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Fall Colors of Carbondale, CO

September 27th to October 4th

Ride Director: Huey Hurst
Ride Co-Director: Twain Berg
Report by: Mike Raudenbush

Fall Colors of Carbondale, Colorado

September 27 to October 4, 2023

Ride Director: Huey Hurst

Ride Co-Director: Twain Berg

Report by: Mike Raudenbush and Virginia Cottingham

Ah, the Roaring Fork Valley in late September, when Colorado dons her best dress of yellow, gold, and green, when aspen gold and a full moon makes our hearts beat a little faster.  There’s a reason this is one of the most popular rides in Colorado. The other reason is that our ride leader, Huey Hurst, is a local legend, having lived here for most of his life, during which time he has ridden every nook and cranny of this scenic and cultural gem. 

The Roaring Fork Valley presents a wide variety of rides.  Most climb up the valleys into the grandeur of the high Rockies; some remain among the meadows and byways of the valley. We began our week with the traditional shake-down ride, a leisurely ride up the Frying Pan River, past soaring red rock cliffs,picturesque riverside ranches, and more fly fishermen than we could count, to Ruedi Reservoir, following the leisurely grade of an old railroad bed, once used to move silver ore from the area.  

Having limbered up on the Ruedi Reservoir ride, our next endeavor was the climb along the aptly named Crystal River, up to McClure Pass, then into the town of Marble. McClure Pass is one of several rides that are famous for their displays of Fall aspens, and this year did not disappoint.  Vistas stretched far up the Crystal River valley, covered in blankets of gold.  

On the return from McClure Pass we detoured into the town of Marble, cleverly named for the large deposit of high-grade marble buried in the mountainside above the town.  The mine, which once produced marble for the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, is now owned by an Italian firm.  So next time you pay a fortune for “fine Italian marble”, be aware that it may have come from Colorado.

That evening, Huey invited us all over to his home for dinner, then he surprised and delighted us with not one but two concerts.  The first was none other than Huey – a man of many talents – playing Beethoven’s 5thpiano concerto.  Then, for a change of pace, he had invited his friend and well-known theatrical songwriter and pianist Clay Boland Jr. to serenade us with a medley of popular songs of the 20th Century. What a treat!

With two iconic rides under our belts, we hit the Motherlode of Rocky Mountain rides: the Maroon Bells, two awe-inspiring 14,000-feet high sentinels of nature, fringed with aspen gold, guarding a crystalline lake. .Just when you think you’ve seen it all, these “Belles of the Ball” say “look at me”. Swathed in golden light, the Maroon Bells and the golden leaves never disappoint.   For those poor souls who have never ridden to the “Bells”, it is a cycling paradise: 8 miles of moderate, car-free grade through forests of aspens, past towering peaks, ending at what is considered to be the most photographed scene in North America.

In addition to the Frying Pan, McClure Pass, and the Bells, our group picked other rides to suit their fancy; among these were the ghost town of Ashcroft (during the silver rush it was bigger than Aspen), the Missouri Heights (offering rolling horse and farm land, with sweeping views of the Elk Mountains), short and steep Spring Gulch, and myriad other rides, all carefully described and documented on GPS by Huey.  And for a break from cycling, the Roaring Fork is full of hot springs, art galleries (including the nearby Powers Gallery if you’re into pop art), and a visit to the resort town of Aspen.

Weather was spectacular, starting with crisp Fall mornings morphing into warm afternoons, then our last 2 days we were treated to dramatic storm clouds and veils of rain swirling around the high peaks, none of which deterred our hearty riders. 

And so on our last day, with a dusting of snow on the high peaks, harbinger of the ski season ahead, it was farewell to Carbondale and the Roaring Fork Valley, at least for a little while.