey clouds greeted our morning sky. Mike was thinking about the Interbike industry show coming up and decided the tour was over for him. I bade him goodbye and suddenly I was alone with decisions to make. The gathering clouds helped me decide. I rode over Ophir pass and then joined highway 550 to go over Red Mountain Pass and the fabulous fast coast into Ouray back to my car. I knew that returning to the car was a hazardous decision. Many a trip has been shortened or abandoned by retreating to comfort. Still, it seemed like the right thing to do as I needed to get the car to Durango or somehow get myself back to the car someway.

I stayed in Ouray for the afternoon, went to the hot spring, washed clothes and observed the gathering weather. Drove over to Silverton, slept a rainy night in my car. Decided to go to Durango, stay with Rich Donley and wait for the next window of good weather.

Rich was very kind and accommodating. It was really nice to rest up, enjoy the company of a good friend. I was waffling whether to go out, the legs feel weak at times and the mind must overcome the millions of things to distract. I did in a moment look out the window, saw the clearing sky to the west. I thought about all the preparation I'd done to be at a place where I could just go. I quickly packed up, loaded my bike in Rich's van and caught a ride with him to work which was north of town on the road to Molas Pass. Molas is where I wanted to restart where the Colorado trail crosses just above Ouray. After some riding on the highway and one hitchhike in a pickup by a fellow adventurer named Chip, I was at the top of Molas Pass and riding the trail by 10:30 am.

Here at Molas the trail is on top of the world and climbs higher. Up onto a broad escarpment and into a grand curving basin. Grizzly Peak looms in the distance. I ride the single track which gradually climbs as it contours the basin, cross a pass and then the Twin Sisters smile down upon me as I ascend Rolling Mountain. Suddenly, the very distinctive Lizard Head Peak appears and I'm descending into the Dolores River drainage. Then as the sun dips low I cross Bolam Pass and take pictures of Silver Creek in the low light. I find a high red escarpment and get my tarp secured in the last light.


A good night was had except for a bit of slippage between my pad, ground sheet and bag. Seems like one or the other of something is sliding away as if under its own power. Hotel Draw and Scotch Creek are next but not won easily. A pass which somehow I had forgotten about is keeping me busy for a few hours. Back up to the thin cold air and then an exhilarating plunge to cross the road coming up Hotel Draw. I think of other times I have been here. The first time when I was about 19 years old taking my Suzuki X6 street bike for a dirt bike ride. That motorcycle was never quite the same after that trip over Hotel Draw to Rico. Then there was the time Steve Becker and I were there on one of our first long distance bike rides. My rack broke on that ride and we came close to running out of water.

The single track of a good kind continued. I was approaching what is called The Highline Trail. I've never been sure where the Highline begins or ends but it is high so it must be right. The trail stays on the eastern edge of the ridge between the Hermosa Creek and Animas drainages and the Dolores drainage to the west. Much of the trail is just plain good riding. The views are grand but not as rugged and dramatic as the earlier trip with Mike over near Telluride. Sooner than I thought came Orphan Butte, I could see the Cape of Good hope which I knew I would need to ascend. I recall the trip with Steve where we were approaching the Cape late in the day. The Cape was "cake" and next I'm on to Indian Trail Ridge. Now this is tough. The hike a bike begins and I find myself just creeping in slow motion pushing and lifting my bike over big rocks which just stop the wheel dead unless a little lifting assistance is given to that wheel. The sun is setting, the air is thin and cold and the wind is rising. The isolated peaks of the La Plata mountains stand silently watching this ant move across the earth. I can see Kennebec pass. I know I need to be there. Over the top is a plunge down to warmer climates and comfy nights. The sun is setting. I push on, one step at time.

Eventually Kennebec is mine. I plunge off the pass. Get out of the wind and call Rich's cell phone to leave a message as to my whereabouts. That was my safety strategy. In the high places the phone works sometimes. If I vanished the knowledge as to my whereabouts would be more concentrated. Up ahead is the tropical climate of Junction Creek. I find a little niche on the hillside, purify some water set my camp, eat and get warm in my bag.

That night, a few windy moments when the great giants creak and moan and you see the latest downed ones in your periphery. Always a little fear and worry out in the wilds.

Next day is a drop down into the depths of Junction Creek which is thick with vegetation and tumbling waters. Then a climb back up to Wild Oat Mesa, a snack at Gudy's rest and next thing Durango's main street. I'm dodging RV's and delivery trucks on my way to the Durango Diner where I enjoy that earned rest, a feeling like no other.

This trip culminated a summer of preparation for the adventure. Earlier trips, bike rack making, working for fitness, sleeping in the yard to test gear.
Traveling by bike on roads, trails, forgotten ancient paths and sometimes no path at all brings a way of enjoying the country in a way which is different than any other way.

Getting my camping gear, food, bicycle and fitness all in order to accomplish the trip was part of the adventure. Really I've been preparing for this for several years. This time seemed different though. I felt that I had accomplished getting really comfortable with the whole system.

I carry cheese, sausage, cooked beef, crackers, bagels, tortillas, candy, fresh fruit, and trail mix. My water is in the pack plus bottles on the bike. I use a Miox water treatment which is a little gadget which electrically coverts a little salt water in the canister to a chemical to treat the water.

The sleeping arrangements had been a real point of difficulty. A treated nylon tarp with lots of tie points, a very light plastic ground cover, a Thermarest pad and a 5 degree down sleeping bag worked very well. I felt very good with my setup after puzzling over it for months.

My good friends Scott Morris and Mike Curiak have helped me understand this unique way of travel. We have all been out doing this and each have worked out the systems that work the best for each of us. Scott and I rode the Arizona trail together in 2004. Scott had other commitments which prevented him being on this trip. We use maps and GPS to find our way. Scott and his brother Al wrote a software program which enables us to plan a route at home using maps on the computer then load the route on the GPS to follow out in the field. Mike carries much experience from racing the Great Divide Route and the Iditarod across Alaska in the winter.

My wife Joan is at this writing having an adventure of her own climbing Mt. Kilamanjaro in Tanzania. Joan always supports me in my bike endeavors and that makes a huge difference. Thanks Joan.

The fitness to be out on a bike all day every day for a few days is always an ongoing and interesting thing. It is such a combination of mental and physical links. At the beginning of the ride I thought my knee was going to be the undoing of the trip for me. The knee was hurting and I really thought it in no way could get better. Interestingly, the knee pain vanished. General fatigue did take the place of that ailment. General fatigue is the hazard of this sport. Fortunately it is possible to recover while writing stories of the trip at a computer.

Happy Trails, hope you enjoyed the story. I enjoyed writing it.

Lee Blackwell