In the works for at least a week, our local Wednesday night road ride evolved into a one-time semi-epic. Woody hatched the plan, Crested Butte (CB) riders would ride down toward Gunni(son) and hook up on Ohio Creek road with the Gunni group that would leave the TUNE UP at 430pm. Then this posse would roll up the Ohio Creek Valley, over Ohio Pass and onto Kebler Pass. Kebler dumps you right into CB and then, for us Gunni guys, it’s just 28 miles down the East River Valley back home.
Stage One - The boys high up on Fossil Ridge.
But earlier in the day it was Stage 1. The boys and I headed up to a local wilderness area called Fossil Ridge. It is aptly named and the boys have been keen all summer to get up there and check out the fossils that are supposedly everywhere if you happen to be in the proper layer of rock. The challenge is that the layer is above 12,000 feet! We set out from our sweet ‘98 Ford Exploder, our first goal being Mill Lake. From the lake we had to gain a steep alpine ridge and as Coop has his violin lesson at 4pm, it soon became evident that that might be all the higher we get. We finally gain the ridge with much cajoling on my part. We summit! Sort of. Just a hump along the ridge but the boys are still stoked, even though there’s not a fossil in sight.
What is in sight, however, is a dark, black cloud and grapple is falling intermittently. Distant lightning and thunder are noticeable but nothing close, thankfully. I’m still nervous and hustle the boys back down to the trail. We lunch on salami, turkey and cheese sandwiches I had hastily prepared before we left. These are the roachy kind of sandwiches they’d turn their noses up at if we were at home but since we’re in the woods, they’re hungry and it’s all we’ve got, they get happily wolfed down. Just enough rain on the way back out to warrant putting on our rain jackets, the boys dug this, and we’re back at the Exploder and still time to spare for afternoon happenings.
The top of Ohio Pass.
Just to make certain that this hike was an amazing experience, I pulled into McDonald’s and we each got a 69 cent soft serve ice cream cone. That sealed the deal. “We love going for hikes, dad!” This from the boys who don’t know what anything else at McDonald’s tastes like. I haven’t eaten there in years but I used to. In fact, back in the day, mountain bike racing pioneer and true legend of the sport, Joe Murray, was living in CB and we’d done a ride in Gunni. He wanted to eat so, not really knowing any better, I took him to McDonald’s. As we’re sitting there with our burgers, fries and shakes, he say to me, “You know, Dave, I haven’t ever eaten at McDonald’s before.”
Back to the bike ride. Stage 2, I guess. Man, those boys worked me on Stage 1!
Fixing a flat on Kebler Pass, losing light with Mt. Crested Butte in the background.
So the loop is about 60 miles but Ohio and Kebler Pass roads are dirt. This ride is at least a quarter off-road, then, but we’re all still on road or cross bikes; it’s not like we’re riding jeep roads or singletrack. Before the ride, I was scrambling, putting some fatter rubber on Suzee’s bike and refreshing mine, too. 32C would be the call, ample balloonage for the rough, dirt roads to come. I had to go pick them up from off-site storage and while there, the old Suburban, the same one that wouldn’t start the morning we left for Leadville, wouldn’t start. I call Suzee, hooray for cell phones, and she comes and gets me in the Exploder. Now I’m really off the back and the group needs to roll out of town promptly at 430pm to be able to meet the CB crew at the designated place 5 miles north. Suzee and the gang leave on time but I’m still messing around with my bike. Once underway, I can see the group way ahead but I have to chase, into a headwind of course (Murphy is my copilot!), finally catching the nice sized group that has already met up with all the riders from CB. All both of them! Yeah, great posse! Bunch’a wimps.
It’s all good now as we roll north, still on pavement. The Ohio Creek road has almost no traffic and is scenic as all get out. Uh-oh, Suzee has a flat. Rats! Who’s her mechanic, anyway! I’m not pleased as I’m her mechanic and probably pinched the tube putting it in. Luckily, I brought 4 tubes and she has one. That makes 5 total between us. Woody wants to wait but we shoo him and the rest on their way as we’re pushing this loop as it is, as far as getting it done and back to Gunni by dark. The first tube’s valve core breaks off as the Co2 cartridge goes onto it. The tube Suzee has is for a 26″ wheel. Finally, we get it fixed and are back on the road, just kind of chasing this time. I’m riding into the stiff wind…..again. Neat!
