Day 2

06/06/06 Hmmmmmmm.

Setting the tone for the remainer of the trip, I woke at 0600, rose at 0700, and departed at 0800 (or so). The FREE showers were very nice! Just for practice I'm putting all my 'stuff' away while inside the tent (packing the sleeping bag, the thermo-rest, clothes, etc), and then tearing down/packing the tent as fast as possible to simulate doing it in the rain. Hopefully it won't happen, but you never know! Loop 12 runs from Trinidad to Walsenburg, easily tripling the distance I would ride along I-25 from T to W, but exponentially more enjoyable. The area is full of Spanish and Indian influence, from adobe buildings to small chapels to the names of the small settlements. It is a tough act - this balancing the urge to ride, to stop and walk/gawk, to photograph. Happy indeed is the 'balanced' rider!







Stonewall is one of my favorite places. Here a horizontal sedimentary rock layer was forced into the near verticle by the same forces which formed the Rockies eons ago. The wall is 'high aspect', that is, thin and tall, and the houses are built right up against it. Just beyond is North Lake, which was full of fishermen this day.


Walsenburg is a nice little, ah, 'burg, and I can recomment the Alpine Rose Cafe for vittles, though this trip I returned to George's Cafe north of town at the Rt 69 junction, this again as a tip of the hat to Bruce, who has traveled this area extensively and has a favorite cafe, motel, or bar in seemingly every town. Oddly, there's a poster of him in the post office of each town as well, but I suspect that's a different story.

In the parking lot of George's I took a 1/4 turn to the lean on both idle mixture screws and a 1/8th turn to the slow on idle speeds. Now she's a happier bike! Maybe I'll get the gumption to drop the slide needles a notch as well - but that'll be at the U-Store-It in COS in case something goes wrong.

Instead of taking 69 all the way to 50 and then over to Salida, I cut off towards Cotopaxi on a dirt CR road, hoping to make it all the way to Leadville on CRs. It wasn't to be.
Crossing 50 on CR12 I soon got lost enough to ask the postman in a 4x4 Jeep if I could get there on this road. Sucking air though his teeth, he said yes, but it got "a little rough" in places. Oh, I'm on a GS, no problem.


3 hours later I had been rim deep in soft freshly bladed dirt, over 11,000 feet, in the middle of nowhere, bounced off rocks and only finally headed for Salida, the town at the junction of 50 and 285, SOUTH of Leadville. But that's what I came here for. No harm, no foul, and I didn't even put the bike down once! Ta-Da! Thank goodness for that 6 gallon tank I put on.

Salida is an interesting town, on the Arkansas River (question: through what state capitol does the Colorado River flow? Answer: AUSTIN TX!!!!). Old structures, new businesses. From there up 285 to 82 and west to Twin Lakes Campground. Twin Lakes is an alpine beauty, surrounded by 14,000 ft mountains still (as of early June) capped and streaked with snow. The campsite is on the side of one of these mountains and offers nice views of the lakes.


Unload and head to Leadville for my 2 beers and some errands. The Silver Dollar Saloon, est 1870, beckoned and I answered. It has original stuff from that era and inexpensive beers, given the tourist trade in the area. I would have stayed longer, but one of the local women, complete with black eye, broken fingers, tattoos, and electronic ankle bracelet (!) started to take a shine to me. Plus, I had to beat the afternoon rains.

Thick and Chuncky soup for dinner (forgot to pick up rolls in town), and some phone calls. With cell reception so good in such exciting places, it was tough NOT to reach out and touch someone (as opposed to the local in the bar, but I'll let that go now). Tomorrow will be a hike up Elbert. All the way? We'll see!