The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Historic Roaring Fork Valley - Section 2

August 20th to August 30th

Ride Director: Bob Smith
Ride Co-Director: Anne Smith
Report by: Deborah Lepiece

The sounds of gurgling and sometimes rushing water. Evergreen trees. Silhouettes of mountain peaks. People standing in rivers in their fly fishing gear and their line floating down river. Signs warning of bears (We had a bear sighting). Square steel trash cans with safety latches protecting against curious animals. Large expanses of sage brush. Horse farms. Cattle grazing. Food, really good fresh food especially fish. These are a few of the sights and sounds still vivid in my memory.

The trip was nicely paced with two to three nights in each hotel giving us a chance to take in the town or explore several options for riding. Three of the four hotels were historic hotels providing an intimate way to understand the history of the area from mining coal for coke, to extracting marble, to digging for gold, and to the importance of the railroad.

We started in Glenwood Springs in a grand hotel interestingly adorned with photos of the original building and the guests including Theodore Roosevelt. The hot springs were available across the street and the trail conveniently started around the corner.

The next historical hotel was built for the coal miners. The route came down the single-street town of Victorian homes and the road ended at the wrap-around hotel porch. Here we could relax in the swimming pool, visit the art gallery or explore the coke ovens.

The last historical hotel was in Aspen. Here we entered the Frank Loyd Wright era. This was an easy place to relax when you weren’t riding to Maroon Bells (the most photographed place in CO) or exploring the town of billionaires.

The routes frequently used rails to trails or when on the road the traffic was light. Two separate towns provided opportunities to ride to the summit of a pass. Each one was more challenging than the last. I did mention the ride was nicely paced with something for everyone.

If you enjoy good food, this trip will not disappoint you. At every stop, there were plenty of restaurants or at least one restaurant with a great selection. And for one lunch, an optional ride took you to a remarkably good BBQ restaurant where even the Texan and Tennessean participants raved about it.

The mandatory mileage and climbing were as described with only the tough days as optional. This was a good ride for couples or friends with different riding abilities where both could enjoy a vacation of riding together. We had a few of those on this trip.

My husband and I arrived from a flight into Denver while the other participants drove.  It was a beautiful drive to and from Glenwood Springs. I was envious of the others that were using this destination as an opportunity to explore other areas of CO. My recommendation is to add on days before or after the trip to explore the area beyond the ride. This is a trip to repeat.

PHOTO-Participants: Front Row – Regina Coose, Linda Kimball, Bob Nettleland, Ramsey Doran, Dolores Apton Second Row - Anne, Ernie Coose, Frank Hanson, Marcia & David Cohen, Sylvia Shiroyama, Holland Duell, Mike Stein, Sharyn Smith & Victor Brunamonti Third Row - Bob Smith, Frank Hansen, Scott Page, Sam Shiroyama, Kris Carson, Jim Doran, Dean & Julie Leichtenberger Fourth Row - Deborah Lepeice, David Rowe & Charles Carlson