We hit the dirt and can see the group ahead; not so close but we are closing. “What? You have another flat? Front tire again?” Back on the side of the road. Upon closer inspection, one that obviously should have taken place in the basement an hour before, I realize her adhesive rim strip, somehow since 2004, has migrated to the side exposing just enough of a spoke hole to puncture the tube every time, in short order. We move the strip back to center and put in another tube. Let’s see, we had 5 now we have….one. I want to keep going; Suzee is ready to jump into the tailwind and head back. We are discussing this. Just right, however, Ricky G. comes by heading back as he has to drive the drunk bus at 7pm. Formally called Safe Ride, this is a job I held for about two years about two years ago. Great tips, tough hours, tough crowd.
Lower Elk Avenue in CB with Mt. CB in the background.
Suzee heading back with Ricky, who has a tube, I take our one remaining and finish the approach and commence climbing the dirt, gravel and rock of Ohio Pass. My road/cross bike has pretty good gearing relative to most pure road machines but I would’ve grabbed a lower gear if I’d had one. It’s absolutely a gorgeous evening and the views of The Castles, spectacular. I would have snapped some pics if I wasn’t chasing…..again! Right at the top I come across Ted and we descended the short but rough north side of Ohio Pass that leads to the glorious mag chloride of Kebler Pass. We saw a group of 3 when we had a long sight-line and were maching down the smooth ribbon of packed, chemically enhanced dirt.
Looking west up Elk Avenue in downtown Crested Butte. Just 28 miles home and at least an hour of light left!
Finally, we come across Sara, who had ridden up from the CB side, then her other (not better) half, Woody. We hit the fresh chip sealed pavement a few miles from CB, a much sketchier surface than the dirt, and quickly come across Keith with a flat tire. We get him fixed up and jam into CB. We ride right down Elk Avenue because if you’re from Gunni you’ve got to. The group is stopped on Highway 135 “waiting for Summer to bring us lights.” I said, “Summer isn’t bringing me a light.” BMiller said, “Summer isn’t bringing me a light.” Jordan said, “Summer isn’t bringing me a light.” So we roll. Ted is already ahead of us. It’s after 7pm and we have 28 miles to Gunni. The sun goes down before 8pm so we don’t even stop, we just roll by continuing to look back to see if anyone else wants to get on the bus. No takers. We start into a nice 3-man paceline and it’s slightly downhill and we have a tailwind. Yes! This is what I signed up for!
Part of the group. They told us they were waiting "for Summer to bring us lights."
A few miles out of CB, Woody pulls alongside in Sara’s Subaru and tells us there’s a group chasing us and that we should wait. We sit up and coast. We’re on a long straight and can see far back. Nobody in sight and it isn’t getting any lighter. Heads back down pushing on the pedals. We pick up Ted about a third of the way down and increase our output. Jack’s Cabin Cemetery, Roaring Judy, Almont, finally County Road 10 and it’s dark enough to scare us from 135 to this mellow country lane for the final miles to Gunni. Still just a scosche of light as we enter town, we see Ricky and the Safe Ride van already hard at work and it’s only 815pm. He’ll be done around 3am and there will be puke in the street in front of our house. But then I’ll call pubic works and they’ll send a street sweeper out to sweep up the puke. Nothing like living in a small college town!
This is Jordan. BMiller is pulling the train and Ted's up there, too. Pushing hard on the pedals as the sun goes down half way between CB and Gunni.
The evening was classic: distant storms, orange clouds, browning meadows, silver sage; the whole place glowing and a relatively unspoiled valley save the few modest homesteads and the ribbon of pavement numbered by the State of Colorado as 135. My only regret was not being more toward the front of the entire ride to take better pictures. At home, I’m pretty worked but Suzee has Risotto with prosciutto ready and she hasn’t eaten yet. We have a great dinner, hang with the boys and retire for a little John Stewart and Steven Colbert. Summer is waining but it’s all still good!
