Distance: 70 miles Placerville, CO to Cimarron, CO
Ride Time: 6:22
Average Speed: 11.0 mph
Maximum Speed: 36 mph
Altitude Gain: 3940 feet
Average Temperature: 84
Every day in the Colorado Rockies starts the same – with a mountain pass climb. I climbed up and over the Dallas Divide pass at 8983 feet to Ridgway. I saw another three cyclists climbing the east side of the pass. Once again I thought they had the harder side of the pass. Kathie thought Ridgway was a charming town. It even had a bicycle shop. From Ridgway you can go south to Ouray or north toward Montrose. Our route took us north to Montrose.
The road across the valley to Montrose was a long one. Montrose was the first town we had been in with much size since Cedar City, UT. Kathie fell in love with the town. We found a county fair ground and were able to empty our trailer tanks and take on more clean water. After Montrose we climbed another mountain pass. This time it was Cerro Pass at 10,276 feet. It was the first pass of the trip where a sign said “Uphill for the next four miles.” It was a long climb and just seemed to keep going. Every corner just exposed another curve or two and more hills.
At the bottom of the pass is the very small town of Cimarron, CO. One bar/convenience store combo and a National Park Service visitor center on narrow gauge railroads. Kathie was parked there and fixing dinner. Just after I arrived a truck pulls up and the lady inside asked if I was the other half of Kathryn. She introduced herself as Jan France, a local resident who was good friends with Kathryn. She is also the COO of America’s Disaster Relief, Charity Food Truck. When there is a disaster Jan and her husband drive a 40 foot trailer that serves as a kitchen to feed the people at the disaster. Her husband is the chef. Evidently earlier in the day, Kathie had met Jan at her homestead. She gave us the 15 minute lesson on how to control the trailer in the mountains. Jan is a delightful lady that also said she wanted to show us the dam in Cimarron. Kathie turned off dinner and we hopped into her truck and went for a drive up the canyon. The canyon was steep walled and halfway up the canyon had a restored narrow gauge locomotive and fuel car. The road ends at the base of Morrow Point dam, a cement dam that is part of the Gunnison dam system. Jan was excited to wait at the parking lot while Kathie hiked to the rivers below. She loved to show off her area. It wasn’t until she had lived there for two years that she found the spot she was so eager to show us. She offered us meals and any other support she could give. We feel we will always have a choice friend in Jan France.
After Jan left and we ate dinner, we drove our trailer up the canyon to the dam parking lot just as Jan had suggested and spent the night parked there.
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