The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Historic Roaring Fork Valley

August 5th to August 15th

Ride Director: Bob Smith
Ride Co-Director: Anne Smith
Ride Driver: Karen Johnson
Report by: Ernie Coose

This was a relaxing tour through some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve seen in Colorado. And we saw the mountains without having to climb them!

Our required rides were gentle climbs (mostly 2-3%) up the Roaring Fork Valley, with striking mountain views rising beside us. Each ride brought us closer to our highest destination, Aspen. Our final ride was a 44-mile downhill run from Aspen back to the tour starting point in Glenwood Springs. Participants especially appreciated that most of required riding was on well-paved cycling paths. They go on for miles and miles. It was freedom to just cycle and not watch for cars. There was also a surprisingly light amount of bike traffic for such a great area.

Stiffer climbs were available on optional riding days. A handful of us tackled the 10-mile non-stop uphill ride to Maroon Bells. Only one tandem was up to the challenge of the famous (infamous) Independence Pass.

By the design of long-time tandem fans Bob and Anne Smith, this was a tandem tour with a few single riders. They planned two or three nights in each hotel, so we didn’t have to pack up every day. The put on well-stocked and fun happy hours, including one in an art gallery with a garden of marble sculptures. Colorado beers and wines were always featured. Luggage loading was a simple DYI process. Gary and Karen always beat us to the next town with the luggage van.

Our evening “Bob Talk” included history of the towns we visited and tips on must-see scenery. We stayed in the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, where Teddy Roosevelt used to stay. In Marble, we saw recently cut marble blocks from the quarry that supplied the Lincoln Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington National Cemetery. There were historic coke ovens in Redstone. A highlight was a private tour of Redstone Castle, built by coal magnate John Osgood in 1902. We saw Maroon Bells, the most photographed view in Colorado. Aspen was an adult Disneyland of high-end art galleries and jewelry shops, plus great people-watching.

We didn’t have to search for Colorado wildlife. Some had to wait for bighorn sheep and mountain goats to clear off the Glenwood Canyon bike path. A multi-point stag paid no attention as we snapped him munching a homeowner’s landscaping. Otters stared back at us from the river. Marmots and chipmunks were everywhere.

Thanks to Bob, Anne, Gary, and Karen for a well-organized and memorable tour.

Photo taken in the courtyard of the Historic Hotel Colorado. Front row: Janet Oliver, Joyce Ringgenberg, Lee Vermeulen Martha Tolbert & Claudia Collins. Second row: Ginger Edwards, Dennis Tsai, Gerri Donato, Aaron Rosenthal, Anne Smith, Karen Johnson, Regina & Ernie Coose, Sue & Dave Smith Larry Tolbert. Third row: Craig Ringgenberg, Lori & Rod Sabastian, Bob Smith, Gary Johnson, John Vermeulen, Dianne Olsen & George Ellis.