Day 39: Del Norto to Platero - 51 miles

Today was the day of the highest cycling of the trip: Indiana pass at 11,910' (about 3600 m). As if the elevation wasn't bad enough, Del Norte was at about 7,800' so it was quite the climb. The elevation gain was made over 23 miles, but the first 11 were easy on paved road with a very slight grade. It was the last 12 that one had to work for, but I get ahead of myself ...

Lis and I stoked up on pancakes for breakfast and I was on the road by 08:00. Lis stayed behind to finish packing up and to call the forestry service. They had a cabin near Elwood Pass and we were keen on getting it so as to avoid camping out at 11,000+'. Unfortunately, it was booked out so it meant camping or making it to Platoro where there were cabins and rooms for rent. I opted for the latter which made for a longish day, but at least for the first half I had Lis carrying my bags.

To the purist this was a cop out. I really should have carried my bags all the way. However, that would have been a bit fanatical, particularly since I have enough problems breathing above 7,500'. Even at 10,000' I find myself having trouble breathing and gulping extra air for my oxygen starved lungs.

I headed west out of town and then turned south onto road 14. It was paved and ahead I could see one cyclist. I soon caught up with Paul and we cycled together for a while. The others had left earlier and were ahead of us. The day was beautiful and ahead of us rose the mountains that we would be crossing. It was quite daunting to see what we would be tackling, particularly as there was snow at the higher elevations.

We soon caught up with Rebecca and Pascal and after removing a few layers I cycled ahead; Lis wanted to leave at lunch time for Denver. I passed Alyce and made good time until the pavement ended and the road began a steep climb. To add insult to injury the rain of yesterday had made the surface quite 'mucky' and at one point it was so bad that I had to disconnect my front brake so the wheel could keep on turning. I stopped when the road dried out a bit and got a stick to remove the layers of mud. Not much fun, except that we were at least rewarded with magnificent views of the mountains and the golden aspen.

 

dsc00363.jpg (94279 bytes)
 

Lis arrived on the scene and told me that the cabin was booked. She had given the bad news to the others who were further back, due in no small measure to the loads they were carrying. I kept on climbing through groves of golden aspen, where Lis got the photo below. Lis went for walks along the road savouring the musty smells of autumn and enjoying the sunshine while I made my slow but steady progress up the mountain.

 

dsc00366.jpg (178611 bytes)
 

It got quite cold the higher I got and there was a cold wind which sprung up around 11:00 which cut through me to the bone. As shown in the photo below, in places where the sun didn't reach there was snow and ice on the road which made for tricky cycling; my rear wheel often spun on the ice. Later on the descent I passed places where there were several inches of snow on the road due to canopies of trees completely blocking all sunlight. Must be fun to travel here in the depths of winter.

 

dsc00367.jpg (176150 bytes)
 

Just before 12:00 I reached a plateau area where the road descended. There was no sign but I was certain that it was Indiana Pass at 11,910'. It was ironic that the highest point of my trip was not even a divide crossing! Around me there was snow and mountain tops, I really was on top of the world. There was also a howling wind coming from the SW which meant that I had some fun cycling into a headwind.

 

dsc00371.jpg (178366 bytes)
dsc00372.jpg (171611 bytes)
 

Lis and I had lunch in the car (with the heater on full!) and then after a prayer we separated; Lis towards Denver and myself hopefully to Platoro. I cycled into the headwind fully laden again, with the mountains and forests ahead of me.

 

dsc00373.jpg (181302 bytes)
 

The road from the pass was terrible, very mucky with lots of damage from tyres. In many places I felt myself sliding, barely in control, while in others it was necessary to slow to a crawl to navigate around the mud and the ruts. I was thankful that I didn't have this when travelling uphill. One of the great injustices of cycle touring is that after a long climb one is robbed of a fast downhill coast. It is just so unfair.

The road had a lot of ups and downs and eventually I reached the virtually abandoned town of Summitville. Once the location of a gold mine, this is a heavily polluted place which is a 'Superfund' site. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been trying to clean it up with the hope of eventually returning fish to the streams; all life was killed within 14 miles of the mine. Our maps and guide book have warnings not to drink any water in the area.

From Summitville it was up towards Elwood Pass. I turned east just before the pass and came upon a road closure. They were blasting ahead and I had to wait for the all clear. It was very cold with the wind so I asked if I could sit in the truck and we both climbed in. Johnny then kindly turned on the engine so we had heat as well. Such luxury.

Johnny was part of a team camping in trailers up here and doing road work. I had passed the trailers earlier and wondered what they were doing out here. Hunting was his passion and he told me all about local regulations, the different weapons, etc. I feigned interest to be polite but it is just another world to me. Eventually the blasters came on the radio with the old catch phrase 'Fire In the Hole' and there were two small explosions and then a huge one. Shortly after Johnny was told that I could come through but that the road was closed to other vehicles. For good reason. They had blown some rock to create a drain and the road was covered in sharp, angular stone. A couple of workers were starting to rake it clear as I pushed my bike through.

I was then rewarded with a great downhill run -- finally! The road wound its way through the forest, although the surface was very rough with lots of stones protruding through. I've (hopefully) learned my lesson after Boreas Pass so I kept my speed down to avoid punctures. It was still difficult since the trees cast shadows over the road which made reading the road surface difficult.

 

dsc00376.jpg (188685 bytes)
 

At one point I was presented with a most colourful mountain. I don't think that the photo below does it justice but it was a series of different shades of red. Most lovely. Shortly after I passed 'Iron Creek' so I presume that the mountain's colours were due to iron.

 

dsc00377.jpg (169641 bytes)
 

It was a fun ride down and on the way I passed four hunters on ATVs heading up. They were not paying any attention to the road and didn't even notice me until I shouted out a warning. Had I been a large truck it would have been messy but I was able to move over to the edge of the road and avoid any problems.

At the bottom of the hill I came to Stunner campground which is the recommended stopping point for the night. It was only 16:00 so I decided to continue on to Platoro. I passed the sign below which speaks volumes. This part of the country has been mined for a good 150 years and the legacy will be present for years. The road followed the river and I was surprised to find many beaver dams. Obviously they are less sensitive to heavy metals than humans. Or perhaps they just have much shorter lives.

 

dsc00378.jpg (176137 bytes)
 

There was a steep 3.7 mile climb to Stunner Pass at 10,150' and then a great descent to Platoro. The town was not much to look at, seemingly comprised mainly of cabins. I found some men working on a deck and they suggested I visit the Skyline Lodge where there was a restaurant. I was keen on some warm food as the wind had sapped the heat out of me.

I was soon esconced in front of a gas fire with a hot chocolate and had a hearty plate of spaghetti for dinner. As I thawed out the owner suggested a room for the night and I didn't need much convincing. It was a real oasis after the day's hard ride and the friendly staff made it all that much more special. I spent the evening next to the heater working on my journal before a delightfully hot shower and retiring to a cozy bed. This is the last luxury I expect for about a week so I made the most of every minute.

 

On to the next day ...

loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loans loansloans loans loans loans loans loans loans insurance insurance mortgage mortgage