Salida ColoRADo...

Summer is getting closer, and riding is taking me into higher and higher elevations. I have to remember to take the camera more often.

Yesterday I got out for a quick ride; I wanted to explore a bunch of roads that are nearby (within 10 miles of the house as the crow flies)... places that I hadn't been. Gotta get out on the ground to see if some of these routes actually "go". Some did, some didn't. Now I know.

I'd never been to this old mine before, either. Fixer upper:



It's furnished!





more in a minute...

These ladies let me get right up close (Bighorn Sheep):







This road was awesome:







More....

Another road I'd never been on; out to the Copper King mine:








I think I was the first one out here this year:



What's left of the Copper King:





View from the mine:





more....

Then a quick run down Railroad Gulch- this was once the Turret Line, which ran from Browns Canyon up to the Turret gold fields. It was the country's steepest non-Cog railway- they had special narrow gauge engines built with the boilers mounted at an angle so they wouldn't run dry on the steep grades. It's an out and back now- you can ride down until the rail bed is washed out too much to continue:





So that was my day. I explored all kinds of routes I hadn't checked out before- some of them turned out to be dead ends, but now I know.

Cool stuff, I think I could handle living out there.

Beautiful stuff!!

beautiful area , Bob Ross would've dug it.


watch you butt (and tires) around the old mines

This thread should be renamed "The thread of SUCK!"

I still can't get past the fall aspen groves. Dang that's nice.

See ya in a month!

Looking forward to it Paul!

??? Seriously, your going out to Colorado!??



Any of the other guys going with you?

Nice!!

I wish that I could find some "roads" like that within 10 miles of my house!!

Ya. call me.

One of my favorite areas to ride- Hermit Pass and the Rainbow Trail.

Going to be planing a ride from Salida down to Westcliff soon.... My parents live in Canon City and will be spending some time with them.

Would be cool to get some folks together to make this incrediable trip/ride!

A few random pics from today's ride:







more....

The weather wasn't real nice in the Sangre De Cristo's this morning (that's why I first headed north)




Black Mountain in the distance;



edit: I saw a beautiful red-colored black bear on this road. He ambled off before I could get my camera out.

more...

Quick stop to look at the view, headed back south...

The rest of the ride was like this...















Town down below!



From there, I rode home.

Cool. Always amazing how quickly things dry out at altitude despite all the snow.

Thanks for sharing the pics.

Beautiful Pic's- Looks like you had some great conditions...

Can you tell me where the Rainbow trail starts in Salida? and I understand it runs all of the way down south..

Would like to ride from Salida to Westcliff and was told about 100 miles or so?

Nice ride, thanks for takin' time to post! I've got to get back out to Salida sometime.