Today, we got to enjoy the amazing scenery of Colorado as we rode through mountains and made our way into Leadville, the highest city in the United States. The team had more time to explore the town and take in the beautiful views of the Rockies! We also had our first camping night in Twin Lakes, where we took a dip in the lake and cooked hot dogs and beans before resting up in our tents.
RIDE OVERVIEW
Mileage: 51.6 Miles
Elevation: 3,437 ft.
Points of Interest: Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters, Zero Day Coffee, Ice Palace Park, Fremont Pass, Mount Elbert, Mount Massive
Ride Dedication: Katy Dea
Tales of the Trail
This morning, we had a normal wake-up with some eggs, sausages, and biscuits for breakfast, which fueled us for the day ahead. The teams were also tasked with making a movie throughout the day, which was a fun challenge that added some entertainment to our ride. Some of the groups made an early morning coffee stop at Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters. The first portion of the ride was on the Ten Mile Recreational Path Trail, which made for a relaxed ride with great scenery of the mountains. Soon, we started ascending the highway, for what would be the only challenging part of the ride. We chugged along and made it to the first rest stop of the day, which was at a scenic rest stop in a parking lot by a reservoir. After some more climbing, we had an enjoyable and scenic descent through the mountains, and we enjoyed going a bit faster while taking in the views around us. We rode through the Fremont Pass, an 11,318-foot mountain pass between Lake County and Summit County. We soon found ourselves in Leadville, which is known as the highest incorporated city in the United States. Leadville was an incredibly beautiful and historic town, known for its role in the silver boom! The team had a great time spending some time in the city, and the groups all split up to find different shops, cafes, and restaurants in the town. My group had a great time getting coffee at Zero Day Coffee and making our movie! The van was stationed at Ice Palace Park, which had amazing views of the mountains in the area and was built in honor of a giant ice palace built in the town during the 1800s. We spent some time relaxing at the park before getting back on the road to finish up the ride.
The next portion of the ride was very easy, with a descent into some flat roads with tailwinds. The change in scenery was very noticeable, with the landscape seeming drier and arid. Soon, we found ourselves riding into Twin Lakes, our first camping destination. Our group got a little lost finding our way to the campsite, but once we arrived, we took some time to set up tents to prepare for the night. Once we were settled, a group of us shuttled down to the lake to take a cold dip in the water. Warm water is great, but there’s nothing like a cold dip in the lake to get your blood flowing, and the scenic views of the mountains surrounding the Twin Lakes were beautiful. Once we finished washing up in the lake, we headed back to the campsite to prepare hot dogs and beans for dinner. We started a fire to cook the hot dogs, and we cooked some beans on our camping stove. After dinner, we walked up to a scenic spot to take in the views of Mount Elbert and Mount Massive, both 14ers known as some of Colorado’s highest peaks. We ended the night by washing up our bowls and sitting around the campfire for a bit before everyone dispersed to their tents.
