Al and I rode a nice loop from Gunnison with 222 miles and 21k of climbing, 90% dirt and 97% rideable (3% doesn't sound bad, but 7 miles of pushing a loaded bike uphill does!). Here's a link to the Sage and Saddles route: https://bikepacking.com/routes/sage-and-saddles/ for details if you're interested. The first two days are through sagebrush country before three days going up and down over passes and through valleys.
My pedal died out in the boonies 45 miles into the route and if it weren't for Brad, who drove me to Gunnison to buy a pair, and Annette at Cathedral Ranch Cabins (very nice place to relax!) the trip would have been over.
A long hot day got us to Pitkin where we sprung for an expensive room ($307!) and real food.
Took us a bit to get rehydrated...
From here it was uphill to the base of a pass, hike-a-bike, bounce down, cross a valley, repeat the rest of the way. Riding these three days on a bike without suspension would not be fun!
This used to be mining country and we passed through old towns mostly inhabited in the summer only.
The high point of the trip was definitely not the highlight...Tincup Pass at 12,147' was windy, rainy and cold enough to numb our fingers, but we made it down to Frenchies in Tincup for hot coffee and huge burgers without incident.
(https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/fun-scale)
No decent photos, but we saw deer, elk, pronghorn, a coyote and a fox - nice!
On the food front, we were resupplying from little convenience/gift shops. Here's what we were able to source for one dinner and a breakfast - not gourmet eating.
The last afternoon had the steepest climb yet, more than 900' in the first mile! That bought us some time in the aspens and a long descent to Gunnison.
As Al said at the end, "I'm happy and glad this wasn't a 6-day trip 😂!"
Thanks, as always, for the comprehensive narrative and visual update on the trip. A classic Colorado bike trip!!
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